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 think this is a daft & expensive way they think they will get votes. Why are they subsidising people like us who can and do afford school meals, this is bonkers when severe cuts are being made elsewhere.
Our DS has been to 2 schools one in an extremely affluent area another in the polar opposite. The uptake for school meals was approx the same at both. Those more likely to opt out and have packed lunch at these two schools were middle class stay at home parents who didn't approve of the contents of the school menu and believed they could do better. FSM uptake was high where needed and tbh at infants age they aren't really aware about money to feel stigmatised. I think due to high levels of promotion by the LAs in this area the uptake is quite good.
The school meals are OK but not necessarily that great a quality and distinctly lacking in heading towards 5 a day. (school keeps insisting that raisins are fresh fruit ) I suspect if wider 'free' provision is made this 'ok' quality will drop.
Our DS has them because it's convenient and when I work and he's in a/s club it can give him a warm meal in a very long day.

Childhood obesity isn't just affecting the very poorest kids. It's everywhere. Parents don't seem willing or able to tackle it, so showing young children what good, nutritious food is, seems a good start.

exoticfruits - I can't go into an are where something like pizza or lasagna etc has been cooked or is being served, the smell alone makes me violently ill and any tiny cross contamination would put me in hospital. Do you really think it would be right for an entire school's worth of pupils to be unable to have anything with cheese on because of someone like me? Never serving anything with cheese on it would be the only way to keep someone like me safe!

The schools all offer a vegetarian option everyday as part of their menu.
I think it is a good idea, but as usual you cannot please all of the people all of the time.
Regardless of wether somebody is classed as 'rich' or 'poor' why should there be a difference in how the child is treated.
We all (most of us anyway) pay our taxes, so why should we not have a little back for our children once in a while.

Changing the system so more children qualify for free school meals would make much more sense Ragwort.

I'm not anti high earners. I think that if we were in a different financial climate this might be a good policy with benefits for children's health. To do this now when food bank use has shot up dramatically is nonsensical. When there are people struggling to feed there children and the government is going to hand free food out, surely it should be targeted at those people.

It would have been the ideal time to help those who are just above the FSM threshold.

I'm a teacher and get to see the 'healthy' school meals served every day.

Both my children take a packed lunch to school.

They will be having a packed lunch next September too.

I'm not prepared to eat tasteless slop and I certainly wouldn't want my children eating it, whether its free or not.

I would much rather have cb back. The school dinners are crap.

Yes, I agree with you there euphemism

This idea is madness. Utter madness. There aren't enough places for primary students presumably because of a lack of planning or funding on the part of local councils. We're talking about millions and millions of pounds...money that could be much better used for building bigger/more primaries, hiring necessary teachers, providing funding for special needs, reading interventions, etc, etc, etc...Yet they want to spend it on jacket potatoes and veg curries for all? (foods that my very picky kid would turn his nose up at, btw...)

I'll happily give the £400 back to the government if it provides my child's school with additional resources.

It's never going to accommodate everyone is it?

My DDs school meals are shipped in, they very rarely serve meals she can eat due to her lactose intolerance. They can't redo all their menus just to suit her as there will be other children with their own allergies/intolerances/moral/religious dietary requirements they make meals for and it isn't possible to accommodate everyone and be healthy in a pre-packed meal.

So basically it will be free for kids who don't have special diets only.

My DS will still be having a packed lunch because of SN. Luckily he will be in year three otherwise it would just be something else to make him different from the rest.

Have not read the whole thread and don't know if this has been mentioned, but schools are awarded Pupil Premium funding based on the number of children who have FSM. Is this a way of getting rid of the pp by the back door?

Ill be In the same boat there tewi dds are dairy free. I have no drs letters as its my choice as I feel it's keeping them healthier. Dd1 was intolerant as a baby/toddler but due to speech delay I have opted out of reintroducing fully because she won't be able to tell me how she is feeling. Obviously that will change eventually butshe gets a good diet and milk products won't change that so I choose to continue. With the current menu there will be at least two days where she can't have anything. And no puddings at all aside from the odd fruit salad. The only safe options will be the sausages and mince but that leaves her eating processed shite too often and ending up with plain rice baked beans or pasta.

How it would be of any benefit to her when she would be having home made curry, stir fries, stews etc at home I don't know.

Some people have said it is expensive but I think it's very likely that it will pay for itself in the long run through improved education in healthy eating in the children as they grow up, and therefore improved well-being and health into adulthood.

It's just a shame that governments don't take a long term view more often, especially in health and education

• even here it is probably the short term vote winning aspect which is motivating them.

And of course if the sausages are all gone she gets nothing but bread and any remotely edible salad

It's directly targeted at a specific group of voters. Just like the Conservatives finding millions for councils to do weekly bin collections at the same time as they were squeezing them on every other expenditure.

If the Lib Dems were on the Titanic they wouldn't be rearranging the deck chairs they'd be recovering them in a range of Orly Keily fabrics.

Orla

I dont know if this point has been made already - but what if you have two children one over 7 and one under - parents will feel pressured to pay for the older one. I dont think i could send my child in with a packed lunch every day knowing the older one has a packed lunch. School dinners are a luxury for some....

It's not the cost, it's spending the money on that now when people are struggling to feed themselves and their children.

have the people who are saying "they should spend the money on educating our children rather than food" read the bit about schools that have piloted this finding that the children's development is being positively effected by the change??

In DDs small village school the problem will be lack of space.

The children who have a school dinner cram into one classroom, which is then pretty disgusting for the rest of the day (spilled peas and gravy on the carpet, smell of food). The packed lunch children usually eat outside unless there is a gale or a blizzard, which means they get more fresh air and their classroom doesn't stink afterwards.

The food is brought in ready-cooked because there are no cooking facilities - so I'm not sure just how healthy it is.

So on the whole, yet another idea designed to win votes but not thought through at all.

Wouldn't want this unless the school had a strong focus on healthy food! I know a school that feeds the kids dessert after every school dinner, and that imo is insane!

Surely it won't get through any way, but it means when over half the children are obese which is where we are heading- the lib dems can say, well, we tried...

It's complete bollocks, in my thoughtful and considered opinion.

This is a completely daft idea. Those who cannot afford meals already do get them free. It is crazy to subsidise those who can afford to pay. My DD will benefit next year but we can afford to pay so it's crazy when cuts are being made elsewhere and the country hasn't got enough money.