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.

[quote HOS8595]@Wheresmykimchi

People should be feeding their own kids full stop.

It’s one bloody week. If you can’t provide your kids with lunch for 5 extra days a week then you’re not fit enough to be a parent. Not expect hand outs.[/quote]
Firstly for many children it's the only meal they get.

Secondly , OK, you think they are not fit enough to be a parent. Now what? The likes of you smile smugly at the not fit parent and the child starves?

If schools are aware that kids aren’t being fed do they report to social services as neglect? Do they follow up if you do?

@Wheresmykimchi If a parent isn’t fit enough to be a parent then social services become involved as not feeding your kids is neglect.

@Chel098

I've read it all now.

On this thread , the children who need food are the disgrace. Right o.

I was referring to your point about low earners who wouldn't want to work and third world countries neither of which seemed to have anything to do with anything.

[quote HOS8595]@Wheresmykimchi If a parent isn’t fit enough to be a parent then social services become involved as not feeding your kids is neglect.[/quote]
No they don't.

I can tell you've never set foot in social services or education sector in your life.

If you're going to be judgemental and nasty about parents , research your facts. Or if thats too much bother read the thread - some PP also tried to claim that every child who isn't fed decent meals is taken by social services which was nonsense the first time round.

Also, nor all FSM children are neglected. HTH.

It was meant to say should become involved

If the kids are not neglected then their parents can pay for there lunches for a week instead of trying to something else for free.

@Wheresmykimchi

I’m also allowed my own opinion... parents should be providing their kids a lunch in school holidays. Don’t have kids if you can’t afford them.

@HOS8595

It was meant to say should become involved

If the kids are not neglected then their parents can pay for there lunches for a week instead of trying to something else for free.

Well they don't , so....

Trying something else for free

What world do you live in?

It's not necessarily neglect. People can lose everything and have nothing. It's only in the media land and MN where people plan babies thinking hehe it's alright cause in six years we will be able to get a free lunch half.tbe year lads.

You have no idea. Zero.

[quote HOS8595]@Wheresmykimchi

I’m also allowed my own opinion... parents should be providing their kids a lunch in school holidays. Don’t have kids if you can’t afford them.[/quote]
What would you like the ones who were already born but fell on awful times to do? Send them back ?

You can have an opinion, but I find it hard to take it seriously when it's based on nothing, no knowledge , and just the same old shite stereotypes we see trotted out which do nothing but stigmatise these families even further.

No they don’t ... but they should.

People might stop having kids they can’t feed then.

@Wheresmykimchi

Lucky I don’t care what you think then. 😂

Social services shouldn’t be thought of in a negative way, if kids aren’t being fed at all there’s clearly something very wrong as most parents would feed their kids before anything else. Providing parents with more money to feed their kids could also be done simply by increasing child related benefits

@HOS8595

No they don’t ... but they should.

People might stop having kids they can’t feed then.

Unlikely. Shit parents will always be shit parents regardless if someone tells them their kids will be taken into care.

It's the ones genuinely struggling who will suffer.

Your use of phrases like expecting for free means I know you're not seeing that some of these families, many , genuinely appreciate and need it.

I'm not a FSM parent bur I do work with children who are daily and I see the impact.

Great theory but where are all the kids going ? Care ? Have you any idea how many kids are on FSM ? Do you think care homes is the right place?? Again, read through the read of people who actually know about that system.

To suggest we should put kids in care and drop fsm is naive at best.

We'd have to provide some sort of breakfast and make sure they got larger portions at lunch because they just weren't eating at home. I think that unless you've been involved with families like that, you can't truly appreciate how bad it can be.

I know I'm going to get flamed for this but if you have parents not managing to feed their children at all, routinely not just on an odd occasion, to me that begs a question of whether they are fit to be parents. I know there are issues with it sometimes but the UK has among the most generous benefit systems in the world and people who can't manage any meals for their child at all are making fucked up choices.

[quote HOS8595]@Wheresmykimchi

Lucky I don’t care what you think then. 😂[/quote]
Oh no and here was me caring about someone who has your views . How will I show my face with the FSM kids I work with and care for. Il struggle on.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

We'd have to provide some sort of breakfast and make sure they got larger portions at lunch because they just weren't eating at home. I think that unless you've been involved with families like that, you can't truly appreciate how bad it can be.

I know I'm going to get flamed for this but if you have parents not managing to feed their children at all, routinely not just on an odd occasion, to me that begs a question of whether they are fit to be parents. I know there are issues with it sometimes but the UK has among the most generous benefit systems in the world and people who can't manage any meals for their child at all are making fucked up choices.

You're not wrong. I don't disagree.

What I disagree with is people suggesting the solution is to just not feed the kids.

How much child related benefits increase do you think @BungleandGeorge?

Increase in line with inflation each year?

There are lots of similar posts up at the moment and I always find them an interesting read. Yes some parents are feckless some are in low paid jobs through poor choices some through difficult circumstances. It doesn't matter. What does is that children are going hungry and that is not OK. It is not the fault of a child that mum has a minimum wage job and an extortionate rent to pay or that dad prioritises cigarettes and other vices over them.

What is important is that we need to look at long term ways in which we can help people so that they can provide for their own children. As a society we need to take care of the most vulnerable and then starts with children.

Removing the benefit cap would be a start.

What I disagree with is people suggesting the solution is to just not feed the kids.

Which isn't what is suggested here. Its suggested we give school based schemes & their staff the week off as they are supposed to have, and fund this from a budget set up for this months ago with plenty of time to plan.

But let's also see the reality. The government is skint. Plenty of kids on FSM are fed well at home and don't need this. So the government are almost certainly going to try and make it a bit difficult because that in itself deters all but the truly needy from bothering applying.

If you can’t adequately provide a meal for your child then you are not a fit parent

I’m sure my adult son wouldn’t agree with you. Many years ago when he was very small we were completely skint. A rummage down the back of the sofa and anywhere else I could think of yielded just about enough money for a pint of milk or a loaf of bread but not both. Fortunately a friend was in the same situation so we pooled our money, bought the milk and bread and split both in halves.

There were plenty of times when I struggled but we got through, usually more by luck than judgement. I’m 40 years older now and comfortably off but you don’t forget - or you shouldn’t. Being broke doesn’t make you an unfit parent.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland

What I disagree with is people suggesting the solution is to just not feed the kids.

Which isn't what is suggested here. Its suggested we give school based schemes & their staff the week off as they are supposed to have, and fund this from a budget set up for this months ago with plenty of time to plan.

But let's also see the reality. The government is skint. Plenty of kids on FSM are fed well at home and don't need this. So the government are almost certainly going to try and make it a bit difficult because that in itself deters all but the truly needy from bothering applying.

Not by switched on posters like you but it has been by others .

Not quite true. Sadly. The vulnerable are sometimes the most unlikely to access difficult systems. It's better they access it and we know about it

The government is skint? Wonder who funded Dominic Cummings 40 grand pay rise

@HOS8595

Oh no and here was me caring about someone who has your views . How will I show my face with the FSM kids I work with and care for. Il struggle on

Well when you are saying stuff you find it hard to my opinion seriously ....

I don’t care.

Can’t feed your children 5 lunches in a weeks school holiday and you are a shit parent.

But I do find it hard to take you seriously with those views. Yes you've made those points even though I've told you it's not just lunches.

But OK. Say you're right. They're a shit parent. Now what? Do we feed them?