To ask if free school meals should be abolished?

[SphJC]

As above^

I have my own opinion on this but keen to hear others before I share my own.

I think small minded, selfish people shouldn't be allowed to breed more small minded selfish people.

I can’t believe there are people out there who would deny a child a hot meal/sandwich. I really thought we were better than this.

So if a situation as above, one parent passes away suddenly and a family loses a whole income, and then relies on free school meals to get by, the children after losing a parent should then be taken away from the other and dragged through foster care if the remaining parent is struggling financially as a result? What a lovely way to look at the world.... circumstances can change. It's often nobodies fault

@RevolvingPivot nothing like a bit of jealousy. I bet that’s not entirely accurate either. Clothes, bills, etc.

Yes i think free school meals should be scraped but i think other benefits should be far higher so that parents can actually afford to feed their children. I also think low paid work should pay more and rent should be controlled more. But i suppose as those are unlikely we will just have to keep giving chikdren a fairly mediocre meal during term time to avoid tackling poverty and in some cases neglect.

Why did you post then OP? Just for a laugh?

I think FSM are an absolute necessity, it's not children's fault that their parents either don't get paid enough to live on, or are living in other awful circumstances. I think the KS2+ threshold is too low and needs reevaluation (I think any family on any amount of UC should be entitled) but I don't agree that all children should get FSM with zero regards to income, especially post KS1.

I do not believe FSM is a reflection of parents unable to take care of their children. It's the least the government can do considering many people aren't paid a living wage vs the rate of inflation over the past few years. Putting children in Foster care only guarantees that child will be entitled to FSM and other costs from the government/tax payer, so the Victoian-esque ideology of 'punish the poor and their children' from some posters really doesn't work out too cheaply either way.

@SphJC

I can’t believe there are people out there who would deny a child a hot meal/sandwich. I really thought we were better than this.

I don't either, it's shocking. Shows a level of ignorance and a complete lack of compassion.

@bp300

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The problem is circumstances change between conception and child leaving school. I've always been a supporter of free school meals. However when my dc were between the ages of 5-10 I became disabled through no fault of my own. I went from employed, independent, single parent with no need for financial assistance to disabled, unemployable. Fsm are a massive help. They should be there for those who need it.

@SphJC

As above^

I have my own opinion on this but keen to hear others before I share my own.

Shame you didn't enable voting.

However, No, never. Not under any circumstances.

Absolutely not. All children should receive free meals at school.
I never had them as a child, but I remember the stigma about the kids that did. Free for all children

All KS1 children in Greater Manchester receive free school meals regardless of income.

And no, they should not be abolished.
This is coming from someone who grew up extremely comfortable. For a long time I had no idea about how some people had to live due to their circumstances.
The lack of basic needs being met is heartbreaking.

We should all be grateful for what we have and we should strive to help others to the best of our ability.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to have enough to eat or even a warm place to sleep.

The cap should be raised as should some of the other restrictions with certain benefits.
It shouldn’t be a free for all. I’m in one of the boroughs that all primary get fsm. It’s paid out of council tax.

The do need an overhaul although they are slightly better than nhs meals 😂 Twizzlers got taken off but nothing healthy really went back onto the menus in their place.

@RevolvingPivot

My friend has free school meal for her 3 kids. 2 are in my kids classes. Her weekly food budget is 4 times what mine is yet I have to pay. They get free school trips too.

Bet they have 50 inch tellys in each room and the parents smoke like chimneys as well.

Does she have the same household income as you? Two parents, at least one working? Either she's messing the system or she's entitled to it, or more to the point her children are.

No - they are important and in many cases essential

No. They are needed.
I wish Food Banks, FSM, period boxes, uniform grants etc were not necessary. But they are. If anything, more people need them than currently receive them.

Upping benefits for some people who would then go onto spend the increase on things other than food for children. It isn't just those children whose parents simply can't afford food at home but there are those who just do not provide food for their children It's not the child's fault. Even providing tokens to buy food, some parents just don't care to put in any effort to feed their child.

This is not all parents that require FSM btw. However just making sure that the child has one meal a day that is reliably there for them no matter how much their parents have money wise, or how much parents care.

@RockingMyFiftiesNot

I think small minded, selfish people shouldn't be allowed to breed more small minded selfish people.

Expecting other people to pay for them is the definition of selfish.

I was denied of hot meal in U.S. public school many times. It didn’t really affect me that much they did offer free lunch assistance for those who can’t afford but I don’t think mom ever signed up for them. Maybe dad made too much but when you have two children with disabilities and other children with other type of needs and a big family, it can add up hidden cost where you can’t report it as a reason why you need assistance.

Anyway, I am so glad my kids school offer free meal for everyone in school. But I also know it is not secured in place and maybe one year they will take it away

I also think people shouldn’t have kids unless they can afford them, but obviously circumstances can change and can’t exactly be planned for. We can’t just let kids go hungry so free school meals are needed. But I don’t think the current set up is good as it causes divide and there might be other reasons kids aren’t getting fed well at home too, not just poverty. So I think it should be free school meals for all pupils, right up to school leaving age.

@MildredPuppy

Yes i think free school meals should be scraped but i think other benefits should be far higher so that parents can actually afford to feed their children. I also think low paid work should pay more and rent should be controlled more. But i suppose as those are unlikely we will just have to keep giving chikdren a fairly mediocre meal during term time to avoid tackling poverty and in some cases neglect.

Agree in part.

The "free school meals" vouchers and food parcels when kids are not in school are a really odd way of acheiving the goal of feeding children. Better minimum wage and better benefits would be more efficient and would support everyone, not just those with children.

Free school meals when kids are in school are really efficient. For very little cost (economies of scale are awesome), children are provided with a good range of nutrients and vitamins 5 meals per week.

I remember dd went onto fsm after I couldn’t even afford a loaf of bread. Abolish the situation where that can happen (no I wasn’t a junkie or alcoholic), before you abolish fsm.

No- if anything I think they should be better funded and I'd happily pay more tax for it.

Absolutely not. Sometimes it's the only hot meal a child will get a day.

@Notawonderfultime

So if a situation as above, one parent passes away suddenly and a family loses a whole income, and then relies on free school meals to get by, the children after losing a parent should then be taken away from the other and dragged through foster care if the remaining parent is struggling financially as a result? What a lovely way to look at the world.... circumstances can change. It's often nobodies fault

That's why there are life insurance policies and familly income benefit policies you can take out to pay for this.