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Original poster

I feel bad for the kids on free school meals

122 replies

thegasp · 16/07/2020 17:02

Our school has sent out its plans for September.

Among them, only those children eligible for free school meals will be allowed to have school meals. Those kids will be sent to the hall for those meals.

All other children must bring in packed lunches, which must be eaten in their classes.

AIBU to feel sad about this sort of segregation? It feels like something from decades ago, when they might have sent the "poor kids" off to a different place. I'm worried about stigmatisation.

Is this standard, and going on in all schools? Sad

OP posts:
FrugiFan · 16/07/2020 18:22

@mothertruck3r

Why? Kids getting free school meals get free meals. Everyone else has to pay for a packed lunch. I feel sorry for the kids whose parents have to pay and make up a packed lunch.
Do you know why they get free school meals? I bet some of the other kids in the playground do....
FrugiFan · 16/07/2020 18:22

@randomer

Idk my kids would be a bit jealous as they love school dinners

Pay up then?

It sounds like school dinners are only available for the FSM children. Everyone else has to bring packed lunch.
IggyAce · 16/07/2020 18:23

I’m a lunch time supervisor. In September our children will continue to have lunch in their classroom, both packed lunches and school dinners. Those on school dinners will be collected a year group at a time collect their pre ordered lunch and take it on a tray back to class. So it is possible to include everyone.

whatsleep · 16/07/2020 18:25

I don’t think giving the FSM kids a packed lunch Is a good idea. The whole idea with FSM is that the children get a balanced healthy cooked meal. Hopefully it won’t be long before this provision can be offered to all families.

JaniceWebster · 16/07/2020 18:25

Idk my kids would be a bit jealous as they love school dinners

Pay up then?

Unless I got that wrong, the OP is saying that ONLY children on free meals will be allowed (free) hot meals - everyone else MUST take a pack lunch.

So any KS2 child who doesn't qualify for free meal won't be allowed to get one...

Miriel · 16/07/2020 18:30

Years ago when I was at secondary school the children who got free school meals were given a token each day to the value of a main meal and dessert.

This was the system when I was at school, except to collect your token you had to spend the majority of your 15-minute morning break queuing up along a fairly busy corridor with all the other poor kids. One of the office staff gave them out, but they were busy and literally everything else had priority over checking off names and handing out tokens. We were supposed to use the break to go to the loo and collect books/kit from lockers for the next classes. If you were collecting a token, unless you were lucky and got there quickly, you wouldn't have time. If you tried to get your token at a different time of day, they'd make you stand in the corridor outside the office door for ten minutes first, to punish you for not following procedure.

Before long, I decided I'd rather go hungry and just stopped collecting them. I honestly thought this sort of thing was consigned to the past and now FSM students weren't singled out in any way.

Alloftheboys · 16/07/2020 18:30

I’m surprised hot meals are currently being made.
Food provider for infants is only doing a basic packed lunch with 3 different sandwich filling choices. You can provide a packed lunch from home if you want.

Junior school (different food provider) is only providing a packed lunch - not sure if there is a choice of options. Or bring lunch from home.

ilovemyrednosedaymug · 16/07/2020 18:30

Our school (an academy) has just released their guidance and it is that their catering will provide an enhanced packed lunch for all pupils to buy and eat in their classroom, presumably delivered to the door, as they cannot cater for anything else. So presumably the FSM will have the same offering and nobody will know the difference.

Itsjustabitofbanter · 16/07/2020 18:30

I’m not surprised children are ashamed when their parents are behaving like this 🙄there’s no shame where I am having free school dinners

Alloftheboys · 16/07/2020 18:31

Oh gosh @IggyAce I bet you’ll be cleaning up lots of dropped lunches in the corridors!

Neighbours87 · 16/07/2020 18:45

It’s a lose lose situation they kids who go to the dining hall may be singled out and embarrassed. However, if the school provides packed lunches so they can eat with their classmates many kids will be missing out on their one hot meal

Fairybird · 16/07/2020 18:48

But what else can they do? For the kids on FSM, it might be their only meal of the day so it’s better they have a filling hot meal than a packed sandwich. There’s no way they can win on this. Giving packed lunches to the kids on FSM so there’s no segregation in the school canteen just means they will miss out on a hot meal. And anyway, even if they provided a packed lunch for the FSM kids, they would still be identifiable to the other children that they had a schoo-prepared packed lunch instead of a home lunchbox

On balance, the schools have decided that nutrition and the kids getting a proper hot meal is more important than sensitivities. Yes it not ideal but what would the alternative be?!

itsgettingweird · 16/07/2020 18:48

Agree with the idea its segregation.

Our school is offering choice of school meal or bring own lunch.

Everyone is eating is classroom.

Those with school lunch will have it delivered.

ComeOnBabyPopMyBubble · 16/07/2020 18:52

Giving packed lunches to the kids on FSM so there’s no segregation in the school canteen just means they will miss out on a hot meal.

That's what DD's school are doing. Well packed lunches for all whether you pay or FSM. No way am I paying 2.60 for a sandwich,some fruit and a cup of water.

MrsWombat · 16/07/2020 18:53

My school are offering packed lunches to everyone who wants one, so FSM kids are not singled out.

ComeOnBabyPopMyBubble · 16/07/2020 18:55

My school on the other hand, is still providing school meals (including hot) but on a reduced menu.

Some kids pay,some don't. Some kids are FSM but are having packed lunches. Some kids pay but are having school dinners or school packed lunches. No one knows.

Evelefteden · 16/07/2020 18:56

I don’t kids will read too much in to it to be honest. I was always envious of my friends toddling off for a nice meal whilst I had my shit salmon paste spread butty 🤮

Wfhwith3yearold · 16/07/2020 18:56

I had free school meals right through school. Everyone knew who had free school meals cause you had collect your ticket and give it to the lady at the til.

No one cared. It was half my school on free meals.

I was bullied that that wasn't the reason. I was bullied for being a geek.

betteliefsen · 16/07/2020 18:58

It's not happening at our school, it's the same provision for all pupils regardless.

jgjgjgjgjg · 16/07/2020 19:00

I really can't see that this is within guidelines as all children have to remain within their bubbles. So not only are the FSM children singled out, their health is also put at more risk. I'd be asking for their risk assessment on breaking the bubbles.

Drivingdownthe101 · 16/07/2020 19:02

@jgjgjgjgjg

I really can't see that this is within guidelines as all children have to remain within their bubbles. So not only are the FSM children singled out, their health is also put at more risk. I'd be asking for their risk assessment on breaking the bubbles.
I suppose if the eligible children from each bubble sit at tables which are at least 2m from the other bubbles then it’s within guidelines.
TimeForANewUserNameMethinks · 16/07/2020 19:02

In our primary the lovely caretaker lady would know whose lunchbag was whose, and during lessons surreptitiously put the free school packed lunches into the empty lunch bags that the kids put with everyone elses lunchbags. No-one felt awkward then. Maybe your school could do that OP?

SecularPanic · 16/07/2020 19:04

Dont think that's allowed.

Bargainhuntbore · 16/07/2020 19:06

Schools in my county will be supplying SM for all who have them, free or not

Starwind74 · 16/07/2020 19:14

Surely the main thing is the children on free school meals will get a meal and not go hungry.

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