Mp’s asking for £700 for FSM children

[Struggling2020]

Thoughts on this?

news.sky.com/story/amp/coronavirus-school-closures-will-worsen-north-south-education-divide-say-mps-11980290

Maybe I’m bitter (actually I AM bitter) but it’s not just the poorest kids who are struggling. In fact my friends on full benefits are the most secure right now out of all of us, they can focus 100% of their time and attention on their kids as no work to do from home and they’re still getting FSM with no worries about losing their jobs or reduction in income, intact according to them, benefits have gone up this month. (Fully appreciate this may not be the case all round)

In my experience, It’s those of us in the squeezed middle struggling! Trying to work and homeschool, struggling financially as everyone at home for lunches as opposed to usual nursery/ks1 free lunch. Worried about our jobs and what the future holds. Many of us forced onto reduced hours.

I understand statistically that those on FSM are more likely to fall behind. But is this another way of trying to disguise the issues? Trying to fit people into boxes of how we can help. The rich will be fine, the poor will be helped, the middle will be forgotten?

I think I need perspective.... my AIBU

AIBU to think it is not just FSM children who are disadvantaged by the current situation and actually, the problem is much bigger than that?

It would be far more beneficial to identify under performing children, I wouldn’t have thought it’d be harder to identify those as opposed to children receiving FSM.

For example I know a little boy who would fall into the FSM category who is in the top 3 performing students who has a lot of support at home. Then another who doesn’t fall into this category who is 2 years behind others of The same age.

Personally I think I might be offended at being offered this as it would suggest the government thinks I’m undereducated or incapable of home schooling my child

It’s going to be given to schools, as an addition to current funding. No one is going to spaff it all on food, fags, alcohol or 2nd hand laptops.

Every child in school is tracked and compared.

Those not performing do so for lots of reasons, some are FSM children and some are not. Any additional money is welcome without to many restrictions because when children return we don't know what problems they have encountered.

Every time schools benefit from some funding scheme there is a cut somewhere else. Lets hope this is additional funding without strings.

Oh FFS get a grip. I work with families on benefits and people like you are the bane of my life.

I don't have a problem with your question, OP. I have a problem with your implication that there's a load of people of working age sat around 'on full benefits' living a great life whilst others (like you) work and don't get the same support.

It's this endless division between 'honest hard-working people like us and feckless people 'on full benefits' like them'.

Think about the lazy way you differentiate between people. That's the problem.

You won’t be offered it GroundHog. The school will receive it in addition to funding already received for this cohort. If your dc are forced to sit in an intervention group for which they have zero need I’d be extremely surprised. It’s not how the funding works.

OP - to be fair, sometimes it’s more about implementation. A bit like child benefit and salary - cut off point was about taxation levels as easy to work out and it could end up costing more to implement.

I suspect the FSM kids are easily identified through existing systems therefore policy easier and less expensive to execute

I know someone, whose children qualify for fsm, when due to a relatively unique set of circumstances, really do not need them. I imagine this example would be few and far between and the majority of children, who qualify genuinely need this food. I cannot get upset that some children get the money when they don’t 100% need it when the vast majority do. It is more upsetting that some children need it but don’t qualify. But this would be impossible to administer. I therefore think yabvu.

I also heard that only around 30% of children are completing work set by school. I know a child, for example, who is doing very little even though their parents both have decent jobs. The parents prefer to spend their money on designer goods rather than good fitting shoes, the correct secondary games kit or a device to be able to access online resources from school. Tbh, I think this child needs the £700 far more than the children in my first example. But again, how on earth would we administer this?

The bottom line from all of this is that life isn’t fair. All you can do is keep going and use the intelligence you clearly have to give your children the best possible access to learning materials and help them with their work. If during the week isn’t possible, there is always the weekend.

Also, can't you see that despite needing state support yourself you're still envious of those who need EVEN MORE state support, somehow seeing them as getting something that you can't access?

This is EXACTLY what the rich want you to think because it stops you realising that they're the problem, not those without a pot to piss in. You're being played for a fool.

It is not begrudging those entitled too support, it is questioning why more are not considered for extra support

You can expect more for some without wanting it taken away from others ffs.

@Saucery I work full time & so does DH so we wouldn’t fall into this category but I wouldn’t begrudge it to anyone, I’m not saying the OP is. I hope it reaches the children who need it the most.

Full benefits, e.g not a top up - we get top up benefits and don’t get FSM’s

So it bothers you that people get more than you because they have less than you?

If £700 is being given to children for private tutors, why does it make sense for this to automatically go to children in recept of FSM?

You have been given the answer to that several time already. There is much evidence to suggest that children in receipt of FSMs are far less likely than other children to get the 5 GCSE including maths and English Language. This is the ‘passport’ to A levels and higher education which in turn leads to higher earnings. Such is the evidence that there is something called ‘Pupil Premium’ which is given to schools for children who have been eligible for FSM at any point in the last 6 years.

Given the number of redundancies going on at the moment, it would be reasonable to assume more children than ever will be eligible for this payment and many of them will be children in households where educational success is a given. Nonetheless, they will receive whatever support the Government decides to give.

If you come out of this pandemic with your health, job and home, I really don’t think you should be looking at those who have suffered far more and expecting to receive the support they have. It is the absolute epitome of ‘entitled’.

So basically OP, you feel that your children deserve 'free school meals' too? Am I right?
Can you afford to feed them?

If you genuinely are advocating for more for some who also need it without wanting to remove it from others who need it, OP, then I completely agree with you.

I would rather any amount of money be 'misappropriated' to feed and clothe children and families in need than any mis-used to bolster a politician's 'wage' or an airline tax-bill.

My only hope at the shit-show that is this country's lived experience is that the eventual dawning and realisation means that there will be a revolution that is meaningful and swift to put the country to rights in terms of what's actually good for the people.

You have been given the answer to that several time already. There is much evidence to suggest that children in receipt of FSMs are far less likely than other children to get the 5 GCSE including maths and English Language. This is the ‘passport’ to A levels and higher education which in turn leads to higher earnings. Such is the evidence that there is something called ‘Pupil Premium’ which is given to schools for children who have been eligible for FSM at any point in the last 6 years.

This is so well explained and it’s so easy to understand. The help goes to the people most in need of it, and that’s the way it should be.

Snore.
“FSM” high ability children are statistically 33 months cognitively and academically behind children who are of equal ability and age but from advantages backgrounds . Many children entitled to pupil premium statistically are more likely to dropbout of or leave secondary education and not attend further or higher education.
Children from socioeconomically deprived backgrounds most likely will not have parents with the emotional/ academic /recourses to be able to support their children. They most likely will have numerous siblings trying to share one device.
Now as someone who’s been on full benefits in the last 5 years and has just completed a PGCE and a masters in this subject. Believe me. You are not worse off!

Would you like me to send you the masters essay I’ve just written covering this including appendices? As you seem not to grasp what everyone is saying

When faced with some postulation like this, I can't help feeling the OP thinks that FSM children "don't deserve" it. Or if they do, I would be considerably enlightened if they could outline what they think should be the system that would deliver the most benefits

I think the OP just wants £700. Simple as that.

I voted Yanbu not particularly for your reasons but just because the chancellor of the exchequer can't just keep giving more and more covid handouts.

Yes kids are going to have some disadvantages, but so far kids have missed either half a term or a term of school assuming this doesn't go on past September. That's one term out of 12 years or 36 terms of school in total.

I get that it's not ideal but I think we all just have accept that we are where we are with it, I don't think anyone is at a significant disadvantage, more than they would be otherwise.

Are you not grateful to have a job OP and to know that you are able to provide for them?

If you got £700, what would you spend it on OP?

YABVU. Sick of how spiteful, jealous and petty people are being in all this. It's sick.

Your OP is well worded and fwiw I agree with you ...and I am about to be on full benefits as my job has just ended.

My son is 17 though and we don’t apply for FSM as we are lucky enough to be able to make sure he has enough. We are older though and have resources many do not.

It IS hard, in my last job I was actually slightly worse off because my DS is autistic and I lost Carers Allowancw while in work (others without a disabled child would probably be better off in work).

It’s people just over the threshold for any help who do suffer I think.

If it's that cushy on benefits quit your job and put your money where your mouth is OP? Thought not.