No free school meals during Feb half term

[noblegiraffe]

The new guidance on free school meals says that schools should not provide food or vouchers during Feb half term.

This won’t be needed as some general funding is going to LAs and they will be expected to provide food/support for the week schools are off.

This is bonkers, right? They’ve only just sorted it so that kids get more than a manky banana, cheese and dry bread for lunch and they’re going to switch to a different system for a week?

Does this government just really hate feeding hungry kids?

YANBU: sticking with one system for feeding disadvantaged kids would be best

YABU: it’ll be fine, no one will fall through the cracks and the transition will be seamless.

@Puzzledandpissedoff

Children have always been given free lunches in the holidays via multiple lunch clubs run by charities, churches , cafes and sometimes schools

And yet numerous people report that the take up of these is pretty small
Obviously there'll be issues around lockdown, but because of reports about the numerous "desperate local families" our own community hall did this in October; it's no more than 10 mins walk from anywhere in the village, but just 3 children turned up

Take up is poor because of the stigma.

@Macaroni46

Loads of unclaimed FSM packages at my school. We gave them away to a food bank in the end. Such a waste.

God they can't win.

The last thread was saying anyone who literally doesn't have nothing should be turning packages away. If they accept help they're grabby and need to feed their own kids. If they dont it goes to waste.

@poshme

A poster up thread said that their council had already sorted out the vouchers for February. If councils have done that, what should they do with the vouchers if the system changes?

There is a plan for February half term for FSM kids to get money. I don't understand why people are cross that it is continuing. The councils have the money for it.
The schools don't.

Because that's just one council. While many councils gave out vouchers for the October half term, mine did some holiday club thing that reached only a very small percentage of children. My child gets FSM and I was never informed about it or given any information on how to access it. When it is left to individual councils then people will fall through the cracks and not get the help that they need.

I know parents that earn £150 a year too much so can't claim FSM. These children have a dry barnacle and two broken biscuits for lunch. Yes it isn't right but they are making some sort of provision for their own children, not just during the half term. Benefits are calculated for half term, number of children etc!

Barm cake!!!!

@june2007

Yes underthecedertree al those horid Sikhs giving a meal to anyone who comes with out question how dare they.

It’s not so charitable if that meal comes with a side rider of judgement.

Order, not rider! Bloody iPad.

It’s incredibly lazy to characterise anyone who might express any concern over this as being an evil Tory who delights in children starving.

Ffs it’s always like that and it’s just a lazy stupid way of trying to shout over people

@icanbreathagain

I know parents that earn £150 a year too much so can't claim FSM. These children have a dry barnacle and two broken biscuits for lunch. Yes it isn't right but they are making some sort of provision for their own children, not just during the half term. Benefits are calculated for half term, number of children etc!

Barnacle

Take up is poor because of the stigma

It's not for me to choose for others but frankly if my children were that hungry I wouldn't care - and why would it be more stigmatising than a food bank, which are popular enough?
It's not even as if this was trailed as if done by some charity; at what was considered some risk they threw it open as a "community" thing for the kids, in a venue already known to most, and FWIW the tiny few who did come loved it
Pity about the rest though ...

To be fair PP's awful attitude is absolutely not in the majority when it comes to Sikhs I've met and worked in partnership with. We have supported families to receive food provison from one of the city's Gurdwaras and the volunteers there have gone above and beyond to help people in many ways.

And to another poster, uptake on food provision outside can sometimes be low. However, reading some of the responses on this thread leaves me in no doubt why..

I am physically disabled and, despite being cognitively capable and well educated to masters level, I have still found myself unemployed and in debt in the past. If I had children, they certainly would have been impacted even though it would be the last thing I wanted. Life happens regardless of our plans.

@Alwaysandforeverhere - I agree universal school meals is the way to go.

@Puzzledandpissedoff

Take up is poor because of the stigma

It's not for me to choose for others but frankly if my children were that hungry I wouldn't care - and why would it be more stigmatising than a food bank, which are popular enough?
It's not even as if this was trailed as if done by some charity; at what was considered some risk they threw it open as a "community" thing for the kids, in a venue already known to most, and FWIW the tiny few who did come loved it
Pity about the rest though ...

Read through the threads currently about FSM and youl see why nobody wants to be seen.

Food banks weirdly enough don't have the same stigma. I don't know why. It's like people seem to believe that food bank recipients have fallen on hard times but FSM planned it from pregnancy.

What the hell is a barmcake do you mean breadcake lol. Can your friend not afford jam.? I feel for the kids and hope they manage to break the poverty cycle

[quote UndertheCedartree]@PrankedByLife - oh yeah I'd love to go to a Sikh temple and be judged by the likes of you. You feed the poor while judging them - at least in my community we run a food bank with no judgement. We understand the many reasons people are poor - poor mental health, high rents, zero hour contracts, disability and illness, lack of access to benefits leading to debt. We don't judge. No way I'd go any where near a Sikh temple [/quote]
I certainly wouldn't want to go anywhere near PrankedbyLife Sikh temple but I have been to one a few times in a professional context (I'm not a Sikh, or even religious at all) and I've found the people there to be lovely, welcoming and generous and very supportive of those less fortunate than themselves. In other ways, totally different to how Pranked is coming across on this thread. She's doing the Sikh's I met a grave disservice.

@PrankedByLife

19:28UndertheCedartree You probably wouldn't go because you're are an ignorant sod

When have I judged?
I've asked questions about circumstances

Also, no one would know why you are there

Of course they wouldn't, after all there are non-SIkh's pitching up at the Gurdwara in need of langar all the time.

UndertheCedartree

I've reported you
You pathetic, ignorant racist

If I make a comment I hardly represent the whole of the Sikh religion and it's people!!

You obviously have an issue with Sikhs or brown propel in general to make such a stupid remark.

It's like me saying that only white women are single mothers with children from multiple father's and on benefits because that what the media portray!! (I don't believe this by the way)

You can't make it to a supermarket but many can!

You're obviously very bitter about the hand life has dealt you - but being an ignorant racist isn't going to help.

20:47thegreedycateropillar

Another ignorant

Many non sikhs go to the temple for food

Nearby football clubs

Charities and it's members

Sikhs don't just socialise with Sikhs

Students from unis that can't cook

I can afford to feed my children but I do get more money than most people who are on income support as I get dla for my youngest, which is the whole reason I'm on income support

I am grateful for it though , I have a gas and electric meter and I used just under £5 in electric yesterday both have gone up massively with everyone being in all day. I wouldn't usually have the heating on when they are at school

Font parents get help with childcare if they earn less than £100,000 a year now? Ive never been on anywhere near that and didn't get much help with childcare years ago as a single parent. The same as all children are entitled to fsm in infant school, there was none of that when my older 2 were young

But Yeah, let's bitch about children getting fsm in school holidays during a global pandemic . Some of who won't have all the stuff to help keep them entertained while they are stuck in the house for months again like those of you who are better off financiallys children will have !

I have to think before I buy a game or jigsaw that I think they might like , can we afford it ?

Luckily I have great family who bought lots of game a, books and art stuff for them at Christmas. And a sister who bought them 10" fire tablets in October so they are fine to do online learning

I was a nurse before the youngest was born , he has autism and their dad who I was with for 12 years cheated because it was all soooo hard on him and isn't even living in this country now

Talk about privilege

@PrankedByLife

UndertheCedartree

I've reported you
You pathetic, ignorant racist

If I make a comment I hardly represent the whole of the Sikh religion and it's people!!

You obviously have an issue with Sikhs or brown propel in general to make such a stupid remark.

It's like me saying that only white women are single mothers with children from multiple father's and on benefits because that what the media portray!! (I don't believe this by the way)

You can't make it to a supermarket but many can!

You're obviously very bitter about the hand life has dealt you - but being an ignorant racist isn't going to help.

You sound so lovely. Just the sort of person I'd want to go to if I was in need. You said up thread that it didn't matter if you were racist, you'd still be welcome at the Sikh temple but if your post shows the type of welcome they'd get then they would be better off not bothering.

My children receive FSM and I am incredibly grateful for the vouchers during school holidays. They prevent me from having to chose between heating and food. I often go without dinner / lunch so my children can eat.

For anyone who think living on benefits is easy - just try it and see how far your money goes.

For those of you who think I should have planned better go fuck yourselves. I didn’t know that I’d end up as a single mother unable to work because of health reasons. Life doesn’t always go as planned.

Why does this shambles of a Govt. refuse to learn from experience, again and again and again?

@Livelovebehappy - this isn't a new problem. The gap has been filled in the past by food banks, lunch clubs etc. Lots of these can't run due to Covid.