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?

A lot of schools in the US have just stopped charging for meals to avoid stigmatizing the children who previously got them free. It also eliminates a lot of admin work for the school.

A lot depends on the nature of of breakfast club, the funding of the breakfast club, who runs it etc.

The wraparound care document does look at the ability to request it, but to my knowledge it doesn't mean everyone is entitled to have their preferred arrangement.

I know some secondary schools run a breakfast club, but it's actually breakfast for disadvantaged students plus some maths and English intervention. The extra support staff hours come from Pupil Premium. Many primary schools open their facilities and allow private companies and childcare providers to rent the space to provide wraparound care to parents. Other primary schools might fund their own in house wrap around at one end of the day or the other, but being in house they need to know that the wraparound will pay for itself and all staffing as otherwise the school is running a loss. If there's not the consistent demand then the school won't do it.
Another school might be looking at the wraparound document point about how it can improve outcomes for disadvantaged students. As a result they decide knowing their cohort and the financial viability of wraparound that they will partially fund wraparound care out of the Pupil Premium budget, and with that the priority goes to disadvantaged students as part of the school's Pupil Premium strategy. They are then able to offer other places to other children.

Not all breakfast clubs are the same.

@LadyOfLittleLeisure

OP: "wasn't slagging at ppl on fsm"

Also OP:
"sat at home all day"
"Trying to set a good example to my dc by going to work"
"everything for ppl on benefits"
" The Truth is the majority at our school have never worked a day in their lives and have no intention of doing so as a pp said and Its not because they can't its because they won't"
"yes it is because they don't want to"
"my dc lose a place that I PAY for when they only gonna use it cos its free"

It does kind of sound like you're slagging off families on FSM 🤷‍♀️

In all fairness it does sound like she probably only earns a couple of quid over the benefits / FSM allowance.

I DO CARE that my dc will lose their place because they DONT get fsm

Is this confirmed? Have you been told your child will not have a place in September?

@Ozanj yeah, I agree with that and said in a previous comment that was the scandal of FSM - the threshold being set so low that lots of people who need the help don't get it. Still don't think it excuses OP's attitude towards those who do receive FSM though. OP seems to try to say it's not about the fact that these families get FSM and they don't, or that she is judging them but then comes out with these little comments which sort of betray that ...

I was a FSM kid and the only one among my friends in an area with very varied incomes but generally on the poorer side of average for the vast majority of families (large town in West Yorkshire). At the time (before digital methods of paying) you had to go an collect a token each morning break, there was definitely a stigma to it but one thing I did notice each day was the huge range of kids that went and queued for their token - many parents did work or were single parents with young children.
My own lone parent mum was a carer for a family member and relied on benefits such as carer's allowance (and now working tax credits as the person needing care has passed away), without FSM we would've eaten but it wouldn't been anywhere near the quality and quantity of food available at school. My mum is very money savvy and always made ends meet somehow and made our lives very stable but FSM (and uniform allowance) played an important part in us having a normal school life despite the stigma that is clearly still prevalent today.

You do seem to be ignoring the fact that many kids who received FSM have working parents and therefore also need wrap around care. To an extent I feel it's right to prioritise FSM families (guaranteed very low income) for school provided breakfast/after-school club, it's clearly not financially motivated on the part of the school as they could likely charge an independent business more money than they receive for FSM pupils. The parents of these pupils are possibly priced out of other forms of care more than those not entitled to FSM and are more likely to be working jobs with unsociable hours. Supermarkets, retail and cleaning minimum wage jobs aren't as flexible as many people think, they expect you to start at a certain time or they'll find someone who will.

Do you also think every single one of the FSM pupils parents are going to accept the offer just because it's available? There's definitely things my mum turned down because they weren't useful or of interest to us, particularly where numbers were limited. You seem to think all these alleged unemployed parents will be taking 'your' spaces just because they've been offered, some might but I'm willing to bet that the vast majority who don't need it won't take it.

I feel as though there's absolutely still a stigma and negative perception of the FSM students and their parents. 99% of these parents are trying just as hard as you to make things work for their families.

@JustLyra

Breakfast clubs are not for the benefit of the parents.

They are at my school, it's literally wrap around care so parents can work.

I didn't read the whole thread - so maybe this was answered before.
I understand that to qualify for FSM - if you are on UC - you need to earn less than 7k a year. That's practically nothing.
But once your child is on FSM - even if your circumstances change and you earn well - children FSM status is protected until the end of their education. (primary or secondary school).
Am I right?

MaskingForIt

Don’t you come around here with your well-reasoned arguments and “facts”.

Sorry. Forgot my place for a minute there. I mean its not like this is AIBU or anything..... oh. Wait.

A*verygreylady
*
I was wondering this too...

But once your child is on FSM - even if your circumstances change and you earn well - children FSM status is protected until the end of their education. (primary or secondary school).
Am I right?
Not quite.
FSM is about whether the child is eligible for the free meals. The current situation is they would get it until the end of the phase they are in in 2022. I believe this was brought in to reflect changes to the benefits system and the introduction of Universal Credit.

Having FSM is one criteria for being eligible for Pupil Premium funding.
Another measure for being eligible for Pupil Premium funding is Ever6FSM, which is the student has been on FSM at some point in the last 6 years.

The Pupil Premium status from Ever6FSM is done to acknowledge that periods of deprivation can have a lasting impact on a child's education.

@AVeryGreyLady

I didn't read the whole thread - so maybe this was answered before. I understand that to qualify for FSM - if you are on UC - you need to earn less than 7k a year. That's practically nothing. But once your child is on FSM - even if your circumstances change and you earn well - children FSM status is protected until the end of their education. (primary or secondary school). Am I right?

Yes that's correct

@toocold54 you are right. I'm willing to bet that some of the people on here boasting about their six figure salaries, £X,000 inheritances, holiday homes etc are among those throwing judgement at people who were not born into money or whose lives have not worked out so well and who need a bit of help. These people probably spend more on a new top than the people they begrudge a few quid spend on food each week. There is a really nasty attitude growing in this country towards people who for whatever reason need a bit of help. I also understand the frustration of needing childcare and having problems accessing it so I don't blame the OP for needing a rant, we all do occasionally.