Free school meals for infants 'set to be scrapped'

[terrywebbisgod]

Just before  my eldest son started primary school,we were invited to sample a typical school meal.

He took sandwiches when he started.The food was totally overcooked,destroying any nutritional value it may have had.

It's the right thing using healthy,nutritional ingredients but it's how they are cooked that matters.

[WearyRhino]

At the election the Tories claimed the credit.  (as they did for all the popular Lib/Dem policies.)  Now they are scrapping them.  As Craig says, Vote Tory get Tories..

 

Not only that, they made a manifesto commitment to keep them:

 

[Griff9of13]

Tory manifesto commitments are less than worthless. 

[Ramite]

In the manifesto for all parties is now an aim , look an the LDs and uni fees. It's meaningless.

[WearyRhino]

In the manifesto for all parties is now an aim , look an the LDs and uni fees. It's meaningless.

 

 

Tory manifesto commitments are less than worthless. 

 

Absolutely, but the Tories don't have the excuse that Clegg had in bargaining away manifesto commitments.

[shaun mc]

There are parishes where 40% of children are classed as being in poverty - this will hit them hard

However, someone made a good point about having to fire all the kit up and staff the place for just a few meals if its means tested - its all or nothing

[WearyRhino]

There are parishes where 40% of children are classed as being in poverty - this will hit them hard

However, someone made a good point about having to fire all the kit up and staff the place for just a few meals if its means tested - its all or nothing

Parishes? What century are you living in?

[Jerry the Berry]

It was the Thatcher government in the eighties who removed the requirement for school meals to be balanced and healthy. 

 

How did she do this? Was some new law passed or an old one repealed?

 

I had (primary) school dinners from about 1974-1980 and they were bloody horrible and as far from heathly as I could imagine.

[shaun mc]

Parishes? What century are you living in?

OK then wards if you want to be pedantic and miss the point totally

[Trojan]

How did she do this? Was some new law passed or an old one repealed?

 

I had (primary) school dinners from about 1974-1980 and they were bloody horrible and as far from heathly as I could imagine.

They removed the law that said school meals should be healthy and balanced. Simple.  As one "wise" Tory said at the time kids go to school to learn, what they eat is of no consequence.  It's always the case that the Tories know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

[Ackroman]

Parishes? What century are you living in?

 

21st.  My kids school covers 3 because we have 3 parish Councils not wards.

[ckn]

Parishes? What century are you living in?

A Parish is a legitimate governance area. There are a lot of Parish councils out there. It's the rural version of a Town Council. Councillors are unpaid volunteers but are properly elected.

[WearyRhino]

A Parish is a legitimate governance area. There are a lot of Parish councils out there. It's the rural version of a Town Council. Councillors are unpaid volunteers but are properly elected.

Indeed, although most parish councillors are elected unopposed and parish councils are responsible for public toilets, benches, community halls and allotments not education provision.

[WearyRhino]

21st.  My kids school covers 3 because we have 3 parish Councils not wards.

 

Are you sure you're not confusing Parish Councils with Parochial Church Councils which are based upon church parishes and are the base unit of Church of England governance?

[back to the future]

So you don't mind people who haven't worked getting the same as someone who has worked all their lives?

 

That's up to you, I suppose but I don't think it is very fair.

 

I think my main point on this subject is that we should help those who need it.

 

I can afford to pay for my children's school dinners so don't expect to get them for free.

Your wasting your time mate do you not know the state/tax payer should pay for everything,

 

I remember my school days I was either given dinner money or school dinners were bought in advance the week before, BTW my parents were not were earning well below the average wage at the time, but they managed not to depend on others to pay for their children to be fed by the education authority,

You send your children to school to be educated not to be fed free, you wouldn't get an employer paying for all his employees dinners.

Fact is if you cant afford to feed the kids you keep spitting out stop spitting them out

 From year( not sure might be 2017) you will get penalised on your welfare claim if you bang out more than two,if you want more pay for it yourself

Seems fair

[Bedford Roughyed]

Your wasting your time mate do you not know the state/tax payer should pay for everything,

 

I remember my school days I was either given dinner money or school dinners were bought in advance the week before, BTW my parents were not were earning well below the average wage at the time, but they managed not to depend on others to pay for their children to be fed by the education authority,

You send your children to school to be educated not to be fed free, you wouldn't get an employer paying for all his employees dinners.

Fact is if you cant afford to feed the kids you keep spitting out stop spitting them out

 From year( not sure might be 2017) you will get penalised on your welfare claim if you bang out more than two,if you want more pay for it yourself

Seems fair

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/primaryeducation/10318087/Everyone-benefits-from-free-school-meals.html

 

By now, you may be stroking your sceptical Tory chin and muttering about the cost of funding this experiment in cockle-warming. Fair enough: £600 million is a big cheque to write. But a lot less than £6 billion – the current cost to the taxpayer of treating illnesses caused by bad diet.

The fiscal benefits of creating a cleverer, better-educated nation may be harder to predict, or measure. But it’s a funny kind of Conservatism that pooh-poohs a cost‑saving measure proven to make children healthy, wealthy and wise.

 

[Griff9of13]

Your wasting your time mate do you not know the state/tax payer should pay for everything,

I remember my school days I was either given dinner money or school dinners were bought in advance the week before, BTW my parents were not were earning well below the average wage at the time, but they managed not to depend on others to pay for their children to be fed by the education authority,

You send your children to school to be educated not to be fed free, you wouldn't get an employer paying for all his employees dinners.

Fact is if you cant afford to feed the kids you keep spitting out stop spitting them out

From year( not sure might be 2017) you will get penalised on your welfare claim if you bang out more than two,if you want more pay for it yourself

Seems fair

You've obviously lived a very sheltered life as many big city firms do exactly that. I once applied for a job with KPMG and free lunch was part of the package.

[Bedford Roughyed]

We get free fruit.

[gingerjon]

You've obviously lived a very sheltered life as many big city firms do exactly that. I once applied for a job with KPMG and free lunch was part of the package.

 

Quite a few of the offices near us have a subsidised staff canteen/cafe/restaurant/meal-based-space - that includes Santander and a few other 'name' companies.  They look very enticing when you're heading to Tesco for the meal deal for the umpteenth time.

 

Of course employers often pay for quite a few additional benefits too including healthcare, gym membership and the like.  Almost like they know the value of having a healthy workforce ...

[Phil]

Your wasting your time mate do you not know the state/tax payer should pay for everything,

 

I remember my school days I was either given dinner money or school dinners were bought in advance the week before, BTW my parents were not were earning well below the average wage at the time, but they managed not to depend on others to pay for their children to be fed by the education authority,

You send your children to school to be educated not to be fed free, you wouldn't get an employer paying for all his employees dinners.

Fact is if you cant afford to feed the kids you keep spitting out stop spitting them out

 From year( not sure might be 2017) you will get penalised on your welfare claim if you bang out more than two,if you want more pay for it yourself

Seems fair

 

 

wouldn't you? Really? that's exactly what my employer does.

[Griff9of13]

Quite a few of the offices near us have a subsidised staff canteen/cafe/restaurant/meal-based-space - that includes Santander and a few other 'name' companies.  They look very enticing when you're heading to Tesco for the meal deal for the umpteenth time.

 

Of course employers often pay for quite a few additional benefits too including healthcare, gym membership and the like.  Almost like they know the value of having a healthy workforce ...

 

<off topic> If that's their head office on Euston Road we must work pretty close to one another when I am in our head office (directly opposite Santander). </off topic>

 

And yes, we get plenty of other benefits to keep us healthy and (reasonably ) happy in our work. 

[ckn]

<off topic> If that's their head office on Euston Road we must work pretty close to one another when I am in our head office (directly opposite Santander). </off topic>

 

And yes, we get plenty of other benefits to keep us healthy and (reasonably ) happy in our work. 

One world-leading professional services company I worked for had a premium subsidised a-la-carte lunch option or a free hot-plate option, the premium stuff was better than you'd get at many good restaurants at about £5 a head for one course or £7.50 for two.  They also had a free private GP onsite Monday, Wednesday and Friday and a very subsidised private dentist on Tuesday and Thursday.  High quality gym and exercise stuff.  Subsidised massages at lunchtime.  They even have an earned paid sabbatical system that you earn at one week per year, you can top it up with a sacrificed week of your annual leave as well, once you've been at the company 5 years you can take that sabbatical at two months of notice and your manager can't stop you, we had one person take three months off to go on a world tour while being fully paid. 

 

Stupid socialists with their outdated views on employee wellbeing.

[WearyRhino]

One world-leading professional services company I worked for had a premium subsidised a-la-carte lunch option or a free hot-plate option, the premium stuff was better than you'd get at many good restaurants at about £5 a head for one course or £7.50 for two.  They also had a free private GP onsite Monday, Wednesday and Friday and a very subsidised private dentist on Tuesday and Thursday.  High quality gym and exercise stuff.  Subsidised massages at lunchtime.  They even have an earned paid sabbatical system that you earn at one week per year, you can top it up with a sacrificed week of your annual leave as well, once you've been at the company 5 years you can take that sabbatical at two months of notice and your manager can't stop you, we had one person take three months off to go on a world tour while being fully paid. 

 

Stupid socialists with their outdated views on employee wellbeing.

 

 

The eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that the table I posted in relation to healthcare in the Labour leadership thread shows the UK doing badly on the Healthy Lives (measured as infant mortality and healthy life expectancy at age 60) criteria, 'beaten' only by the USA. Given that there is strong evidence of parental diet and general well-being (physical fitness, smoking, drinking, civic engagement etc) impacting on infant mortality and the obvious impact of exercise, stopping smoking, cutting alcohol intake, physical activity has on life expectancy and health in later life, imagine the savings in healthcare costs that could be made if the sort of free and subsidised employment benefits outlined above were more widely available and free nutritiously balanced meals were available to all school children.. An already highly efficient and 'cheap' NHS could offer even greater efficiency and value for money. The importance of public health has long been ignored and, yes you guessed it, this government has just slashed spending on public health.

[Ramite]

It's why public health was moved to local authorities , so the budget could be cut.

[Griff9of13]

It's why public health was moved to local authorities , so the budget could be cut.

 

..and Cameron (or Osborne, as he increasingly seems to be the one pulling the strings) can say when questioned about it "nothing to do with us gov, honest."