No more free school meals for youngest pupils.

I despair!

She really is a piece of work . I had hopes that she wouldn`t be another Thatcher but is turning out to be worse . God help us .

I have been wondering: what impact will this have on the many nurseries currently running breakfast clubs, and who quite possibly rely on these to help offset the under-funding of the free hours that they are expected to provide for 4 and 4 year olds? Could it push them over the edge?

This policy may never see the light of day, Parliament may well reject it.
If it does go ahead ( and free school meals for all children at primaries hasn't been around that long) then money and staff funding would need to be provided.
I remember a bit of a furore by teachers when this hot meal idea came in, there was quite a bit of huffing and puffing from some schools ( who didn't do any/many
Hot lunches).

Yes, kitchens having to be installed, staff engaged etc.

Wasn't it Nick Clegg's trade-off policy as student tuition fees were introduced despite the LibDem promise that they wouldn't be?

Yes, I think it was, it came in around that time and wasn't universally popular with schools.There are already breakfast clubs in most schools now aren't there?
My DGS enjoys one at home and another breakfast at school ( and he's still thin.)

Mine do too, although theirs at school are free already (being in Wales).

You need to listen to the experts.

I don't need to be told anything by you.

I am governor at a very small rural primary - you have no idea the problems that were caused by the free school meals. Who to get to do it? - is anyone willing to travel to the middle of nowhere for the minute profit on a few meals? Ah, well, the school will have to subsidise them from their already minute and dwindling budget - well that's just fine then.

Yes, I already said that. But now they're doing away with free school lunches for primaary school pupils, so what's your point, Luckygirl?

It was only KS1 pupils who were entitled to FSM, KS2 had to pay or take a packed lunch, just to clarify.

The point is who is going to pay for supervision of Breakfast Clubs? It's not the case that most schools already have them either. When I worked for the LEA I provided funding for setting up Breakfast Clubs, to pay mainly for equipment such as large toasters, a fridge, dishes, cutlery etc. In schools who didn't have their own kitchen. But the ongoing staffing costs were picked up by the school as they had a budget for Out of Hours provision, which has since dried up.

It can't be right to take away a cooked school dinner for 'infants' and replace it with a bowl of cereal, a piece of toast and a glass of juice.

Incidentally my GC attend 3 different schools and none of them run a Breakfast Club.

There are protests about school cuts around the country. Find yours here
schoolcuts.nationbuilder.com

Luckygirl Who provided the lunches for those children entitled to free school meals before they were made compulsory for KS1?

Am I missing something here? If the children are given breakfast at school as an alternative to providing a lunch, what are they going to eat at lunchtime?

It is such a small school that there were only a couple with FSMs to be dealt with - it all got more complicated when all reception and class one had to be catered for.

My point Ana is that these central diktats look fine on paper, but are sometimes very difficult to put into practice; and that insufficient funds follow the great idea.

So presumably there was a kitchen of sorts. I'm curious. That's all.

Ginny Presumably they bring a packed lunch or buy a school lunch.

To be fair there's been research showing that free school lunches don't raise attainment, but free universal breakfasts do. Pupil premium funding can be used for breakfast clubs, but not for school lunches. It's not all about feeding hungry children, but ensuring that pupils start the school day punctually in the right frame of mind, not just with full tummies.

I'm seriously not going all Conservative, but I prefer evidence-based initiatives.

I thought it was proven that a decent meal at lunchtime aided not just concentration but grades,and the run a mile every day thing that all our local primaries do,is said to help with behaviour issues .So a win win situation where educating young children surely?Primaries 1 -3 get free lunches here and most schools have breakfast clubs ,

Nope! It hasn't been proven, although there's research which has shown that a decent breakfast and getting all children to school on time is a winner.

It's a bit late now and I'm dropping, but I'll find the links to the research, if you want.

Schools will have to open earlier, employ more staff to see to this bowl of sugary cereal and milk, for sure its not going to be a fully cooked breakfast, certainly won't help the children whose only cooked meal is lunch. Where is the money coming from for the staff? Schools are already stretched. What worries me is that I can see means testing coming back, how humiliating is that for people already struggling. I remember at school, the way those tickets were given out to pupils whose families couldn't afford the meals. It was awful. I was lucky, went home to lunch. People have their pride whatever their circumstances. I could never vote Corbyn, he is a pathetic Joke, but very disappointed in this initiative of Theresa hitting the vulnerable young plus older people who do, surprise, use the winter fuel allowance for just that.

It seems the young and the old are fair targets whilst the tax dodgers are getting away with robbing the country soft. Makes you think about placing that cross on the ballot paper doesn't it? Well it should.

It's make your mind up time soon. Maggie took their milk and Tessa is going to take their lunches.

Hard isn't it LL when you're convinced that a possible leader is a pathetic joke, only to find the person you rate as a leader is proposing to do things even Maggie shied away from?

DD If you knew anything about schools you'd know that schools had hot school lunches brought in from an outside source pre September 2014 which is when the universal FSM for Key Stage 1 was introduced.

I'd like to see your evidence re school dinners too.

Free school meals DO boost attainment

I thought your statement about free school meals not helping children sounded like one of those statements people just throw into an argument to bolster their opinion without knowing the facts DD or even make up.

I think you'll find this is the case if you read my link and the provision of a FSM is especially beneficial for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, no surprise there then