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.

Do schools normally offer a free school lunch in school holidays ?
Asking as someone that hasn't needed to use the system and interested .

DH’s school catchment is all outlying villages, with most children coming in on the bus. In the first lockdown they arranged to drop off packed lunches to pick up points in the villages and delivered them out. Nearly all of them went to waste as they weren’t collected, which was such a shame.

@Lulu1919 no

@Katyppp yes there are a lot on here who when you question they just ignore if doesn't fit their own agenda rather than either admit sometimes things are more complex or come back with a valid argument.

@Katyppp

Without knowing anything about Marcus Radford other thsn they like his campaign on free school meals, people are assuming he would be a good MP. I think that tells you all you need to know about the intellect and thought processes of sone on here. Yet again, a perfectly valid point, this time about MR's tax arrangements, is brushed aside because it doesn't fit the simple agenda of certain posters. MPs do the same apparently. Do they? Even Labour MPs? And that's OK because our hero of the moment does it? It's like walking into a 6th form debating club. Passionate, emotional, but absolutely clueless. Pay for free lunches for all low-income families by getting rid of subdidised meals for MPs and not giving Dominic Cummings a payrise? Absolutely clueless.

Most of your points in that are aimed at me Katy so at least own it. You didn't have it in you to respond previously when I made valid points about your sneering at nurses so don't launch another attack thinly veiled - I made pretty much all of the points above.

You stated you were choosing not to engage with me further so don't refer to any points I make. Thanks.

And I actually work with low income children. It appears you don't live in the real world.

Passionate and emotional over 'clueless' - il take that over stuck up and thinks you know better than everyone else, popping into threads to just sneer and look down on other people's opinions yet in your other posts across threads I have yet to see you come up with a single suggestion, solution or logic of your own.

*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.*

That in a nutshell is the agenda fir thid thread.
As soon as someone asks a perfectly reasonable question, they are accused of not wanting to feed children. They did not say that.

Then accusing the Tories for not immediately capitulating to demsnds to do something thst has never been dine by an Government, ever.

You might want to read that properly @Katyppp.

The Tory party is heartless. Rees Mogg said food banks are “uplifting” in 2017. He attacked UNICEF for distributing “unnecessary” aid in this country. Yes, it should be unnecessary in the world’s fifth richest country, whose fault is that it’s necessary? I’ll give you a clue - they’ve been in power for nearly 11 years.

Personally I think its a bit pathetic that the Tories are always reminding us that its never been done before, that Labour didn't do it etc. They never seem to take a new initiative or anticipate issues before they arise. Always a day late and a dollar short.

As a matter of interest, which party was in office when Marcus Rashford was growong up hungry?
It's so easy to virtue signal and make grand statements when you are either in opposition or - naively in my opinion - a voter who blames everything on the Tories.
Sometimes a more complex solution is needed than I Hate The Tories Labour Would Never Do That Let's Give Everyone Free Stuff

What’s fascinating is that people keep harking back to a Labour government as if that excuses failings in a current government. As if people are in favour of not feeding hungry children if it’s Labour doing it.

Why I particularly focused on the Tories in that comment is that they are currently in charge, this issue has come up every school holiday during the pandemic, and each time the govt says they won’t provide free school meals in the holidays but rely on LA grants, then there is a campaign fronted by the fantastic Marcus Rashford, then the government u-turns and FSM continue in the holidays. Then the next holiday it happens again. And is happening again now.

It’s extraordinary. They gave Marcus Rashford an MBE. Boris Johnson in Parliament said that Marcus Rashford was better at holding the government to account than the Opposition.

And yet when it came to a vote, the Tory party were whipped to vote against feeding hungry children in the holidays and here we are again in the exact same position with Marcus Rashford speaking out again and another u-turn (hopefully) incoming. Especially as it’s hot on the heels of the inadequate ‘hampers’ that were condemned by the government.

Why is not effectively feeding hungry kids in the holidays the hill the Tory party are willing to die on time and time again? It is, aside from anything else, a terrible look for them to have to keep backing down on an issue that has popular public support.

@Katyppp

As a matter of interest, which party was in office when Marcus Rashford was growong up hungry? It's so easy to virtue signal and make grand statements when you are either in opposition or - naively in my opinion - a voter who blames everything on the Tories. Sometimes a more complex solution is needed than I Hate The Tories Labour Would Never Do That Let's Give Everyone Free Stuff

This is exactly what I meant 😂

When the policy of providing money for meals for kids over February half term the general secretary of the ASCL said

'We welcome the announcement of more funding to support disadvantaged families, particularly during school holiday periods.

“The commitment of £170m channelled via local authorities to the end of March appears to address the immediate need to ensure that children do not go hungry over the Christmas and February half-term holidays.'

Why were teacher union leaders pleased then, and angry now?

Why were teacher union leaders pleased then, and angry now?

Have you got a quote from the same person being angry now? Maybe it would explain it.

@Katyppp

As a matter of interest, which party was in office when Marcus Rashford was growong up hungry? It's so easy to virtue signal and make grand statements when you are either in opposition or - naively in my opinion - a voter who blames everything on the Tories. Sometimes a more complex solution is needed than I Hate The Tories Labour Would Never Do That Let's Give Everyone Free Stuff

You might want to look at food bank usage since 2010, you might find it illuminating. fullfact.org/economy/how-many-people-use-food-banks/

Quite clearly the Labour Party is more concerned about child poverty. It created Sure Start schemes, which provided help and support to the poorest families, and which have been dismantled since 2010.

It’s not virtue signalling or naivety to look at the factual evidence of this government’s abysmal performance in social justice terms and find it wanting.

No, the Labour government didn't provide school meal vouchers. But since the coalition government in 2010 they've cut benefit entitlements in real times and eligibility for free school meals. The eligiblity cut particularly affected families with adults in work but earning very low pay, as many of those in receipt of tax credits were no longer eligible.

Schools funding has been cut and councils' ability to provide support to schools in their area has come under attack. Also, from 2020 councils were expected to fund everything from council tax and business rates rather than there being an element of central government support.. Given what was happening to high streets etc even before COVID struck, this was never great.

My kids are now at secondary school but I'm still a parent governor at their former primary school for a few months, and the school has had its own food bank, and given families help out of donations and fundraising for several years (long before COVID). They're far from the only ones.

Yes, there are lots of things wrong that schools and communities have to wrory about hungry children outside normal term time, Government austerity policies, myths about whose fault poverty is, lots and lots of stuff.

I think vouchers at half term would cost less than the government has chucked at private companies in the last few months for goods that haven't been delivered or fallen short. Perhaps Chartwells can contribute the money they were meant to spend on food for children and didn't, and cut back on their political donations.....

This was my issue with the “free school meals” during the last school holidays, it’s now expected by the entitled.

@Katyppp As a matter of interest, which party was in office when Marcus Rashford was growong up hungry? Marcus went to a host family age 11 so he could eat enough food for him to train properly. At the time there was a Tory/Lib dem coalition.

@ImBoredAgain

This was my issue with the “free school meals” during the last school holidays, it’s now expected by the entitled.

The entitled?

Chartwells are now providing over the holidays (in part to make up for their fuck up) so despite the point scoring sneering brigade , at least the children under that contract will be fed, so I'm happy with that.

@ImBoredAgain

This was my issue with the “free school meals” during the last school holidays, it’s now expected by the entitled.

It’s needed by the poor. Every child is entitled to enough to eat, it’s pretty basic.

@ImBoredAgain

This was my issue with the “free school meals” during the last school holidays, it’s now expected by the entitled.

Usually the children who qualify for free school meals are referred to as 'disadvantaged'.

Now they're being called 'entitled'.

@noblegiraffe

What’s fascinating is that people keep harking back to a Labour government as if that excuses failings in a current government. As if people are in favour of not feeding hungry children if it’s Labour doing it.

Why I particularly focused on the Tories in that comment is that they are currently in charge, this issue has come up every school holiday during the pandemic, and each time the govt says they won’t provide free school meals in the holidays but rely on LA grants, then there is a campaign fronted by the fantastic Marcus Rashford, then the government u-turns and FSM continue in the holidays. Then the next holiday it happens again. And is happening again now.

It’s extraordinary. They gave Marcus Rashford an MBE. Boris Johnson in Parliament said that Marcus Rashford was better at holding the government to account than the Opposition.

And yet when it came to a vote, the Tory party were whipped to vote against feeding hungry children in the holidays and here we are again in the exact same position with Marcus Rashford speaking out again and another u-turn (hopefully) incoming. Especially as it’s hot on the heels of the inadequate ‘hampers’ that were condemned by the government.

Why is not effectively feeding hungry kids in the holidays the hill the Tory party are willing to die on time and time again? It is, aside from anything else, a terrible look for them to have to keep backing down on an issue that has popular public support.

👏👏👏👏👏👏

Nobody has mentioned Labour except the Tory defenders who played whataboutery with Labour.

They are missing the point. This has always been an issue , it's just more so because of the Pandemic.

These people will blame the schools, the kids , the parents, the posters who defend FSM, Marcus Rashford.. anyone except the Tory government despite the stacking evidence of them sabotaging FSM at every turn. And then are outraged when we point out the corruption of Chartwells because the Tory funder who won the contract apparently off his own back left in December so can't possibly have anything to do with it. But Labour can

You're right. It is the most bizarre hill to die on.

It’s irrelevant which political party did and didn’t do things in the past. The point is to make sure government don’t make the mistakes time and time again and reject child poverty. Thank goodness Marcus Rashford has and continues to highlight the gap in providing for future generations.

@Parker231

It’s irrelevant which political party did and didn’t do things in the past. The point is to make sure government don’t make the mistakes time and time again and reject child poverty. Thank goodness Marcus Rashford has and continues to highlight the gap in providing for future generations.

Yes, yes, yes.

Kimchi, we are in agreement there - it is a very bizarre hill for the Goverment to die on, and they appear to be weak every time they have to back down.
However i can absolutely understand why they try at least dig their heels in, because once something is given, it's very difficult to remove.
I can remember the backlash when it was suggested that the policy of free school meals for ALL KS1 should be looked at. My youngest is 13 and he didn't qualify, so they are a very recent thing. Yet people were acting as if the world would stop turning if they were taken away.
The fact is, spending decisions have to be taken by the Government which do not have to be taken by the campaigners and loud shouters.
As someone has already said, I also would respect Marcus R a lot more if he could determine where the money is going to come from and where it will bs taken from to pay for what he wants.
Common answers are MPs salaries and perks and more taxation of the rich (like MR, who arranges his affairs to take advantage of legal loopholes)
These solutions will have as much impact as saving for a house using spare 1p coins.
No-one thinks children shoukd go hungry, but people are allowed to question why their parents are not feeding them without being shouted and accused of not caring about starving kids.