School asking parents to subsidise cookery lessons

[jcoc147]

DS attends a special needs primary school with approximately 7 students per class.
The school have sent out a letter to all parents advising that they can no longer subsidise they children's weekly cookery class and asking for parents to pay £20 a term. This I have no problem with and completely understand how underfunded schools are etc, but the letter then goes on to say that if a child receives free school meals parents do not need to pay. Failure to pay for children who don't receive free school meals means that although they can participate in the lesson they will not be allowed to taste any of the food they make or bring any home.
We live in quite a deprived area and I know that every child in Ds class receives free school meals apart from my ds.
I am a single parent and earn just above the amount to be entitled to any help but money is very tight.

Sorry for the long story but my question is AIBU to think all parents should have to pay a smaller amount rather than the few parents who's children do not qualify for free meals being asked to pay.

Sorry - cross posted.

"They are a group of children with very complex needs so are only making basic recipes things like shortbread, pizza etc"

I wish it wasn't so outing (should have NCed) as it may have raised a smile if I posted the pics of things my DC (at similar school by the sounds of it) made and brought home. Well I say made, I mean assembled really - and sometimes DC's were still unrecognisable

Will you be in the situation where you will still have to try and eat it in front of them and praise it? Definitely more if so!

(Btw I'm sorry if this comes across as insensitive. I always tried to look on the bright side)

I don’t have a problem with them asking for the money at all but I do feel sorry for the OP who has told us that she is a single parent who earns just above the limit for free school meals, and will be the only one out of the seven whom has to pay.
The school will be well aware that she is the only one who they are going to get any money from in the class, and to me it would have been nice had someone used a bit of common sense and thought to ask for a £3.00 contribution from everyone. Participating in a cookery class has nothing to do with entitlement to free school meals.
Some may argue that if you are family who’s income is so low they are entitled to free school meals then £3 is a lot to pay, but the same argument can be applied for the OP who is being asked to pay £20 out of an income that is only just above the free school meal threshold.
Rules are rules I know but it seems that those just above the threshold for any benefit end up being worse off in the end. What OP is being asked to pay for is an extra that everyone benefits from and as such in my view everyone should be asked to make a contribution.
The comment about non payers not being able to taste or take home the food almost beggars belief to me and whoever put that in the letter should be thoroughly ashamed.

@IWantToBeMelissaWhenIGrowUp

Sorry - cross posted.

"They are a group of children with very complex needs so are only making basic recipes things like shortbread, pizza etc"

I wish it wasn't so outing (should have NCed) as it may have raised a smile if I posted the pics of things my DC (at similar school by the sounds of it) made and brought home. Well I say made, I mean assembled really - and sometimes DC's were still unrecognisable

Will you be in the situation where you will still have to try and eat it in front of them and praise it? Definitely more if so!

(Btw I'm sorry if this comes across as insensitive. I always tried to look on the bright side)

Yep he eagerly waits for me to try anything he brings home and I have to rate it out of 37 (god knows why the random number) 🤣

@millymae

I don’t have a problem with them asking for the money at all but I do feel sorry for the OP who has told us that she is a single parent who earns just above the limit for free school meals, and will be the only one out of the seven whom has to pay. The school will be well aware that she is the only one who they are going to get any money from in the class, and to me it would have been nice had someone used a bit of common sense and thought to ask for a £3.00 contribution from everyone. Participating in a cookery class has nothing to do with entitlement to free school meals. Some may argue that if you are family who’s income is so low they are entitled to free school meals then £3 is a lot to pay, but the same argument can be applied for the OP who is being asked to pay £20 out of an income that is only just above the free school meal threshold. Rules are rules I know but it seems that those just above the threshold for any benefit end up being worse off in the end. What OP is being asked to pay for is an extra that everyone benefits from and as such in my view everyone should be asked to make a contribution. The comment about non payers not being able to taste or take home the food almost beggars belief to me and whoever put that in the letter should be thoroughly ashamed.

I couldn't quite believe the comment my self re tasting bringing home food!

They could have asked £3/term from each family but they chose to ask for £20 from just one family, how ridiculous!

@NoSleepInTheHeat that's not the case. The total needed isn't divided between all. The school needs £20 for each pupil whether or not their parents pay. But in the case of the fsm children, that £20 will come from their pupil premium fund.

@millymae my post above is for you as well. Even if everyone paid from their own pocket, it would still be £20 per child.

If parents qualify for free school meals then, presumably, £20 per term per child to take part in cookery lessons is way beyond their budget. Of course they shouldn't pay.

Yes I think that’s normal. Our school doesn’t charge for ingredients for cooking but they do ask for a contribution to swimming during school hours and they have their own swimming pool.

"Rate it out of 37"

I know a few parents whose children qualify for free meals yet they have hot tubs, dogs and expensive cars.

YABU. There has to be a cut off and it's unfortunate rather than unfair that you fall just above that cut off.

£20 a month is quite a lot. What do they cook?

@WhatifIfeellikeacat

I know a few parents whose children qualify for free meals yet they have hot tubs, dogs and expensive cars.

..and your point is? If you believe these people are being fraudulent then report them, it's not really relevant to this thread.

I'd just pay unless I myself couldn't afford it. If I was feeling flush I might give a bigger donation.

People who are skint enough to need FSM often can't find any spare, and as mentioned above pupil premium will pay.

I'd also suggest anyone concerned about school funding issues consider how the fuck we get some significant political change . We shouldn't be squabbling with the people at the bottom, we should demand schools are properly funded.

I know a few parents whose children qualify for free meals yet they have hot tubs, dogs and expensive cars. Hot tubs are the new wide-screen TVs it appears

Same (bull)shit, different day

It is fair - the £20 for the FSM kids comes out of their pupil premium.

But I can see how it feels tough in your particular circs.

Can the School allow you to pay it at £1 per week?

@RepeatSwan

I know a few parents whose children qualify for free meals yet they have hot tubs, dogs and expensive cars. Hot tubs are the new wide-screen TVs it appears

Same (bull)shit, different day

I read it as hot dogs and thought that was quite a low bar to set for luxury...

@WhatifIfeellikeacat

£20 a month is quite a lot. What do they cook?

It's £20 a term.

I know a few parents whose children qualify for free meals yet they have hot tubs, dogs and expensive cars

Isn't FSM qualification based on a low income cut off with no other qualification criteria?

If that's the case, you could have a situation where someone has a low income so qualifies, but may be mortgage free, eg a widowed parent working part time or a family who has received an inheritence.
They may also receive financial help from relatives that doesn't count as income so remain entitled.

What I'm saying is that there will always be anomalies and some will qualify while not technically being in need and may have a higher disposable income than people who do not qualify due to higher incomes but also higher outgoings so lower disposable income.

But that's the system and the reality is that almost all families where the DC are entitled to FSM will actually need them.

Realistically, do you foresee the teacher enforcing the 'not allowed to taste' rule?

If it's not allowed to be taken home, I don't see that as disastrous because you're no worse off - and not everything they'll be asked to cook will be something you enjoy and would normally serve at home.

Not sure what the school would do with the 'withheld' meals though, especially during a pandemic where people are going to be more wary about eating food that, in the environment of a cookery lesson with lots of children and one teacher, might not have been prepared to Covid-safe standards.

We used to have to provide our own ingredients for food tech lessons, that was over 20 years ago.

How do you know every child apart from yours receives free school meals OP ? I didn’t think it was public knowledge - or is it ?

@TheOrigRights
It is relevant to the thread because not everyone who claims free school meals (have subsidised music lessons or school trips) can't afford them. At least it's not the case where I live (SE). It maybe different at OP's school.

@Fallsballs

How do you know every child apart from yours receives free school meals OP ? I didn’t think it was public knowledge - or is it ?

It was discussed in the parents whats app group

My son does food tec and we pay for our own ingredients. Personally I'd prefer to pay the money but my son actually likes getting the ingredients together so it's part of the fun for him.