No more free school meal vouchers?

[dottydotterson]

What do you think of the governments decision to end the free school meal vouchers for the summer? Do you agree or not?

petlover9 you consider broadband a luxury?
I imagine it would cost a lot more to add this to the job role of already over stretched social services than just to issue

You wouldn't pay it before feeding the kids? I loved hearing my grandmother talk about his they bought 1 item of furniture per month with each pay check after they got married and that their furniture was high quality of and lasted years because it meant something when they got it.

Now people expect to have multiple smart phones in a family, TV's xbox etc as the norm.

We need to start taking responsibility. When you chose to have children you need to know you can provide.

I know circumstances change but you can limit that. (having children in relationships that aren't long term or secure)

We have insurance on our mortgage so if we get sick and can't work the mortgage is paid, our mortgage isn't more than either of us could afford alone if it came to it. You need aback up plan.

Also instead of giving free food, let's make it mandatory that you attend a course where you learn to budget and cook. You take the children along and get taught to cook a healthy lunch for x amount and shown what nutrients children need.

Work with people to build skills, don't throw money at it because all that does is show you don't need to take responsibility because someone will pick up after you.

Also instead of giving free food, let's make it mandatory that you attend a course where you learn to budget and cook. You take the children along and get taught to cook a healthy lunch for x amount and shown what nutrients children need.

Work with people to build skills, don't throw money at it because all that does is show you don't need to take responsibility because someone will pick up after you.

Sure Start used to do exactly that. They were cut.

Those I know claiming fsm are component cooks, can manage a household budget but are in minimum wage jobs. Some have degrees and other professional qualifications. What makes you think they need cookery lessons. No they don’t have mortgage protection insurance because they rent.

@garino... people getting tax credits aren't eligible for free school meals or pupil premium. I'm not sure why . I get TC so therefore not FSM...

Malbecblooms i mean your question could easily be asked of heating, water and rent, would you pay these before feeding your child. Some families have to make money stretch 1000 ways, broadband is just another utility. Everyone raising a family in 2020 knows this- from job applications to school work, it is not the same as an Xbox. Keep believing that every family on benefits has large screen TVs because that’s what poverty porn channel 5 programmes have convinced you.

As for social services: love mumsnet where we have such an under used social that we should call them out every time a mother shouts at her child, leaves a teenager in a car and now to dish out food vouchers.

Oh and whilst we are at it: health food vs junk food costs. It’s a lot cheaper to buy a bag of sausages from Iceland than a salmon. Yes you can cook your child home made stodgy every night- that’s not necessarily healthy either.

*06OnlyFoolsnMothers

Malbecblooms i mean your question could easily be asked of heating, water and rent, would you pay these before feeding your child. Some families have to make money stretch 1000 ways, broadband is just another utility. Everyone raising a family in 2020 knows this- from job applications to school work, it is not the same as an Xbox. Keep believing that every family on benefits has large screen TVs because that’s what poverty porn channel 5 programmes have convinced you.*

Not the same, heating water and rent are not comparable to the internet. It is not a necessity.

I don't believe everyone on benefits has a big TV and feeds their children fish fingers but I do think something has gone wrong somewhere if you get to the point that you can't feed your children. Largely I do not think that something is the government.

I think it's a lot rarer to have set out planning how many children you can have on your wage,accounting for any loss of income, what your back up plan is and then for everything to fail than the number of families claiming they can't afford lunch in the school holidays.

Agree with @onlyfoolsnmothers

WiFi is no longer a luxury or an added extra...it's a standard utility now. You're expected to have it by many organisations including schools.

oh and whilst we are at it: health food vs junk food costs. It’s a lot cheaper to buy a bag of sausages from Iceland than a salmon. Yes you can cook your child home made stodgy every night- that’s not necessarily healthy either.

Lentils? Vegetarian foods?

We eat lentil stew, Ragu with loads of veg, 5 bean chilli as they are nutritious tasty foods. They are not a last resort.

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I know of a local council that gives free school meals to everyone in Reception and yr1 as standard, regardless of income. I'd happily pay what I would for meals and have the money diverted to cover a meal for another child or have somewhere to donate what I would have been paying. I don't dispute that some of the children may need free school meals but the majority live in the immediate area and are very comfortable so I know a lot of parents could do the same....if they wanted to.

I can see how the Tories win the last election. Some of the comments in here make me feel physically sick. No doubt the same posters get all excited over Children in Need & Red Nose Day coughing up for sob stories to make them feel good about themselves but want to deny and begrudge that fact that children go hungry every day and actually resent helping them out. Even if the parents are the most feckless in the world, and I doubt if they are, why would you want to leave children without food. The lack of compassion is staggering.

Lentils? Vegetarian foods?

We eat lentil stew, Ragu with loads of veg, 5 bean chilli as they are nutritious tasty foods. They are not a last resort

Can't stand this sort of sanctimonious post.

If you're poor, there's not much to look forward to. No exciting holidays abroad, no lovely nights out, expensive gyms, interesting and varied activities.

Food is a very cheap, very accessible pleasure if you're fucking miserable.

@ILoveIkea

I know of a local council that gives free school meals to everyone in Reception and yr1 as standard, regardless of income. I'd happily pay what I would for meals and have the money diverted to cover a meal for another child or have somewhere to donate what I would have been paying. I don't dispute that some of the children may need free school meals but the majority live in the immediate area and are very comfortable so I know a lot of parents could do the same....if they wanted to.

I know of a local council that gives free school meals to everyone in Reception and yr1 as standard, regardless of income.

All children in England get that.

@Malbecblooms Universal Credit is all online now. You need to fill it in online - if you are looking for work then you have to update your diary online. With libraries closed at the moment, people can only access the internet at home. If you don't fill in your work diary you get sanctioned. Which will mean no money at all. So yes, broadband is pretty essential if you are on UC.

Lentils? Vegetarian foods?

We eat lentil stew, Ragu with loads of veg, 5 bean chilli as they are nutritious tasty foods. They are not a last resort

Can't stand this sort of sanctimonious post.

If you're poor, there's not much to look forward to. No exciting holidays abroad, no lovely nights out, expensive gyms, interesting and varied activities.

Food is a very cheap, very accessible pleasure if you're fucking miserable.*

But why is a sausage more exciting than a veggie chilli? It's a perception of food which is pretty shocking in the UK.

My kids eat lentils and beans (not the baked ones, I mean black eyed beans, butter beans etc) as normal meals. They also sometimes have salmon, or chicken or curry but they have never known any different. It's not a depressing punishing night because I made a vegetable Ragu for dinner

I think it's a good idea to extend the scheme and hopefully it helps some kids but I'm not sure it will help kids who are abused and neglected. I'm sure it would be very costly but in the same way kids are provided with schooling I think it would be great if all kids could be given access to summer clubs, maybe using school facilities if neccesary.
I'm sick of hearing how awful the government are, this has never been done before and they have done it. If people keep calling every change of policy a u-turn there is no incentive for them to change their minds. I thought Marcus Rashford was clever not to politicise at all and just talk to all politicans and it worked, it's a shame so many people then have to politicise it.

Healthy food can be cheap. Most supermarkets do their own cheap brand stuff, even apples, pears etc. It’s an absolute myth to say it costs more to eat healthy. Obviously if you’re talking about salmon as someone upthread said, then most of us can’t afford to dine on Salmon every day. Get a bag of frozen white fish. I’ve been a single mum feeding young kids, and with sensible budgeting, planning and a bit of home cooking, it’s very doable.

There are some horrible, snidey fkrs on here. Let's starve children, just because we can. Horrible bastards.

Why do posters think families in receipt of fsm can’t cook healthy food or manage their budget? Of course they can - they are no different from other families.

@peppapigisscottish

I did wonder lol....in which case a vast amount of people that could should....no?

Also to point out most people aren’t leaving their kids to starve- they are stretching their budgets to try and pay everything essential. So their child may have 2 meals not 3, and no snacks.

It’s clear to me too many people on mn live in a bubble - “well I’ve always saved for a rainy day”...well done for having that extra to put aside. “Well I didn’t have children I couldn’t afford”...well done, you clearly are lucky your husband never left you with no maintenance or had a disabled child and lost your income. This country is a disgrace!
I also loathe the “well my parents forgo’d a shandy every week and paid off their mortgage before even thinking of getting a tv”...they also paid rent/ mortgage totalling hundreds of pounds not thousands! The cost of living and stagnant wages is the issue here not starving children.

Budgeting is helpful up to a point.

However, once your essential, non negotiable outgoings (ie mortgage/rent/childcare/water rates) exceed what coming in, you're screwed.

Also talk about tv's, mobiles and consumer goods is interesting but not really relevant in 2020.

Yes, in previous decades, consumer goods were incredibly expensive relative to earnings. However, the biggest expense nowadays for families is housing costs and childcare, and actual household consumer good are relatively cheap.

The fact he’s wealthy doesn’t diminish his achievement. The lad used his position to lobby for something important.

Indeed.
Marcus Rashford has been involved with FareShare for some time. They thanked him for his help and his "generous donation" in March.

I haven't RTFL so apologies if I am repeating. I work in a large secondary school and am responsible for distributing the vouchers to around 300 families.

I totally get how people feel when they suggest that the families have to manage during holidays normally without FSM provision. I understand the confusion and frustration as to why people cannot budget their minimum wage or their benefits to feed their kids. It is also important to note that the financial situation a lot of people end up in is by circumstance not fault. I also agree that the more you 'hand out' the less inclined some, definitely not all, but some may choose to take and not do more to improve their and essentially the lives of their children.

All that said, if a child isn't eating, we need to do the best we, in a position of influence in a school, can and try and help, when you are on the ground level is is literally personal, as you know these kids.

We can only now provide vouchers, not a breakfast or a lunch as is usual when school is open, so that is what we do. We involve social workers to check if we feel the child isn't seeing the benefit of that voucher. We contact families, we speak to the pupil, we push for the vulnerable to be sent to school 5 days a week. We do EVERYTHING possible to ensure the food reaches that child. At the end of the day an adults inability to budget or care is fundamentally out of our control but we can at least try to put the mechanism in place for the child to get that basic requirement.

Of course it should not have to be like this, but right now it is like this, and so i support that we continue to send out the vouchers and pray the food reaches the right stomach, that is what I do every week.

If you receive working tax credits and your DC is over Year 2 at School, then you will not get FSM at all, as your income is deemed too high

No, that's wrong. I get working tax credits and fsm for my primary bd secondary age children .