Letter: We must save free school meals
Wednesday 16th June 2010, 7:30AM BST.
Letter: I was greatly disturbed to read the news in the Times (June 9) that the Education Secretary has recommended stopping free meals to a million schoolchildren.
The UK ranks fourth in child poverty in the 25 EU countries, According to the child poverty organisation, and Mirror.co.uk, there are four million, 1:3, or 30 per cent of children caught in the poverty trap.
ECPC reports that a couple with two children has a weekly income of £295 after housing costs. The weekly cost of sending a child to school is £25 per head.
The caloric requirement of schoolchildren depends on the age, gender and level of physical activity of each child.
The average number of calories required by primary schoolchildren is between 1,800 and 2,000. For secondary school children it is: boys aged 11-14 years, 2,500; 15-18 years, 3,000; girls aged 11-14, 2,200 and 15-18, 2,300.
It would be a travesty of justice to deny free school meals to poverty-stricken children with low parental income.
We may save many millions but at the cost of the health of four million children.
I would request the Secretary of State for schools to seek advice from eminent child health professionals on the important issue of the free school meals to the lower-income children.
Please do not be a “meal snatcher”.
Dr Nak Mahmandi
Stirchley Park
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Free school meals is essential for those on low incomes and others that qualify for it. It provides at least one hot meal and nourishment. These children need to eat! The government are quick to send loads of money to other Countries when really you should be providing for your own!!!
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Are you seriously saying that there are 1,000,000 schoolchildren in this country whose parents are unable to provide one hot meal a day and that the state should therefore provide one free of charge?
Rather than axe aid to other countries, the Government should start to hold parents to account in this country for neglecting their children. Like you say, with your comment about “providing for your own”, parents should provide for their own.
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i agree entirely that parents should be responsible for providing for their children,but when does that responsibility end ? i am a grandmother raising a grandchild ( after working full time for 30+ years!)my savings have been used to pay for legal representation to ensure the safety of my grandchild,the monies saved on the free school meals i recieve are spent on extra lessons to compensate for the lack of educational standards within schools.I don’t smoke don’t drink don’t even now have the holidays ienjoyed,& i also pay taxes, so Maybe the government should completly alter the way the welfare state is administered?? The welfare state can’t please everyone but a society which penalises the young for the failings of their parents is not one which can claim to be human!!
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Well im sorry if you think it is neglectful for people not to be able to give my children a meal a day i provide every other meal breakfast,dinner snacks and i am only in this situation due to my husband having a non-fault motorbike accident and having to use a wheelchair and me only being able to work 8hrs a wk to care for my disabled husband and my three children which we had prior to his accident just incase you go down the route of me having more kids after the accident……..
maybe you should think b4 you make hurtful comments …..
just think if the tables turned on you like it was me what would happen….do you have someone that would provide for you and work and be not out of pocket!!
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It does amuse me that the parents of children who take free school meals are heavy smokers. They can spend £5-£10 a day on fags but can’t put a decent meal on the table for the children that they’ve brought into the world.
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Well peasbody, sweeping staments again?. I happen to think free school meals should be axed as most if not all families can provide a cheap wholesome cooked dinner once a day . The school options are small and to be honest not as nice or as good as the powers that be tell us . With all the cuts that are coming meals should go. However some things should come back the school fund system and all parents asked to pay it and all schools stop sending out begging letters to parents for voluntary contributions biggest joke of all .And the biggest scam of all, Heads take note.
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Shocking. Not just that we still have child poverty on this scale, but also that people still think the majority of parents are to blame.
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School is an absolute lifeline for more kids than you John, can possibly imagine. Decent kids who do not deserve their parents. The more external help they get, the less of them will turn into worthless citizens, but abandon them and build another rod for society’s back. Charity begins at home and we should be cutting foreign aid before free school meals.
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I didnt smoke nor drink and had 3 children to raise on my own and my children loved their school dinners. Through no fault of my own i had to end my job due to being 50p over the criteria for any help. I tried very hard to make ends meet but my health failed. I grew my own veg to make money go further. So before saying “the parents of children who take free school meals are heavy smokers”get your facts right! We arent all born with a silver spoon in ones mouth!Parents do provide for their own its nice to give them help surely? Its the children we are helping too. I am thinking people just dont want to help people anymore. Its a case of i am ok never mind anyone else. Selfish attitude to take.
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Through no fault of my own i had to end my job due to being 50p over the criteria for any help.
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This is exactly what is wrong with the benefits in this country!
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its plain to see you would never be in this situation i agree you prob got born rich so just do wot your good at and go play hockey
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many years ago early 50 s when i was a schoolboy–the headmaster at assembly took count of the meals needed and ordered the amount simple and effective dont know how it works now but have previously read of pupils skipping meals for fast-food sold en route and outside school maybe that is one reason for ditching the meals—gross waste
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This government likes to take from those who already have nothing. It makes me laugh and defies common sense to combat child poverty by taking benefits away from those who rely on it. I am sure there are those you cant be bothered to get a job but there are also those who try very hard. First they want to take away child benefit (making families worse off very quickly hhmmmmm making them poorer dont you think?) now they want to take away free school meals these meals are for those who have benefits and very likely its the only healthy meal some kids see during the day. How about the greedy politicians take a cut in their wages and their expenses? how about they pay their own council tax and for their own 2nd home because there are hundreds of hardworking brits out there that dont even own one home and cant afford to pay their own council tax! how many millions could we save if as they see we are all in this together because the only belts i see being tightened are the hard working brits of thgis country come on hugahoodie you cant cut poverty by taking from the poor. How come we have to pay millions for the popes visit? and no doubt there are many more like that. i thought there was no money boys???
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