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.

@PodgeBod stop being deliberately obtuse.

You know, and everyone else knows there's a world of difference between genuine poverty and the many parents who just don't care. Decent parents will and do reach out for support, they wouldn't see their child starve or go without. Kids who live in homes where basic needs aren't a priority should be cared for somewhere where their needs will be met before the issue of not caring becomes generational.

@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. ?

The number of children in care is, comparatively, very high. As such, it takes a lot to have a child removed. If the child is clean(ish), attending school and the school are managing the food problem then they will be social services' radar but not removed.

This is nuts. It's one meal a day. So what if you feel some children are getting food you don't think they are entitled to? I can't get my head round the idea that some of you would argue about a child getting a free lunch.

There's no breakfast clubs, precious little after school care, costs for families have gone up. The holiday vouchers are £15 per week per child - it's hardly mega money but it might ease the burden of mums and dads with kids home all day every day asking for snacks, because god knows kids eat everything in sight.

Yes it would be ideal if all parents had the money spare for lunch every day, but not all of them do. The reasons why are varied and maybe some of these parents are feckless, in debt, spend their money on fags, but that's hardly the fault of their children.

Some of you should be ashamed.

What are benefits for if not to help parents feed their children? Next we will be expecting schools to provide 3 means a day to children, all year round. Where does it stop.

Do current social welfare levels not cover adequately cover basic nutrition?

Nobody is "against feeding hungry children". They're saying that it shouldn't be up to schools to feed children during the holidays.

We can all agree that the children should the go hungry but we are also allowed to question why the parents suddenly don't have to be responsible anymore

Not on MN you're not; at least, not without attracting abuse

On a slight tangent I'm interested in the views of those who advocate a Universal Basic Income ... do they think FSM during holidays would be appropriate even then?

A review of the benefits system might be a way forward
A look at some of the reasons why this situation exists might help
Proper thought out help could improve things
Not a box of manky fruit

I honestly don't know how anyone could have it in their heart to deprive a child of a lunch, or deprive a parent the ability to give their child a healthy nutritional lunch.
I am in a very fortunate position, between me and DH we earn a big salary and never have to worry about food. However, it hasn't always been this way. DH was always hungry as a child, never had enough food, chronically neglected and full of headlice, always cold etc. My upbringing whilst not as bad as that was normal, sometimes we had things, sometimes we didn't. When me and DH first got together we were very young, we struggled at times. I remember counting my last pennies for baby milk, I wasn't a bad mum or incompetent but just struggling due to circumstances at the time. I cannot think of many things worse as a parent to be worrying if you have enough food for your child or to have to go hungry yourself so your children can have food. The thought of having to go to the school and collect a parcel of food makes me want to cry. Of course I would do it rather than my children going hungry but it must be so demoralising. Things have been so hard this year for so many people. I can think of many things the government have wasted money on but this is not one of them. Just give parents on FSM food vouchers for their children throughout the year, including holidays. The vast majority will spend them on their children and it will have benefits including better overall health. How anyone can get annoyed about this I don't understand. Have some heart.

14:49Iamnotthe1
Why are those families still allowed to keep their children?
If they can't been feed them what other neglect is going on?
What are the parents or mums spending he benefits on?
There's some really cheap and nasty food that I personally wouldn't eat but it cost pennies. Cheap bread etc - the adults should be able to but food if not necessarily the best food available.

For anyone querying why we as a society should ensure all children get fed, it takes a special kind of fucked up to think of hungry children and then begrudge feeding them.

Chicldren are not responsible for the life choices of their parents. They are not responsible for the covid crisis or Brexit and the resulting job losses or income reductions. They are not responsible for the benefits system and how it is administered. They are children.

Regardless of their parents circumstances and regardless of whether or not you think it is a situation if the parents own making, a child has no control over that and should not bear the brunt of any negative impacts from it.

It behoves us all to help the most vulnerable members of our society.

@MeringueCloud
Do children not get hungry in the holidays? A light has been shone on this issue and maybe this is something the government should do moving forward as there is very clearly a big issue.

We had this discussion in the past, and people said about what scheams do or have existed but have had bad uptake. I have been on freee school meals and still fed my kids. If the council have been given funding to help families then they should recieve some support. Not sure how this will manifest. (But as I said other LA intiatives in my area have had low uptake.)

By the way, I'm a Sikh and we provide free meals in our Gurdwaras, I'm not against feeding the poor, it's a privilege and service.
I just don't understand the parents involved in this situation.

[quote AttackOfTheFloppyKnob]@PodgeBod stop being deliberately obtuse.

You know, and everyone else knows there's a world of difference between genuine poverty and the many parents who just don't care. Decent parents will and do reach out for support, they wouldn't see their child starve or go without. Kids who live in homes where basic needs aren't a priority should be cared for somewhere where their needs will be met before the issue of not caring becomes generational.[/quote]
Pointing out that there isn't a never ending supply of foster carers available to remove children is obtuse?

BTW, I was in foster care for a while as a child. It isnt always the perfect environment that many people think it is

@PrankedByLife

By the way, I'm a Sikh and we provide free meals in our Gurdwaras, I'm not against feeding the poor, it's a privilege and service. I just don't understand the parents involved in this situation.

You understand the concept of providing food for the poor but not when those poor people have parents?

I assume this helps schools that are providing hampers/meals rather than vouchers, so they don't have to organise anything in the holidays

Free school meals in school holidays have never been a thing so why are people so expectant now? And so ungrateful for what is offered.

La has funding to provide programmes appropriate for their area already, was sorted last autumn.

Because people should be feeling their own bloody children!!!

@movingonup20

La has funding to provide programmes appropriate for their area already, was sorted last autumn.

And the problem with this has already been pointed out. In the OP.

FSM in school holidays have never been a thing so why are people so expectant now?

Because a precedent has been set and some would quite like it to continue?

And no, of course a lack of meals isn't the children's fault ... I'm just not sure how encouraging parents to believe that yet another thing is someone else's responsibility will help the kids in the long run

There's some really cheap and nasty food that I personally wouldn't eat but it cost pennies. Cheap bread etc - the adults should be able to but food if not necessarily the best food available.

Cheap food is often only accessible if you have one of the big supermarkets or a discount food shop (e.g., Home Bargains) within easy reach.

Public transport costs so if your nearest supermarket is a £6.90 return bus fare away (plus £3.45 per child return) then that's a fair chunk out of your already limited food budget before you've even gone anywhere, and you'll be restricted to buying only what you can realistically carry so that's £6.90 (plus kids fares) every single time. Doing the food shop online presumes that you have a bank account/debit card and an Internet enabled device, it also has a minimum spend to qualify for delivery plus a delivery fee - usually £35-£40 minimum spend and then around £1-£6 on top for delivery, not much help if your food budget for the week is £30. So there can be as much cheap food at Asda or Aldi as you like but its no good if it can't be accessed.

People don't seem to realise that in a lot of cases it costs money to be poor. Corner shops and co-ops cost more than the big name supermarkets and have a limited range.

I'm just not sure how encouraging parents to believe that yet another thing is someone else's responsibility will help the kids in the long run

Better that the kids learn a lesson while going hungry?

tin hat firmly on, if you can't feed the children you have already, stop having any more.

@Chuckleknuckles

What are benefits for if not to help parents feed their children? Next we will be expecting schools to provide 3 means a day to children, all year round. Where does it stop.

Do current social welfare levels not cover adequately cover basic nutrition?

Do current social welfare issues cover basic nutrition?

Yes but at the expense of other bills usually. Especially if you live in an area with high rental costs.