Free school meals for all infant children

[Scarletbanner]

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

[exoticfruits]

They would obviously have to cater for allergies. The whole thing is a complete waste of time and money if they don't have 100% take up.There would be utterly no point in doing it.

[exoticfruits]

They would have to be like a school that I know and have all locally sourced food, they are so good the staff eat them and parents and grandparents can book in for a meal.

[LaurieFairyCake]

I think all school meals for all children should be free - like in France. I think we need to change the culture around food entirely

And that taxes should be raised to pay for it

[lyndie]

Seems odd to take the Child Benefit away from higher earners and then give back another universal benefit, assuming children of higher earners will get it too? Worth £400 a year apparently.

[TerrorMeSue]

The point about it being for everyone is about peer pressure to conform (eventually the vast majority of the fussy eaters will eat -and actually in areas that have tried it eventually isn't really very long . Then if it were compulsory throughout primary, the healthy eating habits would be built in on some level by the time children leave.

I'm sure many of us could put together better meals than the school dinners (even those that meet the nutritional standards), BUT that's to the point. If they meet the standards they are good enough, and significantly better than what many many children get now. For those children to benefit from the culture change and peer pressure etc then all must have them. It also removes any lingering issues of being a 'FSM' child. No-one could know if everyone has them. I'm not convinced allowing individuals to opt out will work, as the whole school effect will be very diluted, and indeed many of the children you might most want to benefit could opt out.

[Wheresmycaffeinedrip]

But my child won't eat it! Therefore I send her with a packed lunch which is nutritionally better than NOTHING. Just cos its free doesn't mean I have to have it.

[misdee]

I wouldn't trust them them to cater for my child's allergies.

[TerrorMeSue]

Breathes lowly - I think your point is a red herring. The children who most need this are allowed to go and buy handfuls of sweets for breakfast, and then left with toast and jam for tea. Having one good meal a day is better than a crap packed lunch and still a shit breakfast (or none) and shit tea.

Those who really care about balance across the week etc etc will go and look it up and work round it just like you did

[halfpint76]

Agree with other comments like why take child benefit away from some, which was always meant to be a universal benefit, only to replace it with another universal one like free meals where some families dont need it or would not want it. Use the money to make general cost of living cheaper for struggling families. Cynical it was also announced on the same day as the SCR for Daniel Pelka. Pure vote winning ploy.

[OhDearNigel]

Well for me i am pleased as DD starts school ne t year and we would have paid for school meals as she wouldnt eat a packed lunch

I am however curious how they can suddenly find all this extra money

[Wheresmycaffeinedrip]

Pet food by law has to be nutritionally balanced and fit for human consumption. Doesn't mean you would eat it though does it.

[Retropear]

Great- yet again we lose out.

What about older children?

My sister is on more than us but keeps her CB as they have two incomes,her kids have school dinners every day because they can afford it,ours never do.They're also getting help with childcare and married tax allowance.

We've started to lose CB,are 22 year unmarrieds, and have KS 2 children.

Why couldn't we have kept our CB instead?

[mamaduckbone]

How can it make sense to make child benefit means tested and decimate school budgets on the one hand, and hand out free school lunches to all on the other?

[Jaynebxl]

Absolutely ridiculous idea. Oh I know, let's pour 600 million pounds into providing free lunches for thousands of children whose families can afford it while taking more money than that away in so many cuts to people who actually need it.

[lljkk]

I imagine sending packed lunches in for DS after all. He already cries if he doesn't like what we put in his lunchbox (I worked as MSA, witnessed that many times, I usually ran to far end of the room to let others deal with it!!). So I know how fussy he can be. DS is terribly stuck in his ways.
As long as they offer him the same meal every day & it's in the narrow range of stuff he eats, then fine. Great even, we'll save some money. I'm just nervous they'll serve up stuff he'll refuse to eat & cry & fuss a huge amount. Not going to be fun for the staff.

This is the child I got excited when he tried Wotsits. He's pretty against unfamiliar food His granny is just the same, whole ruddy family is proud of being stuck in their ways.

[TSSDNCOP]

The staff eat their lunch, then have their break. New parents are invited to join the kids for lunch. They are delicious.

I'm guessing their must be something built in for allergies but TBH it can't be a major hassle for the cooks because their kitchen is tiny (kids eat across 3 sitting depending on age).

Is shit you not that within a very, very short time all the kids are eating their dinners and its quite amazing to see. As the DM of a super fussy eater I had to see it to believe it.

[clam]

Someone mentioned way back about the "stigma" of free school meals. What stigma? I'm a primary teacher and even I have no idea about who qualifies for them (even though I'm supposed to know, as it is linked to those who qualify for pupil premium funding, which we have to prove the benefit from).
None of the other children/parents would have any clue.

[BornToFolk]

I agree with Back too.
I don't spend a lot on DS's packed lunches (nowhere near £400! ) so probably wouldn't notice any savings. I'm sure that what I send with him is healthier than he'd have at school. He's vegetarian and about 75% of the meals are Quorn-based. I really don't like the thought of him eating that much Quorn. His appetite can be quite up and down - when he's having a growth spurt, he'll eat masses and I'll pack his lunch accordingly and then pack less when he's not so hungry. Any uneaten food comes back so I know exactly what he's had.

Also, what's this going to do to family mealtimes? At the moment both DS and I have sandwiches at lunchtime so in the evening, I make a hot dinner (well, usually!) and we sit down at the table to eat together. If he's having a hot meal at lunchtime, he's not going to want a hot dinner so I'm going to eat by myself every night!

In short, I think I know better than the government about how to feed my son!

[lljkk]

Why wouldn't he want a hot meal twice a day? I'd have it.
British people are so strange about their food conventions.
(This is exactly the problem I have with DS come to think of it)

[TSSDNCOP]

We have a hot meal in the evening too. Kids eat at 12, they're starving again by tea time.

Our school posts the menu at the start of the week, only a few changes week to week so it's easy to avoid clashes.

[Chusband]

I'd love to know if there's any evidence from the trials as to whether fussy eaters become less fussy when presented with 'this or nothing'. That would be interesting to know.

[Whatevertheweather]

One thing I don't understand is the 'stigma of free school meals' that is always talked about on here. How do you know who gets them?! I would not have the first clue who is getting fsm's at DD's school.

I think it's a good idea and will benefit a lot of children though has clearly been thought out with the election in mind. We are lucky at dd's school that there is a kitchen onsite and the menu is varied and nutritional. She loves the 3 days she has school dinners, shame we'll miss out as she'll be in yr3 next year

[BornToFolk]

Ok, fair point, he probably would eat two hot meals a day! But I stand by my other points and still think it's overall a rubbish idea.

[mamaduckbone]

How can it make sense to make child benefit means tested and decimate school budgets on the one hand, and hand out free school lunches to all on the other?