Jamie Oliver - Forums / Primary School Is Stopping Providing School Meals

Ruthtfs · Tue 26 Jun 12 12:45am

Hi, I know we are not alone in this, but My daughter's primary school announced on Friday that as from Sept 2012 they will no longer provide school meals at all due to the funding from the LEA being transferred to the school. It is a small school with under 200 pupils and part of the argument is that there are simply not enough children to make the continued provision of school meals viable now that the LEA have passed on all the costs of providing meals to the school.

This simply cannot be right! Many parents at school work full time and are reliant on the school providing a hot meal for their children as many other child care providers be they child minders, kids clubs or relatives simply cannot always provide a cooked tea. Despite the school being relatively small, the catchment area is very wide and encompasses all incomes including those who qualify for free school meals. Heaven only knows what the proposals will be for those who do qualify? Is someone going to volunteer to make extra packed lunches??

Is this going to be a growing trend if LEAs are transferring costs or is it something limited to the Northumberland area?

We as a school are trying to pull together to work something out but what is the government playing at (on either a local or national level) when situations like this arise!

JoyYamDaisy · Tue 26 Jun 12 1:11am

All power to you and the people you are working with Ruthtfs!

Grandmadamada · Tue 26 Jun 12 9:33am

crossed crossed crossed crossed when this happens it's a step back only thinking it, so be prepared to push with all your strenght in the opposite direction, warm fresh cooked food is like fuel for children, stay around and tell us what's happening next smile

mummza · Tue 26 Jun 12 10:01am

Welcome to the forum Ruthtfs smile

There are a few things here ..and these are questions that I would want wandering by the school LEA ( local education authority ) and the school governing body about the sadness that the school kitchen is closing.

What are the school going to be doing with the additional funding ?
How will they be spending the additional funding ?

What happens to the children from less privileged backgrounds that are entitled to free school meals ?

What will they be doing with the additional space where the dinner room used to be ?

Is there a sorce like another nearby school that cook school meals insure that can transport meals in for the children ?
For years the primary school that my children went to used to bring in meals and put them in a 'hot cupboard ' to keep them hot whilst they were waiting to serve. They eventually had a school kitchen built at the expense of a classroom.
Also another school , one I worked it , had a lot of building work and for a while bought in cooked from a nearby secondary school .

Also .. I find that it's sad that do many parents feel the need to go to work and rely on school meals as the main way of feeding their children instead of being able to stay at home and look after the children themselves after school and not being home to cook for them in the evenings .
This to me is as sad as the school kitchen closing as often many parents do not need to go out to work but do so to maintain the lifestyle they had before having children.
( sorry I know that will upset a few people it just how I feel )

Grandmadamada · Tue 26 Jun 12 10:51am

I often think the same mummz but I was born immediatly after WW2 oops

mummza · Tue 26 Jun 12 11:57am

thumbsup

Ruthtfs · Tue 26 Jun 12 6:05pm

Mumza, you've listed many of the questions we want answered! We are hoping to arrange an open meeting with the Governors and Parents to try to find the answers. In the meantime, I too find it sad that modern society advocates the return to work of parents as soon as their kids reach school age or before. I'm fortunate in that I have managed to sort out part time term time only work but know I'm really lucky to have done that. (but sadly not lucky enough to not have to work at all sad )

Will hopefully find out a bit more about it tonight but am gearing up for the good fight!!!

Ruthtfs · Tue 26 Jun 12 6:08pm

And another thing..... hmm One of the things that really grieves me about all this is that the school have adopted a healthy school policy and have been extremely good at implementing it, they have an allotment and school garden and a full quota of packed luch police (although undoubtedly they will now be too expensive to employ...)

Sorry for the mini rant!

@nGoose1 · Tue 26 Jun 12 8:47pm

Rants always welcome, I have to rant.
Basic humam rights, childrens school dinners! Are Worth ranting about.
Our school dinners were not amazing, but better than nuggets and twizlers, for sure.
Healthy diet is surely part of education. 200 kids is to small a number, what on earth? 200 kids without healthy food, thats a large number.
Keep on Fighting Ruthtfs.

Ninelivesmedia · Tue 03 Jul 12 11:59am

Hi Ruth - is it Corbridge school who have announced they're stopping hot meals?

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#1 Tue 26 Jun 12 12:45am

Ruthtfs

Primary School Is Stopping Providing School Meals

#2 Tue 26 Jun 12 1:11am

JoyYamDaisy

Re: Primary School Is Stopping Providing School Meals

#3 Tue 26 Jun 12 9:33am

Grandmadamada

Re: Primary School Is Stopping Providing School Meals

#4 Tue 26 Jun 12 10:01am

mummza

Re: Primary School Is Stopping Providing School Meals

#5 Tue 26 Jun 12 10:51am

Grandmadamada

Re: Primary School Is Stopping Providing School Meals

#6 Tue 26 Jun 12 11:57am

mummza

Re: Primary School Is Stopping Providing School Meals

#7 Tue 26 Jun 12 6:05pm

Ruthtfs

Re: Primary School Is Stopping Providing School Meals

#8 Tue 26 Jun 12 6:08pm

Ruthtfs

Re: Primary School Is Stopping Providing School Meals

#9 Tue 26 Jun 12 8:47pm

@nGoose1

Re: Primary School Is Stopping Providing School Meals

#10 Tue 03 Jul 12 11:59am

Ninelivesmedia

Re: Primary School Is Stopping Providing School Meals