Scottish primary pupils to get free school meals - what do you think?

[LEDundeeAngus]

Plans to provide all Scots pupils in the first three years of primary school with a free meal have been unveiled today.

First Minister Alex Salmond announced the move during a Holyrood debate this afternoon.

It follows growing pressure from campaigners to fund free school meals. MSPs backed a ­government motion that points out “free school meals save families at least £330 per child per year”.

More here

What do you think?

My kids are older, so won't benefit anyway. It will be a great help for many families but I am a bit torn about the costs of it.

I am on the fence with this one. We would benefit from the free lunch, at the moment my LO does a mixture of dinners and packed lunches.

I would prefer the money to be spent on providing a simple breakfast for all P1 - P3s, the kids that are most in need would then benefit from 2 free meals a day. There are many benefits for kids when they take part in social eating, especially when adults they rely on take part too. It would make for a more nurturing environment.

However, the school my LO attends has 2 breakfast clubs, one run by the school and one run by the out of school club, they are both full and and the school one that costs 25p a day is used mainly by working parents, rather than targeting those children who may not get breakfast at home.

Oh, that is a good idea. I would welcome that too.

When we lived in Germany, some of the kids would come to kindergarten not having had breakfast. This was 3-6yr old kids. Can't imagine sending a child out of the house without breakfast. Not for lack of time in the morning, but just that the parents couldn't be bothered.

I have never understood why these things stop at P3, teethbrushing in the afternoon until P3, free fruit in the afternoon until P3, do they think children can start suddenly look after themselves after P3? Or maybe parents suddenly change when their children reach the end of P3?

I hope the children who are entitled to it and benefit from it don't suffer after the magical P3...

Yes, that is a worry. I suppose the hope is that the kids will benefit from these three years, and as they get older they get more independent and can do things for themselves.

It's a lot of responsibility to put on a child.

They can only do things for themselves if they are provided with the tools to do so and sadly they are not, I think helping out at my childrens school has opened my eyes at how bad some parents are on the other hand I don't think the money would be better spent 'educating' parents, most people know to feed their children 3 meals a day, bathe them and wash their clothes the parents just do not do it.

I think the free school meals will make a short term difference to the young children but I cant see it helping in the long term or helping the bigger issues.

It is really sad, isn't it?

Thinking about it - the kids who are most needy will likely be getting free school meals anyway.