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.

I know there are many genuine cases of families not being able to feed their kids. But, let's face it, there are a huge majority of family who are abusing this system.

I'm a single parent, I'm unable to work because of the pandemic and am not entitled to furlough or SEISS grant. Currently I survive on very little and have no savings. Yet I can still afford to feed my children. So many people I've heard complaining about their kids going hungry are usually the ones taking photos of their kids around the Christmas tree with a shit load of presents, or using Uber eats as their kids 'need a McDonalds'

Pisses me off.

Feeding children who aren't being fed at all at home is just papering over the cracks. Instead of feeding them why on earth arent these children being removed from those environments and cared for properly. ?

we are also allowed to question why the parents suddenly don't have to be responsible anymore

Have you not seen the threads on MN when the holidays are approaching reminding us that disadvantaged kids are reliant on food banks during the holidays and to ask for food bank donations of easy lunch-type foods?

Other people have stepped in previously to ensure those children get fed. But there really should be a proper system for it like there is in term time, don’t you think?

I would rather they created a long running scheme (like the health start vouchers) that had no end date. Benefits are near impossible to live on, prices keep rising, rents keep rise and the long term effects of covid on the economy will be felt for a long time to come.

*healthy start!

@SonjaMorgan

I would rather they created a long running scheme (like the health start vouchers) that had no end date. Benefits are near impossible to live on, prices keep rising, rents keep rise and the long term effects of covid on the economy will be felt for a long time to come.

Lifting the benefit cap would also help! And making the CSA fit for purpose so NRPs actually have to contribute. But that's another matter!

I'm not sure what the government is getting out of making this an argument every school holiday when they've already been forced into several u-turns

@SonjaMorgan

I would rather they created a long running scheme (like the health start vouchers) that had no end date. Benefits are near impossible to live on, prices keep rising, rents keep rise and the long term effects of covid on the economy will be felt for a long time to come.

And they need to make HS vouchers redeemable online. I’ve had to let mine expire as cannot get to a shop ! It’s 2021 we should be able to use then online I get deliveries as shielding but can’t use HS vouchers

why on earth arent these children being removed from those environments and cared for properly.

Do you actually know any kids on FSM? To suggest that their parents don’t care for them properly is incredibly offensive. They might need some support in getting resources to do that, but anyone can find their circumstances change. Suggesting that they have their kids removed is bizarre. And way more expensive than a few meals.

@noblegiraffe

why on earth arent these children being removed from those environments and cared for properly.

Do you actually know any kids on FSM? To suggest that their parents don’t care for them properly is incredibly offensive. They might need some support in getting resources to do that, but anyone can find their circumstances change. Suggesting that they have their kids removed is bizarre. And way more expensive than a few meals.

Yes and it would cost the government a huge amount More to have these children in care than it does to give their parents some support and food vouchers during a pandemic

@Newpuppymummy

How would it save school staff working in the holidays?

Distributing food parcels or vouchers and dealing with queries still happens here in the holidays

@AttackOfTheFloppyKnob

Feeding children who aren't being fed at all at home is just papering over the cracks. Instead of feeding them why on earth arent these children being removed from those environments and cared for properly. ?

From what I've heard there is a massive shortage of foster carers. And removing children from families who genuinely can't afford to feed them (rather then neglect) is unspeakably cruel

@noblegiraffe

Food banks usually pick up the slack in the holidays but I am surprised to see people against feeding hungry children on a parenting site.

In the Tory party, yes. But they are notoriously selfish and heartless.

What rubbish you're spouting! No party, of whatever wing, has ever provided free school meals during the school holidays, not even the loving labour lot!

I have lost £20 a week as there is no after school care upon government instructions and as it's a zero hour contract I don't get paid. That combined with increased gas and electric bills means there is currently more than £20 a week shortfall. Having a pay as you go metre means the increased fuel bill is immediate.
The children are fed and I go without as necessary.

What rubbish you're spouting! No party, of whatever wing, has ever provided free school meals during the school holidays, not even the loving labour lot!

I’m not sure there has ever been a vote on it before. But when there was a vote recently on feeding hungry kids in the holidays, the Tory party, with only a handful of exceptions, voted against.

Had you forgotten that?

I think there is an issue to be looked at here- and I don’t think anyone rubs their hands with glee at the thought of children not getting meals. Characterising it is “nasty tories” is intellectually lazy. It’s not as though a Labour government was unable to chose to give meals during holidays, but they didn’t.

I understand why during extended periods of school closure children entities to free school meals should receive some form of equivalence, be it in voucher or provision of the food directly. However, I just don’t agree that parents should be absolved of any responsibility for feeding their children, ever.

I do think part of the many problems in this country is that so many of us expect the state (or someone else, at least) to be responsible for many aspects of our lives and then get angry when what we get doesn’t reach our expectations (sometimes with some justification). Many know their rights, but run a mile from responsibilities or their consequences. And when things aren’t to their satisfaction, the blame can lie elsewhere. There are always cases where others are at fault, or the system hasn’t helped. But too often it’s always someone else’s job to sort a problem, pay for something/provide something etc.

I don’t vote Tory, by the way.

I would just like a situation where anyone who questions the ever expanding state/welfare state is automatically vilified and accused of wanting poor children to starve.

hansgruebar Its the Tories who have stripped back the welfare system and pushed more children into poverty. The benefit cap, bedroom tax, 2 child limit, lower LHA rates- all Conservative policies

Fucking hell people are bastards aren't they.

There are hungry children. Let's feed them. Its really basic.

@noblegiraffe

What rubbish you're spouting! No party, of whatever wing, has ever provided free school meals during the school holidays, not even the loving labour lot!

I’m not sure there has ever been a vote on it before. But when there was a vote recently on feeding hungry kids in the holidays, the Tory party, with only a handful of exceptions, voted against.

Had you forgotten that?

Our local MP voted against it and then contacted a local cafe asking to visit them and be photographed helping prepare the free meals the cafe were giving to FSM children.

I don't think schools should be responsible for arranging the vochers anyway let alone food parcels - they're busy enough as it is.

Providing free school meals in school holidays should surely be a stop gap emergency measure whilst a longer term solution is found - it shouldn't be seen as the solution.

I don't think @AttackOfTheFloppyKnob was suggesting children on FSM should be taken into care. The point was, if parents don't feed their children, that needs investigating. Many, many parents on FSM manage to make it work over the holidays, some don't, and that is a wider issue.

@UndertheCedartree

I don't think schools should be responsible for arranging the vochers anyway let alone food parcels - they're busy enough as it is.

I agree.

@noblegiraffe schools don’t need to provide vouchers because the LA will provide them from the Covid support package.

[quote AldiAisleofCrap]@noblegiraffe schools don’t need to provide vouchers because the LA will provide them from the Covid support package.[/quote]
Yes, I said that in my OP.

I think it’s batshit to get one system working (and look at the teething problems there) then to switch to a different system for one week for no good reason when it will obviously lead to people missing out.