Free school meals - need the press to pick up on this

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Shameful

Nope.

Castell Howell are in Wales for a start.

But , also, as I said above Chartwells extensively lobbied LAs. They sold it as 'easier', 'better accessibility' ' less unreliable ' , 'better value for money for parents' 'less admin for LAs and schools'.

That power to lobby is interesting.

Really done? The crappy one needs cooking : there is pasta!

I think if families had no oven we are talking about absolute abject poverty and I'd like to think there wold be SS and charitable intervention. That company, as it goes, will deliver cooked food.

Have other people had better quality hampers from Chartwells in different parts of the country?

No one has exactly leapt to their defence so i doubt it.

@Piggywaspushed families are often in b&b's with no cooking facilties as well , and electric costs etc so why I think the castell one is better a mix of non cooking items etc is better ,

They really aren't often. Some are, yes.

I feel sure a company as good as Castell Howell would cater for that.

I think they see it as the one proper meal a day and a replacement for the cooked meal they can claim at schol. Which seems only ethical to me.
I think some people read FSM as 'packed lunch/snack'.

It also seems they are not providing what is on there own list
If they have a list surely stick to it or substitue if something unavailible like beans to spagetti
I think they could do better with £10 spent you could get 5 lunches and still be £5 to cover overheads etc

@Piggywaspushed prob an idea to offer cooked and uncooked as many fsm will choose packed lunch at school as well, not all have the cooked meal
But some of the pictures being sent in from chartwells have a couple quida worth at most and not even all thats on their own list's

@Piggywaspushed

This is what the company Castell Howell is proudly providing in Caerphilly

That looks brilliant, some hot meals that are filling and nutritious but also really easy for the families to just heat through. And stuff most kids will eat.

I know you aren't a man done but I do wish you would stop mansplaining to me for want of a better word..

I think CH's idea is 'we give them the hot meal' and then we know they are fed. the families can then do the snack/sandwich later. It seems far more socially responsible to me.

For £14.19, I can have Deliveroo bring to my door almost the same 11 items as in the Chartwell food parcel but better quality and in much larger quantities eg a 250g punnet of baby plum tomatoes rather than 1 measly tomato. So I can get twice the amount of food (at retail prices) for less money while 2 companies still pay for their overheads and make 2 sets of profits from my purchase...

Yes, for those saying the food needs to be delivered rather than vouchers, perhaps the local schemes could partner with a delivery service? Local or national. Opportunities for local entrepreneurs.

I think some people read FSM as 'packed lunch/snack'.

They do.

I live in an area that has two boroughs running through it. Lots of people have children at school borough K which are offering food parcels through their schools and those with children in borough L get be supermarket vouchers.

It doesn’t matter that a family could live in the borough that offers vouchers because it goes on where the child goes to school.

Obviously too, a family could live in the area that offers food parcels but their child attends school in the other area.

Some streets have one side of the road in borough K and the other in borough L and it is causing a lot of upset and confusion.

Chartwells - say no more! When they took over our local education providers meals the meals became massively more expensive, tiny portions and rubbish quality/choice.

How very depressing that people are defending this, we are in the middle of a pandemic, why are we even quibbling over whether £15 is too much, how have we got to a point as a society where we think it's ok for those with nothing to be treated with such contempt that we begrudge a child having slightly more than they need to survive, how awful if those dreadful poor children get a treat or some variety in their meals. Those food boxes are utterly depressing, sadly they demonstrate just how much value we place on people who need a bit of help

@Piggywaspushed

You can’t give parents the money because some will sadly use it to provide for themselves

Sorry, but that is a Tory myth and there is little to no evidence of this.

Totally.

Especially when everyone makes stupid assumptions the parents will second money on themselves - yet I've not heard 1 person suggest they'd eat the food parcel while their kids starve!

It boils my piss that there's an assumption parents in poverty are selfish poor parents. I suspect they give up a lot more for their kids than ones with a comfortable excess income.

Chartwell food parcel but better quality and in much larger quantities eg a 250g punnet of baby plum tomatoes rather than 1 measly tomato.

On the AIBU thread there is a picture of a half tomato in clingfilm someone received.

Can anyone clarify this idea that the parcels should be worth £30 for 2 weeks?

It doesn't make sense to me because:
A) school dinners cost less than that to the end user at my school.
B) £30 buys much more food than one meal per day for a child

I'm not saying this is wrong but just wondered if someone could point me in the direction of why the figure of £30 per child per fortnight is all over twitter.

It's £15 per child .

@Piggywaspushed

It's £15 per child .

I know that's what's being stated. But where is that figure from? Is it just because that's what the vouchers were worth? Or has there been some official statement that companies are being given £15 per week per child?

As said, I'm not making a value judgement. Just trying to understand the facts. Though personally, I think the free school meals issue is just a sticking plaster for how insufficient UC is.

Castel and Howell....well done!
The vouchers are still the best solution though.
Chartwells should lose whatever government contracts they have.....and never be allowed any input into feeding vunerable children again..Ever!

We do have to remember that some fsm children will be home alone during the pandemic. They need food they can easily put together and snacks like all the "not poor" children have.

@itsgettingweird no most don't but lets not pretend their are not any that do ,and yes they could eat food but often cash is used as it buys whats needed , you can't trade half a tomatoe etc
So there is a slighty better chance a child in this situation would get food
But this will be a tiny tiny minority in this position , most inc those on fsm and those that are not as not being entitled to a fsm doesn't mean someone isn't struggling either .
And I am not convinced this is the total reason , I think its so catering companies also have work/ income if they don't they put all staff on furlough etc , and the goverment pay again .
£15 voucher goes to one if the supermarkets who are working and not financially suffering at all
The thing is what these companies are being given is still enough to provide a lot better than what some of them have ,to maybe be able ti make 3 hot meals/ 2 sandwich days and some fruit & yogurt