Universal Infants Free School Meals

And so it continues this relentless pursuit of a small state

'Ministers are poised to scrap Nick Clegg??s controversial free school meals programme, it emerged last night.

The flagship Lib Dem policy was supposed to ensure all primary school children were given free lunches in their first three years of education.

Tim Farron has responded:

If this goes ahead, the Tories will show they are willing to take an axe to the education budget at the expense of children??s learning.

By scrapping this policy they would take food off the plates of hundreds of thousands of school kids who now benefit from a free hot healthy meal at lunchtime.

The Liberal Democrats fought tooth and nail to get this through in Coalition because we want every child to have the best possible start in life and be able to concentrate in class.

We are really proud of the efforts schools have made to ensure children get the healthy meals they need. In many cases this has seen investment in new facilities and new staff.

The Tories are now going to completely undermine all this progress and, as a result, demoralise school children, their parents and their teachers.

Instead of further investing in our children, the Tories are turning up at the school gate and stealing their lunch money'
I did actually copy this intending to post it yesterday but,as it was a week or so old wasn't sure if it had been mentioned already; I assumed that it was something else being sneakily renaged upon while the press are busy trying to trawl up unimportant stuff about Corbyn. So that's no a cap on nursing home fees, free childcare places, tax reforms for some of the poorer members of society [in an adverse way]to name but a few manifesto pledges that were lies .

Well, it wasn't universal anyway, as it didn't happen in Labour-controlled Wales.

And I also heard that it wasn't universally popular - with the children.
(or school staff.)

Ill thought out, rushed and not that well carried through.

Those children who need free lunches should continue to have them, but why subsidise those who do not?

I read somewhere that some schools are having to take funds from their education budget to fund the scheme. I agree with rose

Then they should have said so at the time of the election.

Tegan - the OP says it was in the 2015 Conservative manifesto and that GO is 'considering' it?

And so it continues this relentless pursuit of a small state

There has to be a fine balance between small state and nanny state surely?

Feeding school children whose parents can well afford to pay for a meal or send a good packed lunch is absurd and a waste of money that can be used for the education of all of them.

Feeding those children whose parents cannot afford to pay for a meal or can only afford to send an inadequate lunch is good and should continue.

Nothing about nanny state in this, everything to do with small state

Is it just a rumour? Strange it pops up during the Libdems conference. Possibly it is 'leaked' to find out what public opinion on the subject is.

Has anyone heard what the Conservatives have to say on the subject?

I personally think all school meals should be free - right up to 6th form. Those who can't afford to put a decent meal on the table will benefit. Those kids whose parents CBA to put a good meal on the table (like the little polish boy who starved to death) will benefit. And those who can afford to feed their kids are paying income tax so are putting money into the system.

It benefits all families, all children and is a great social leveller.

But the funding should not come from school budgets and must be ring-fenced.

I agree anya. This is a really good use of money. I think the little Polish boy was starved to death by his mother and her boyfriend but not due to lack of money. Ghastly people. However, at least if he'd had a meal at school it would have helped. Maybe.

I have very mixed feelings about the school meals, free or not.
When these were rolled out in our area some five years ago, supposedly for the health benefits, I had a minor but hands-on role in their delivery, and have to say that I found them far from 'healthy' by my standards

However, that aside, I feel that if the provision of free school meals is aimed at improving the diet and health of children, then there is a good argument in favour of them being universally free (I'm sure that a junk-food diet isn't exclusive to the poor!), whereas if the principal reason for them is to ensure that the poorest children get at least one decent meal a day, then yes, IMHO they should be means tested. I hope that makes sense

This is no surprise from this Chancellor . I wonder if the Lib Dems will comment on it as it was one of their policies. I dread to think what they will come up with next to attack your average "trying to get by" citizen of this country.

Some families (working just in case we are going to get some of the standard "nasty" comments) will loose over £3,000 because of the cuts in WTC, etc., and now this. I hope this government does not continue for it full five years; I hate to think how much damage could be done in that time.

As an average 'trying to get by' family we never ever failed to feed our children.
DS and SIL are your average present-day 'trying to get by' family.
They never ever fail to feed their children.

Those who are unable to feed their children should continue to receive free school meals for them - right up to 18.

To bring up the case of the little Polish boy is wrong, imo. He was not starved through lack of money but by systematic abuse and cruelty. I am amazed that his teachers did not call for help and turned a blind eye to his suffering.
I still feel sick when I think of the deliberate suffering inflicted on him.

Just how far is the State supposed to go in taking over parental responsibility?

I have mixed feelings about these free meals. The principle is a good one, but the practice is not as simple as it sounds. I am governor at a small isolated rural school and the provision of meals is problematical partly because of the delivery charges, but also because there are a limited number of providers. We have no kitchen.

There is also the question of quality control - some of the meals that my DGS (at a different school) gets seem pretty stodgy to me.

This was in their election promises and they have reneged on it. In my book that is immoral. Elected under false pretenses.

I do think the little boy is relevant rosequartz. I hope not many are mistreated in this way but saying it was through "systematic abuse and cruelty" although true, does not feed the child and it would be another area of good.

I agree with Anya that these meals should be free up to school leaving age. It is not just the ability to get by that matters - in some cases some who would have been able to do alright need to use food banks to do this, it is also that some have such insecurity workwise that they just cannot do this. It is wrong to think they are not doing all they can in just the way we did, many are.

There is no kitchen at DGD's school (which is inconsequential as it is in Wales!).
But they do have dinners which they have to pay for, which are shipped in from another, larger, school quite a distance away. There is nowhere near a full up-take of them as many prefer their packed lunches.

Some schools in England had no kitchens or dining facilities and then had to find the money to put it in operation even if funding was found for building kitchens.

From the Guardian 15th July 2014:

(Friend's DGC's school)

The build at St Mary Redcliffe, he explains, is the biggest of 55 projects by Bristol council to ensure pupils get their free lunch. The total cost will be "up to £707,000". That's exactly the sum allocated to Bristol from the government's £150m capital fund for universal infant free school meals (UIFSM), so it seems that this council will not be dipping into its cash to implement a national policy unexpectedly imposed upon it last November. But Jacobs says he would not be surprised if some schools in Bristol have to use their own money "to ensure that the experience of a school lunchtime, the social aspect of it, is supervised adequately".

And what happens when a child reaches the age of 7 - watching younger children tuck in to a supposedly 'healthy' meal whilst they have their packed lunch?
In fact, many children would opt for their parents' packed lunches if they had a choice.

A daft idea, a sop to the LibDems, not thought through.

Yes, I know they are doing all they can, Gracesgran but if they are having to use food banks surely they would be eligible for free school lunches anyway?

Money need for these children is being syphoned off to provide meals for those who can well afford it.

needed not need, sorry

They may be but life can be very erratic for people now "rosequartz". As for when children reach 7 - it was intended to extend it. I can see you are happy that they are stopping it (or perhaps not unhappy) but I thought it was a good move in the right direction.

It would be interesting to know what impact and benefit it has had and whether Welsh children have lagged behind because it was not implemented here.
No, I'm not unhappy if it is stopped because I think the money could be better targeted at those who do need it - as long as that happens.

We shall no doubt have to wait and see rosequartz.