To expect children have enough to eat?

I think the article is mainly referring to children's lunch boxes. My GC mainly have school dinners although not sure about the quality for the price. Occasionally they have a packed lunch however the school are quite strict with what they will allow in the contents. No chocolate or biscuits allowed.

I think it is about time all children had free school meals and wonder what the actual cost of this would be.

I agree with you FlicketyB but that is not the poor child's fault is it?

I know a teacher in an extremely deprived part of Newcastle who starts every morning with a round of toast and fruit generously donated by local businesses.

The better fed the children are, the better they will perform and therefore the better the school's position in the performance tables. A simplistic analysis, I know, but there is something in it. Many schools do provide breakfast clubs which should be unnecessary but which are well attended.

The fact that we expect children to be properly fed, clothed and cared for does not mean it always happens. There are a large number of idle, addicted, or incompetent and uncaring parents around. There always have been, there always will be.

Unfortunately it is the school who pick up these problems and are then expected to deal with them. The problem is the more meals that are supplied at school the less the failing parents will do for their children.

Or are we back to the same argument at school they are not given the skills to do so!

I thinks it down to laziness on behalf of some parents that they will give a child a packet of crisps rather than cook something. You can cook something much cheaper than you can buy junk food and carry outs.

I do not personally think it is really to do with cost - toast and jam doesn't cost that much, a bacon bap OK a bit more and porridge (shock horror!) is dirt cheap. And whatever happened to Readibrek ?(apologies for the spelling)
I think it is the mentality within some families and the "permissive" grazing attitude that says that if children want a packet of crisps, let them have it. Our school used to do breakfasts for the students - bacon and toast was popular and then it was stopped because of "staffing costs"
It is appalling and such parents are guilty of neglect, IMHO

I haven't read the link yet but what happened to free school meals.

I was surprised to find out that if a parent applies for a free meal the school is then given an amount of extra money even if that child has free meals for 1 week. Our Head has started a campaign to get families who should be getting free meals to apply, and then both the children and the school benefit.