Free school meals

[Strawb1980]

Just had message from school: 'would you be interested in free breakfast and after school club in September'.
'Yes that would be great' I was about to text back.
Then another 'this is available if you're child is on free school meals'.
Also offering free summer activities for children on free school meals.
I work and I'm on a low income but still pay for my dc meals, breakfast and after school club would be a great help to me instead of relying on family to take/collect my dc whilst I'm working. Why do I feel that ppl working are often penalised for doing so?
AIBU to feel this way?

Yanbu to question why support isn’t available for more families and there isn’t better access to free childcare for working parents.

Yabu- because there are judgement about families that do receive free school meals inherent in the opinions your giving. Lots of working people are eligible for free school meals too, so making it about working/not working, or being sat at home as you put it, aren’t helpful.

I hear you OP.

However, you have to try and remember it's not about the parents it's about the children who go hungry and it is never their fault. So these things need to be in place for them.

I definitely think there should be more help for working parents, especially single parents.

Fourteen years ago when my son was 2, I was a single parent and worked part time. I paid for his nursery placement which absolutely left me with next to nothing apart from the essentials. Being at work should mean you should be able to afford more things above essentials, or what is the point? I often used to think about giving up work but that is what is wrong with the system, it encourages people not to work.

Many non working parents were entitled to the free nursery placement at age 2, I used to get so angry about this, but as I have realized over the years it is not about giving people who do nothing free stuff, it's about feeding children whose parents are unable to care and provide for them, for whatever reason.

I know it's hard going and it is frustrating but try and think that you are providing everything for your child and you should be proud of that.

I would be slightly irked by them sending it in two separate messages instead of one but then get over it.

Yabu. Lots of children on fsm are working. We could all do with more help the issue is that some children need it more than others. Should the help be available for more kids? Yes. Should we resent those that already receive help? Absolutely not!

Sorry the parents are working not the kids obviously!

@DeflatedGinDrinker

You are not entitled if you get any working tax credit. So if you work on the old benefit system getting min wage you are not entitled. I can see how your income can be very low and you would still not be eligible. It is not fair you are right.

This.

In fact I think that fsm should be extended to more families.

Op why don’t you ask the school if there will also be paid for places? You’d get help with the cost of it.

I work and my children are on FSM, I’m certainly not sat on my arse doing nothing. Unfortunately I can’t work part time as I’m disabled. I hate the bashing that FSM families get on here sometimes and am glad see the majority of posters speaking sense.

I both agree and disagree..
YANBU that it is frustrating for those just above the threshold for these schemes, and who would also really benefit for them. Perhaps a sliding scale between free and paying the full cost might be a good thing?
YABU for your judgment of families on fsm. And even if the parents were feckless, that’s hardly the kids’ fault, is it?

YANBU

If we agree that family who need help should receive help, then excluding someone on minimum wage is outrageous.

It's basic an encouragement for people to do nothing and be better off not working!

The government should encourage people to work, not the other way round. Ending up being better off earning nothing or less than 16k a year is wrong on so many levels.

Some people really can’t think outside the box can they?

Yabu

Most families on fsm work. Your income cant be that low.

My friend is still entitled 4 years later from becoming a single parent and she's a teacher

Your assumption that parents whose children are on FSM must all not be working just lost you all my sympathy. This is why we have the shitty government we have - all they have to do is point out that 'yes, you may have it tough, but over there is someone who is getting more than you, so vote for us and we'll take it away from them (but not give anything to you)'. Too many people in this country always vote for other people to have less instead of voting for more people to have more.

@lastqueenofscotland

You need to be earning under, is it £16,000 a year? It’s nothing to do with punishing people for working and all to do with protecting vulnerable children. Get a fucking grip.

No it's not, it's something like under £6000 a year. If you work more than 16 hours a week on minimum wage you are not entitled. I'm a single parent working 28 hours a week on minimum wage and I am not entitled to FSM for DS.

I know what you mean OP. The lack of capacity to offer the wraparound to everyone (and charge those who are not on FSM) means it often gets limited to those on FSM only, who often have one parent not working, and therefore.... need wraparound less. It sort of makes no sense.

You have to see it that it's not really about the childcare, it's a means to ensure these kids get fed as some won't.

There isn't enough done by the government to ensure enough provision of wraparound prioritizing those with two working parents for whom its essential.

I'm on WTC though and I'm better off on WTC and paying for school meals than I would be on UC.

I get where you are coming from OP, I don't think people realise that if you are on the old style WTC you aren't entitled to free school meals. Personally I'm happy to pay as I can afford it but someone else in my situation might not be able to.

You sound like a very nasty person making all sorts of false assumptions in order to fuel your own anger and spite.
FSM are for those at the very bottom, you know below or on the poverty line. When school holidays hit, those families go hungry. Come and have your say if you're ever unable to afford enough food for the kids. Moaning about days out when kids arent being fed?!?! What the fuck is wrong with you?

@MaskingForIt

But mysteriously they can afford cigarettes, alcohol and drugs. Funny that.

Even more reason to make sure the kids are at least getting fed.

@lastqueenofscotland you have to claim either wtc - where the earnings limit is around £16000, OR Universal Credit - where the household earnings limit is only £7400 to qualify.

So OP could be earning alot less than £16k and get nothing.

@Willyoujustbequiet

Yabu

Most families on fsm work. Your income cant be that low.

My friend is still entitled 4 years later from becoming a single parent and she's a teacher

How is she entitled? On a teacher's salary, she isnt entitled. Is she a teaching assistant? Or some sort of teacher only working 1 day a week?

I’m a single parent, working 30 hours a week to fit in with school runs etc and my son is eligible for FSM. Pupil premium is awarded to his school so from that we get much appreciated help with things like school trips and vouchers for food. I certainly don’t class him as ‘disadvantaged’ however money is very tight. I never wanted to be in the situation I’m in and hope to get out of it one day. Certainly don’t sit around all day! Can I say also that parents like myself can feel quite embarrassed and ashamed of receiving this help.. like we are failing despite our best efforts.

According to the BBC the earnings threshold for FSM is £7400 excluding benefits payments. So extremely low.

@MaskingForIt

But mysteriously they can afford cigarettes, alcohol and drugs. Funny that.

Catch onto yourself. It's a small minority of ANY parents who put their own pleasures before their children's basic needs.

Most families on fsm work.

On UC the family income limit is only 7,400 beyond which you are not eligible for FSM.

That means to get FSM you need to have one earning working fewer than 18 hours a week based on 48 working weeks a year.

The point being someone working so few hours (or with a sah partner) is far less likely to need wraparound care than someone working full time.

According to the BBC the earnings threshold for FSM is £7400 excluding benefits payments. So extremely low.

Exactly. It equates to a single parent working fewer than 18 hours a week or a 2 parent family either only working maybe 9 or 10 hours a week each, or having one parent not working at all.

No one working full time year round is likely to be getting FSM on UC.

I hear you OP! My after school care bill is shocking. I'll be paying more than my mortgage for child care in the school holidays. And IMO all school lunches should be free