Just at the cut off for free school meals

[Velveteengreen]

We claim UC and are just under the threshold for FSM. Therefore all the holiday clubs and activities that we could access during school holidays, we’ll need to pay for ourselves. which isn’t feasible. We’ll just about be able to afford to feed our DS this summer holiday as it is and we’ll probably end up back in the overdraft.
I so understand there has to be a cut off point, but I can’t help feeling a little envious when friends who do qualify for FSM are talking about sending their DC into holiday camps for the entire 6 weeks for free. Plus a lot of them will get money from councils for food and essentials too. Same as last year.
I’m honestly not trying to upset anybody but I just feel really down and worried about the upcoming holidays.

The food and activities programme is only for a few hours, 4 days a week for 4 weeks. It's not like a proper holiday club you send them to if you are at work.

Our councils HAF programme (the free summer camps), also offer 10% of places to other groups. Low income non FSM families are one of groups, so might be worth looking up if there's something like that where you live.

My kids get to attend because they have SEN (on of the other groups), I had to email to get their accounts verified, but now can book places on the councils website.

Trying to stir up a bit of outrage at the poors the night before the election.

And that's all free?

I've never even seen anything for SEN children.

How can you both be paying max into pension if you earn below £7400?
But at least you are working and paying into pension so will have company and government pension.

Yes, all free.

And pension will be taxed when you retire.

We have HAF here but it is only for 4 hours and although they say to speak to them about SEN I've not come across anywhere to take my autistic DD.

On the timetable, they have sen only activities and generally all day. It's ashame if yours don't.

Here's what ours look like.

My area does. But they do trips and say it’s just for the kids and workers of the schemes. Like fuck I’d leave my barely verbal child with people neither of us have met before just for a bit of respite. I’d sooner put up with the out of routine meltdowns….

That looks good 😊

This is one of my issues - they never let parents stay at all so I'm not able to settle her.

It's definitely a thing here in Portsmouth. If you get free school meals you get everything else fucking free holiday clubs and activities free.

Clearly sdpbody is DailyMail in disguise. Ignore them.

It's a terrible system which needs updating - so many people are above that threshold but massively struggling. It's unfair. Please ask your school now - before the holidays - if they know if any schemes/funds to help you this summer. There might be something.

sorry missed posted

You can open a SIPP pension. You can pay into that and the government currently top it up 20 per person too. Not sure what might happen after the election.

You don't think families on under 8k a year shouldn't be entitled to let there children experience activities like the MC? Maybe they should run round the street kicking cans like the good old days 😏

Some families have a disabled parent, who can't work or take their children out... open that ickle mind.

Well, I'm a single parent carer to a child with disabilities who has to go to an independent specialist school in a different county (paid for by the LA) as it's the only one within 45 miles that could meet his needs.

Children at independent schools can't get FSM. Even if they are only there because no other school would take them, and you have a legal document (in the form of an EHCP) stating it is the closest school that can meet their needs.

Just to be clear this isn't an independent school in the way Eton is an independent school. It's a specialist school for children with SEN, but run privately because LAs closed half of their specialist provision to save money, but for some reason this didnt reduce the need for SEN school places. A mystery 🤔

So even though I earn just under £5k a year, well under the threshold, there's no FSM for my child. No HAF programme (not that any holiday clubs will take him anyway due to his needs). No supermarket vouchers to cover holidays.

I can only dream of having a pension, never mind paying the max into it every month!

You do not even have enough income whereby your employer has to offer you access to a pension scheme. It is a very low income. Even on minimum wage you must only be working 13 or 14 hours a week between you. That is not enough to claim UC. Your easy solution is to work more hours.
The holiday schemes are because these children are officially seen as deprived and needing extra support.

The OP might be in Scotland, especially since the summer holidays have started here. The threshold for FSM is £19 995. The threshold in NI is £15 000.

I've seen cafes advertised for the holidays where kids can go and get a free meal, no need to be on FSM to be eligible. All kids get free swimming and some other sports during the holidays too.

Speak to the HAF providers. Many take children who are not on FSM- they’ll often widen it to ‘families struggling with the cost of living’

Probably not a good idea if OP is struggling to feed her kids.