Free school meals for all infant children

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What do you think? I think it's a great idea.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24132416

i just want my children to be taught to an adequate standard, so they can reach their potential and pass exams. i don't need them fed, i can do that

Yes you can do that dreaming, but there are lots of parents who can't/won't and it is not necessarily income related. Those who talk about extending the FSM net - as I have said before do you really think it is only less well off parents who feed their children badly. There are plenty of parents well above the thresholds who are frankly not that arsed about what their kids eat. Or do we not care about wealthier children any more? It seems to me that what this policy does is cover all those children whose parents are either: impoverished, struggling, busy, well off, but too busy/not bothered to organise food properly. Those children whose parents care about what they eat are already sending their kids in with healthy nutritious packed lunches ie your children .... are fine. We don't need to worry about those because you are all worrying about them already as this thread demonstrates. It is the others we are talking about and before someone points out that the well off parents can afford to pay for school dinners, in my DD's school in a very posh part of Surrey there is actually a stigma in choosing school dinners for one's child, because it seems to imply that one doesn't care about one's child's nutrition. So parents put down packed lunch option at the start of term and then put minimal effort in. Unfortunately for those children their packed lunches that mummy has thrown together last minute while rushing out the door are not in the slightest bit nutritious.

Yes in an ideal world the money would perhaps have gone on other things in education, but that wasn't the option was it? The option was here have fsm funding for infants or have nothing. Cynical vote winner or not the motivation is largely irrelevant, it is the effect that counts and what this means is that if you all continue sending in your nutritious lovely packed lunches your child is no more worse off, but there are countless other unnamed un-thought of children who are better off because they have at least one calorie laden meal a day.

Let's stop being so negative.

Sooooo now the state has to feed children,apparently vast amounts of perfectly capable,well off parents don't /can't feed their kids properly.

Sorry but lets not stop there-state tutoring for those that don't make their kids do their homework,state checking up that kids are put to bed on time.....

Are parents not responsible and capable of parenting any more?

Did I wake up in Monaco or something,we now have sooooooo much spare cash floating sound we can state fund parenting for those more than capable financially and otherwise.

You're really belittling the needs of actual needy children,sorry but dp used to go to school with a marmite doorstep and third hand school clothes,a child in need he was not.

Oh and it's very easy to send in a calorie laden meal,in today's day and age providing calories aint a problem for the well off.

Kids are in school 190 days a year, do people really think one free meal a day for 3 years is going to suddenly make a massive difference to those children who's parents just don't care what they eat? The vast majority of their childhood meals will still be in the hands of the parents.

On those afternoons, when they're in school, after having that lunch, yes Sirzy, yes I do. And 192 afternoons of learning more in school than they might otherwise could make a very big difference.

Madasabox

Bob on,

I'm still a bit amazed that so many people here are being so negative about a benefit that would be going straight to children, for their wellbeing. As opposed to so many other benefits which are supposed to help 'families' but in fact can be siphoned off before the money ever reaches children. But hey, our right to give our children a 100% nutritionally balanced quinoa-based meal in a packed lunch is sacrosanct isn't it...?

There are some really great school lunches around and there's no reason at all that more children receiving them will lead to reduced standards. If you're not in an area which gets them please be very very vocal about it (think about Martha Payne - star that she is). I also know a number of children with quite severe allergies who eat school lunches - obviously this won't be possible in every case but I think for many children it should be possible to be (for e.g.) nut allergic and eat in school.

When we're in hospital (i.e. vulnerable) we get free meals (ok - the quality is not great in many hospitals, I'll grant that). No one expects those earning more than 16K to pay for the meals they get in hospital. In my opinion 4-7 yr olds are just as vulnerable as many people in hospital. Why wouldn't you want them to receive a free meal?

Nope.

Not buying this one until it's accompanied by a proper funding programme to restore kitchens to primary schools that haven't had them for 30 years.

Oh & proper quality control of the meals provided.

I teach in a very good secondary & my dc attend an outstanding primary. Both provide lunches via an outside company, & in both cases, they resemble something Luke Warm might have dished up on 'Porridge.'

I take in a nice packed lunch; so do my dc, & will continue to do so, including the youngest, who will be entitled to a dollop of slop if this is ever actually effected which tbh I doubt

I completely agree about the issue with schools without kitchens btw. The brought in meals at our school are surprisingly good. Not necessarily what I would serve at my lunch table but more varied and interesting than the ham sandwiches I would have time to sort out x 5/week.

I'd give up now sirzy

Everyone's so hell bent on feeding the children they are failing to see the mere logistics of it all are impossible, and the results will be that the kids might as well eat the boxes the food comes in for all the good it will do.

Has everyone forgotten what these arse holes have done for the country so far? People are in this situation as a direct result of what they have done.

One shabby meal from stipulated suppliers meeting minimum requirements on paper but not in reality will not help the kids at all in the long run. Do you really think quality food comes in those quantities in the budget provided?? Course bloody not.

This attempt at helping people is nothing more than sugar coating the crap left to come.

Are those people who are lucky enough to have kids in schools providing decent honest food really going to stand by and let it be destroyed by these idiots??

Think about it for a second. Next time you send back a chewy streak or a cold pizza in your favourite restaurant think about how, if they can't cater for a table of give tithing a mistake how the hell are 200 decent meals going to come out of a school kitchen with a limited budget.

Table of five without a mistake

Many parents have never been responsible and capable of parenting at any point in time throughout history. Probably more than you think judging by the poor standard of health and attainment of many of our children, but that's a separate thread!

Anyway I give up, this is like so many of these debates, people have pre-conceived views based on their pre-existing biases relating to the government and other issues and hence can't enter into a proper debate. Very rarely on this thread has the evidence for the initiative actually been debated ie is the study accurate, what benefits did it bring, what benefits did it not bring (for example obesity levels did not reduce when the uptake of school meals increased). The focus instead has been on personal experience and prejudice, which is all very interesting and understandable, but totally irrelevant.

What will happen will happen anyway despite what we think. I look forward to the anguish if they extend the programme to the rest of the school years and then ban packed lunches - I foresee a mumsnet march on Downing Street.

Exactly wheresmy

If anything schools will end up with less money to provide more meals from facilities they don't have.

It simply seems to be an ill thought out policy more interested in gaining votes than any sort of consideration for the logistics.

Exactly Sirzy.

What really gets my goat is that in the very same week that they announce this we hear a third of people are behind on their rent due to the bedroom tax which we were told was necessary (along with CB cuts and a load of other things).

So whilst the Tarquins of the world are now going to get a free lunch(along with help with childcare)and families on £100k get to keep their CB many kids who would get a free lunch anyway are now going to be worrying all day at school that they'll be evicted(should do wonders for raising results).

If we've got the cash to splash wouldn't it be better to raise the free lunch level,extend it to breakfast and get rid of the bedroom tax.

But no that wouldn't buy votes and enable Tarquin to have another ski ing holiday.

Also we got told that CB cuts were necessary and poorer people shouldn't be paying for richer people's benefits.So why now is it ok for my CB loss to fund richer kids to have free lunches?Those just over the threshold are feeling CB loss,ok compared to those above not the same however if my kids have to be in the minority re not having a school lunch due to cost( school dinners were the kind of thing CB funded) I kind of resent my tax and CB loss funding Tarquin's lunch and not the needy.

people have pre-conceived views based on their pre-existing biases relating to the government and other issues and hence can't enter into a proper debate

What do you expect? Are you surprised that people are doubting a government that has let everyone down? No one is questioning the fact that decent food means better health but we can't trust the government to do that would you? Seriously?

Mrs clegg is that you?

I will not be happy of they banned packed lunches and I'll join any bloody march going on that on whatever you think.
And yes I feel bad for the kids go don't get fed properly, and yes some parents don't care but I will not allow my child to become ill again eating that shit just because others couldn't give a crap!

I don't know what dinners you are at school but seriously, they aren't what you think they are.

Probably more than you think judging by the poor standard of health and attainment of many of our children, but that's a separate thread!

I'd also like to know what you meant with this comment. Because it sounds like you are insinuating that none of us are taking care of our kids. The asthma eczema allergies ASD etc on this thread is no ones fault. And people are dealing with them best they can.

And is it not true that these people have stopped tax credits , etc that have impacted on parents financial abilities to feed the kids and now you are saying we should be grateful fir any scraps they throw out way?

Am in favour of free school meals but hope packed lunches aren't banned because it should mean more money for those that have meals. Assuming schools are given funding for all children in the age range of course.

I was a FSM child a child who had to stand in line along with all the other poor ‘losers’ waiting to get our often ropey hot meal. I was mocked many times by my ‘richer’ peers and understandably resented having to receive FSM. Therefore Do I agree with providing FSM to all? No! Why when I was at the receiving end of mockery? The few times I was out of work and had to stand in a dole queue meant that the shame of standing in line for ‘free grub’, meant I worked hard at finding work quickly. To me a little bit of embarrassment can be a good thing as it can toughen one up and ensure that the shame will not continue.

"To me a little bit of embarrassment can be a good thing as it can toughen one up and ensure that the shame will not continue."

How does embrassment help a five year old? Schools have moved on since 30 year ago and no one has any clue who get free dinners and who doesn't other than the school.

There should be no shame for anyone standing in line for free grub, especially a child.
All children should be provided with good nourishing food by their communities and/or their parents.
No-one in the world should go hungry.
Basically, as stated in the UN declaration, it is/should be one of our rights.

Fortunately children in our schools are rarely made to feel ashamed these days, and certainly not for their family circumstances.

There is no reason for any other child to know who is on fsm. If an issue is being made of it then that is down to poor management by the school