To ask why do people not working claiming FSM get this for free?

[Sprinkledusting]

I’ve just discovered if you claim FSM and even if you’re not working, you can send your child to morning/after school club for free. And not just in our school either.
There are also sports clubs and holiday clubs during school holidays that state they are free for those who claim FSM. To claim free school meals your income has to be so low that you’re not working full time or not working at all, which of the people I know, most are not.
But those who are working have to pay for breakfast club/holiday clubs.

Can someone explain to me the logic behind this? As I simply don’t understand it.

It’s the cost of living and the pressures on low/middle earners that is making things so hard. I know where you’re coming from OP - we are ‘lucky’ to be homeowners and to be able to afford activities for our kids, but that’s come at the expense of so many sacrifices and so much hard work. The cost of living is so high at the moment that it’s just constant stress. It’s hard not to be envious when we see people we know on benefits getting so much paid for - I know one who claims every benefit going, gets all housing paid, she doesn’t work and is constantly posting online about their holidays, travel etc (things that we can’t afford). I admit, when I’m knackered from working 6 days a week and stressing about paying the bills, I do feel envious. The problem is in low pay and the high cost of living making a life on benefits look appealing - it really shouldn’t.

*based on minimum wage, should I say. You can work less hours than that if your income is higher than NMW.

Once you have been granted free school meals you continue to be eligible , even if your income rises.

I know children who are from well off families that made a claim in a temporary period of unemployment but continue to be on the pupil premium for the whole of their time at school.

The only two people I know who have fsm have abused the system for years. Both could work, both chose not too. One lives off child and spousal maintenance in a paid for house as part of divorce 16 years ago.
The child is now at sixth form and school buy all their clothes from a hardship fund, fsm, half term activities and a hamper of food on special occasions along with vouchers during holidays.
They went abroad for Xmas, have had big holidays and yet continue to choose not to work and take all the free stuff.
I never qualified and had to pay for school meals and breakfast and after school club. Absolutely understand for those that need it but this person never has.
I believe they now have to look for work but it's a bit late now the child is about to leave education (and no sen at all, no reason not to work)

You. Can't. Choose. Not. To. Work.

I have honestly worked with families where holiday provision has prevented their children ending up in foster care.
Those of you saying your children are also hard done by, I'm sure you can appreciate this is a different level of need we're talking about here.

There are always families who play the system (hopefully it’s getting harder to do so).

Two of the families on FSM that I know have new clothes, quite a few gadgets BUT their children might look well dressed in decent clothes but they won’t leave our town for any of the holidays, they do nothing more than watch TV/phones, possibly play with a few toys. One of these families told me they’d started taking their child out recently and they were really proud of themselves, when I questioned it they said to the car park round the corner for a run around (despite having a park 10 minutes away). It’s hard to get across the depth of these difficulties and the lack of opportunities some of these children have.

@GKD yes, tried to do a survey - nothing structured, just an anonymised question/answer asking this question - unfortunately no response.

She said they live off spousal maintenance, not that she claims UC. So if she’s not claiming benefits of course she can choose not to work. Obviously a rare case though if it’s true.

Loving does not always mean a great home life. It would be great if it did. But we also need food, shelter, warmth. Opportunities to play/learn/study.

Loving parents can be impacted by caring responsibility, their own health/MH issues, addition issues (not necessarily of a parent, but within the household), abuse, trauma. All these thing will not mean the parent(s) are not warm, loving parents...just that circumstances have stretched them so thin they cannot work, their income is low and the greatest amount of love in the world cannot overcome not being able to afford food/space.

Not all FSM children will feel a "lack" of anything at home. But statistically they are less socially mobile....so anything this stingy fucking government will give them is better than nothing.

I do have a mortgage, yes. But due to being on a low income and claiming UC we can’t afford to do any repairs to it, it’s in need of so much work as it’s an old house. I don’t think we’ll ever afford the upkeep, it’s a massive nightmare.
I don’t know if we’ll ever pay it off either, so we may end up with nothing at the end of it anyway…I just wish we hadn’t bothered buying.

I think what is wrong is once the child is on the register they get it their whole school life

This happened to my friend and husband . Filled out school form when covid was about. They were on uc due to covid and being self employed and no/low income

So when went to school got fsm and haf vouchers etx

Few months later work was better and still on uc but got £50 a month or sometimes nothing depending on their earnings

She said to school that wanted to take her child off fsm - milk register and haf voucher and food vouchers at holidays

They said she couldn't. That once on the list it was for whole school life in primary - so 7yrs 🙀🙀

She has spoken to uc and various companies and they know the family earns well now but child still gets all the free stuff and is in year 3 now so 4yrs of it so far

So my friends donated the food holiday vouchers and buys food with them and gives to food bank

As was told they've been paid for as such and if she doesn't claim /use them it's wasted money

So yes it's great some low warning families are entities and get help but seems the system is wrong that it's forever and not just when the parents need help

This isn’t actually true at all and it’s very generalising. If a kid is adopted they can be fsm. Parent claiming single but not can he fsm.

Have you looked into that UC thing where they can pay interest or something? I’m not sure of the details and I don’t think it’s a great deal at all. But if you desperately need repairs it may be worth a quick look to see if it’s an option?

Plus the school said they get extra funding for that child - to which my friend said use on other children

So the £100 a year, every year I think she got for school stuff she said to the school but books /art stuff or what they need for all the children

I really struggle with my mental health, I’m currently on the waiting list for an ASD assessment for myself.
Those holiday clubs would be a blessing for me, some days I struggle to even think straight, let alone cook meals, think up activities to keep my DS entertained for weeks during school holidays. But I can’t afford them, we don’t qualify for FSM so don’t get them free either. So all those saying how good I must have it, I can assure you, I really don’t.

I don't know which areas you live in, but in my area you most definitely cannot claim free before/ after school care if your child is on FSM and the parents don't work.
I am a single parent/ carer to a severely disabled child who needs round the clock care/ supervision. I would live to be able to go out to work, but due to the high level of care he needs I am unfortunately unable to.
I don't get any respite and certainly no free before or after school care.

Beexkneez yes she has. She claims benefit and only recently the system has caught up with her and she's had to work.
In the last year to be exact.

Because the less responsibility you take for yourself, the more you’ll get handed to you.

There are many families who just can’t be bothered. One child was off school a lot. He told me it’s because he was having a film day. When I asked him about it he told me he got in his parents bed and they slept whilst he watched his mums phone. That was his film day. Parents don’t work, just sad for that boy.

Not sure how that is as you've always had to work with secondary school age children, as a claimant myself for 15 years that's how it's ALWAYS been.

Yes but then she wouldn't be getting ahem "free stuff" if she didn't have a claim open.

So given that people have judged you as being fine as you have a mortgage, even though in reality life is hard… surely you can show some empathy yourself and see that many of those on FSM that you are judging don’t need them because you’ve decided you’re worse off than them - might not have as easy of a life as you imagine. Why begrudge others rather than just wish the threshold was higher?

This happens in my area. My only gripe is that I would really like to have been able to pay for my dc to be able to attend this. It runs from their school with children who are their friends. So would have been be ideal holiday childcare at the time we needed it. When we used holiday club there was only one local and wasn't a great fit for dc (and expensive). I ended up taking them to a holiday club at a school in a different area of our city - 15 minutes drive away.

I understand we're your coming from and totally agree. Some people live just above the thresholds and just about scrape by . They could also do with help but just earn a little too much.