Dinner money arrears

[Snowsquonk]

Hello dear Mumsnetters

I am chair of governors of a primary school where we have a problem with people not paying for school dinners - a culture has been created in which most parents pay, those who can't afford are encouraged to apply for free school meals, but a small number of parents just take the mickey.

The trouble is, we say a child cannot have any more school dinners until arrears are paid off or an agreement for paying off the arrears is reached - but some parents then still send the child in without a packed lunch.

SO - what happens at your school - we are considering a policy where if a parent has not paid for a meal in advance, the child does not get one but this is primary and I don't think it's good for children to have nothing - how would you feel if your child was given a basic meal - eg, bread and butter and a piece of fruit instead of the full hot meal option - if you'd not booked and paid for the meal in advance.

What happens at your school?

Cheers!

That seems like a reasonable idea for those who consistently flout the system. I wouldn't do it for "first offenders" though as it could be a parent who is just overstressed/having a busy week and forgot.
I think if you sent letters saying Dear Parent, You currently owe the school £x for school meals. Please make an arrangement to pay by date y. If you fail to do this your child will no longer be given a school meal, regardless of whether you have provided an alternative packed lunch.

As long as parents are given warning it seems fair enough to me!

That's just awful. I hate the thought of a child being given a basic meal, or no meal, because their parents haven't paid up - especially if it could be the only decent meal they'll get that day. I don't know what the answer is though. Do you write to the parents who owe money?

Wow - I would be totally oblivious to the fact this actually happened! If it happened the first time I would let the child have the meal, on the second day I would have them check in at the school office with the money and either their pack up for that day or money for the current days school lunch IYSWIM and then send them home if they don't have it.
I think it would be wrong to single a child out by giving them a basic meal, it is degrading for them and not nutritionally correct - it is not their fault and not them that should suffer. Systems should be put in place to make sure it doesn't get to that point (or you might end up with people sending their kids every day for the free bread, butter and fruit option)

Our school secretary would ring parents and tell them that their child had forgotten their lunch so please bring it up to the school.

What about ringing the parent to collect the child for lunch every single day until the balance is paid (unless you know they can't pay it?)

not allowing a proper meal, and instead giving poorhouse rations, is not fair to the child.

inconvenience the parent, don't humiliate the child.

If it's a money problem, I read about a school somewhere (location escapes me) where the catering manager used the bulk discount to buy packed lunch essentials to help parents who were in need, the parents then went in and 'bought' what they needed at a vastly reduced rate and made their kids lunches. This was done sometimes on site aided by teachers and TA's giving advice on nutrition and health - it was a bit of financial/community/parenting help which was appreciated by all involved......

Yes, maybe sending the child home for lunch might be a better option. - And then if the parent doesn't come to get them, checking for a packed lunch the following day and sending them home at the start of the day if they haven't got one. You might be in problems with Education Welfare if you did this though?

We get phoned if it isn't paid and told to either bring in some money, a packed lunch or pick up the child

I have to say it would be so much easier if we could pay online rather than by cheque

cheques are going to be phased out I heard anyway so they need a better solution

My suggestion would be to warn parents that this was going to happen - if in arrears, on first day child comes to schol with no packed lunch, parents to be phoned to be told to either collect their child for lunch or comein and bring a packed lunch. This to happen to any parent in arrears (after sufficient warning/taking into account extenuating circumstances) every time their child comes to school with no provision. The school may not get the arrears back, but it should stop more being incurred while protecting the child from being singled out...

Ditto what colditz said

make it a pain for the parents if they don't send a packed lunch/dinner money by making them collect their child for lunch, don't embarrass the child by giving them "bread & water".

TBH how many parents can actually collect their children for lunch, there will be a significant number at work But most are dropped off - therefore IMO it would need to be handled at the start of the day.

We pay on line - through parent pay. System is brilliant. You can view what DC ate as well. Scheme run by Harrow CC. I have run up some arrears...about £20 because I forgot to top up the account. The school rang me up / they send emails to remind you. But I don't know what the policy is for persistent flouters.

Wally - that is the point - make it so awkward for the parents they stop taking the mickey!

Horrendous idea.

I would have been that poor sod sat eating bread and butter, humilated because of my mothers feckless attitude.

I think hassling with phonecalls, letters etc is a better way of dealing with it.

Could the parents who take the mickey be called into a meeting or to see the headteacher? It's one thing if they genuinely can't afford to pay but quite another if they're just playing the system and relying on the school's unwillingness to leave a child hungry.

Firstleg I appreciate the point, about awkwardness and would assume that this might work, but there will be cases where people could lose their jobs over for something like this (especially if it happened more than once). I would rather see a system of support for parents and their children than punishment all the time (even though it was their fault in the first place)

Wally - I take your point, but the people the OP is talking about are persistent pee-takers. Being nice and helpful and supportive hasn't helped so far, so the school is left with little choice. Thus the need to make the sitaution a hassle for the parents, not the school or the child....

We get 10 days to pay it .... But everyone pays it so not sure what would happen if they did not pay. As mentioned, calls to the parent each day would be reasonable after 15 days of non payment telling them to bring a lunch for the child or do a BACS transfer/pay online.

We get told to either drop off lunch for the child or pick them up in our school.It works well.

There are no arrears at dds primary school. You have to pay up front in cash on the day the meal is required. Meal is £2.20 per day. If the school cannot contact the parent to bring the money or a packed lunch then the child is given a glass of milk and biscuit for lunch.
Yes introducing this system did seem harsh at first but it has made sure people pay for the meals (unless FSM).

Agree with most.

Give a fair deadline to pay the arrears by.
Then inconvenience the parents until they pay.

But the problem still stands of what to do Shen the parents repeatedly ignore the warnings. The has to be some sanction/penalty imposed so that they can just ignore. Maybe a penalty payment?

If you give bread and butter, then those children will be fed badly every day...its awful but I think that if parents are failing to provide food or to apply for the available help then they are neglecting their children and should be warned that social srvices will be contacted if they ontinue to fail in their responsibility.

At my DC's school - kids are fed for a few days then a letter or call to the parents is made, but the school do keep on feeding lunch. A payment plan can be made for arrears. The system used to work when lunches could be paid for upfront with cash but recently they brought in a pay online only system and now the school have large arrears adn are heading for trouble.

crazymum - they give just milk and a biscuit for lunch ?
That is terrible! What if it keeps on happening?

Poor children . It makes me mad when parents are prepared to let their children suffer (embarrassment and hunger), because they can't be bothered to get their act together.

I would hope that in genuine cases of hardship (ie temporary situations where FSM doesn't come into it), that the school come to some arrangement rather than let the child exist on a glass of milk and a biscuit all day.

snowsquonk - what are your thoughts now on how to approach this situation?

We do send letters, we also have lovely office staff who will ask the right questions about whether parents are eligible for FSM and then help them with the paperwork - we helped around 20 families who were not claiming FSM get them this year!

It's a small number of persistent offenders - who have been spoken to, written to and called in to see senior staff but who will still send their child in without packed lunch, and then not answer their phone. So the child gets another "free" lunch - there is one parent who is £135 in arrears because of this.

I think we're going to spend next term warning parents that the system will change, then from September it's payment on Mondays only for the week ahead - no payment, no meal (in theory) followed by lots and lots of phonecalls - maybe after 2 weeks of no money we start sending daily letters ?

The fact is, you can't go to Tesco and get food without paying for it, why is school any different?

I do like the bulk-purchase-come-in-and-make-a-packed-lunch option - will discuss with head teacher & finance manager!

My friend's children go to a school where it's packed lunch only - they don't have a hot dinner service at all, FSM children are provided with a packed lunch which is bought in.

Thanks for your replies everyone !