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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

No free school meals during Feb half term

771 replies

noblegiraffe · 14/01/2021 13:27

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.

No free school meals during Feb half term
OP posts:
DenisetheMenace · 22/01/2021 10:28

“No child should go hungry should indeed be true. How that should be dealt with is a completely different subject. I have had far too many arguments with parents trying to spend their vouchers on anything but food. The worst was the start of the summer holidays when families were given all their vouchers in one go. In one day alone we refused 9 televisions and we are just one shop”

I don’t believe you. If you’re going to make stories up, at least try to make them credible.

VinylDetective · 22/01/2021 10:37

I’m really pleased about incredibility of that story. If she’d said once, someone might have believed her. Overegging it to the tune of nine in one day ensures that anyone with half a brain will react in exactly the way we all have. Sometimes having your intelligence insulted has benefits!

redistributingU · 22/01/2021 10:55

We get vouchers I said to my 15 year year old it was his responsibility to use them for himself-logged into my online shop and told him to add what he thought was appropriate he did amazingly managed to get himself some good lunches and extra bread to freeze for the second week and he got himself fruit and salad too alongside yogurts, cheese, ham and various other lunch bits . I was really impressed I think it taught him something about budgeting and healthy eating

sweeneytoddsrazor · 22/01/2021 12:34

No pigs and no not 90 quid, if you have 3 children which is fairly standard and you get 45 a week paid upfront for 6 weeks which is exactly what happened in our area then yes it is very easy to buy a TV with them.

sweeneytoddsrazor · 22/01/2021 12:47

I don't need to make anything up. I know how bloody hard it is living on benefits and I think as much help as possible should be available, all I am questioning is how that help is most effectively given, because I now see an awful lot of the help being abused.

Wheresmykimchi · 22/01/2021 15:18

@sweeneytoddsrazor

No pigs and no not 90 quid, if you have 3 children which is fairly standard and you get 45 a week paid upfront for 6 weeks which is exactly what happened in our area then yes it is very easy to buy a TV with them.
Nobody believes you.
friedafinn · 22/01/2021 16:20

@VinylDetective Oh look, a pig just passed by my bedroom window

Next time make sure you catch it, it'd have fed a FSM family for months.

Wheresmykimchi · 22/01/2021 22:34

[quote friedafinn]**@VinylDetective* Oh look, a pig just passed by my bedroom window*

Next time make sure you catch it, it'd have fed a FSM family for months.[/quote]
Grin

WhatWouldPhyllisCraneDo · 22/01/2021 22:40

[quote friedafinn]**@VinylDetective* Oh look, a pig just passed by my bedroom window*

Next time make sure you catch it, it'd have fed a FSM family for months.[/quote]
Grin if I use the flying pig to feed my dc can I use the fsm vouchers for a TV?

VinylDetective · 23/01/2021 13:12

Just seen this. Yes, it was very remiss of me, how bloody wasteful! 😂

redpencil77 · 23/01/2021 13:51

You mean, you don't and choose to speak for everyone. Some won't, some will. Those opposing people who, from their lived experience, have seen the financially disadvantaged (household income 16190 or lower) put material belongings before feeding their children, need to get off their soap boxes and do something for those children they believe are starving. Protest, go into politics to make a difference. Not shout at those who have a different opinion to their belief. No-one who oppose you are advocating children starving, they are highlighting parental fecklessness, which seems to offend you.

What is offensive is "poor family" perfection mentality, which assumes everyone under 16190 has absolutely the primary interests of their children at heart and that they will put them first. This is also true of people on an HE of above 16190.

That's why your opinion is prejudicial.

Wheresmykimchi · 23/01/2021 14:17

@redpencil77

You mean, you don't and choose to speak for everyone. Some won't, some will. Those opposing people who, from their lived experience, have seen the financially disadvantaged (household income 16190 or lower) put material belongings before feeding their children, need to get off their soap boxes and do something for those children they believe are starving. Protest, go into politics to make a difference. Not shout at those who have a different opinion to their belief. No-one who oppose you are advocating children starving, they are highlighting parental fecklessness, which seems to offend you.

What is offensive is "poor family" perfection mentality, which assumes everyone under 16190 has absolutely the primary interests of their children at heart and that they will put them first. This is also true of people on an HE of above 16190.

That's why your opinion is prejudicial.

And yours isn't Grin

What about people not from the north or south then? Or do you only live in your own (deluded) world?

redpencil77 · 23/01/2021 14:32

Well, exactly. So you should accept their opinion

Wheresmykimchi · 23/01/2021 14:33

@redpencil77

Well, exactly. So you should accept their opinion
Who's? What on earth are you talking about?
redpencil77 · 23/01/2021 14:41

The opinion of the person who said they had witnessed FSM money being spent on things other than food.

Wheresmykimchi · 23/01/2021 14:41

@redpencil77

The opinion of the person who said they had witnessed FSM money being spent on things other than food.
Oh telly woman.

So we take that opinion over the many of us who work and live in it, do we?

redpencil77 · 23/01/2021 14:45

I assume that we don't say "100%" not true, everyone thinks so" as a response to someone who disagrees with you. If you want a discussion between north and south - and midlands as this does exist - feel free

Wheresmykimchi · 23/01/2021 14:52

@redpencil77

I assume that we don't say "100%" not true, everyone thinks so" as a response to someone who disagrees with you. If you want a discussion between north and south - and midlands as this does exist - feel free
We do when it's total BS.

Given that I live in none of those areas and am unsure what that has to do with anything , you're OK thanks.

VinylDetective · 23/01/2021 16:16

Trouble is telly woman’s at least massively exaggerating, if not outright lying. I tend to give little credence to fantasists.

Erictheavocado · 23/01/2021 21:51

I was working in a benefits office until the mid eighties. So I have a pretty good understanding of the way things worked for people who were unemployed. And I can tell you there was no reason why anyone would have had no income for the first four weeks of unemployment. I am amazed that someone would give the impression that taking four weeks to find new employment at that time was a long time. Trust me, anyone who was out of work then would have considered it a miracle if they were fortunate enough to find a new job in only four weeks. For many, many people, it was months and for some, years. This was a time when the unemployment figures were a nightly feature on the ten o'clock news.
So, forgive me if I am a little sceptical about what you said.

Wheresmykimchi · 23/01/2021 23:24

@Erictheavocado

I was working in a benefits office until the mid eighties. So I have a pretty good understanding of the way things worked for people who were unemployed. And I can tell you there was no reason why anyone would have had no income for the first four weeks of unemployment. I am amazed that someone would give the impression that taking four weeks to find new employment at that time was a long time. Trust me, anyone who was out of work then would have considered it a miracle if they were fortunate enough to find a new job in only four weeks. For many, many people, it was months and for some, years. This was a time when the unemployment figures were a nightly feature on the ten o'clock news. So, forgive me if I am a little sceptical about what you said.
Eh?

It takes them a long time yet you can't understand why they have no income when they don't have a job?

Katyppp · 24/01/2021 17:00

This fhread jusg popped up again and when i took a look, i am completely lost!
TVs, North, South and Midlands, flying pigs... What have I missed?!

Katyppp · 24/01/2021 17:01

This thread, clearly. A curse on my phone

Wheresmykimchi · 24/01/2021 17:14

@Katyppp

This fhread jusg popped up again and when i took a look, i am completely lost! TVs, North, South and Midlands, flying pigs... What have I missed?!
So much katyGrin
me4real · 04/11/2021 22:23

I know there are exceptions but in general, people are supposed to make sure they can afford the relatively small amount of money to feed a child before having it.

They are also given money by the state towards their food.