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Debate: should all kids get free school meals?

12 September 2008

According to the media we are in the midst of an obesity crisis? All the school playing fields have been sold, and our kids seem to live on junk food.

What is the answer to this?

  • Should all kids be entitled to nutrionally balanced school dinners?
  • Or should school dinners only be available to children who really need them?
  • Is this an issue that affects you?
  • Would free school meals really make a difference?

 

Have your say, and debate the issue here on PCS comment, and a selection of the best comments will be published in View, the monthly magazine for PCS members.

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  1. Free school meals for all is a waste of money

    13 March 2010

    Having been a teacher for 31 years and having seen the waste of food by those entitled to free meals already, I cannot see a universal entitlement being an improvement somehow. School meals are an anachronism based upon events over 70 years ago and do nothing to educate the eating habits of the young. The fault lies partly in the home where parents allow too much choice with little guidance and this is fuelled by either low incomes dictating 'cheap' foods or by parents with less time to bother about balanced meals because of excessive work demands. Another key ingredient in the mix is the mass of advertising aimed at young people (although Im sure the advertisers would deny it), making 'fast food' the fashionable thing to eat. The other factor is precisely what I am doing now - the use of I.T. in the home with excessive time spent in sedentary activities on facebook, games consoles etc. Somehow we have a mindset that schools have to educate everybody about everything but I know that if the school says it is wrong or advocates something as right, then the young will probably do the opposite. The real problem lies at home where they have their most important formative years. Give more time to family and family values and try to end the legacy of Thatchers generation - all for me and who cares about anyone else!

    Richard Sullivan
    VOLUNTARY EUTHANASIA

    23 October 2008

    I have a legal living will which says that if I am in a situation where I can no longer support my own life all i want is palitive care (pain medication) I don't want to be force fed, and if the Drs need a decision to switch off the machine I have already made the decision. I worked in Mental Health Care for 7 years and I have seen too much suffering. When I was 17 I sat and watched an old woman slowly suffering over weeks until eventually she passed away. What sort of quality of life is that for her and her family. Do I think euthanasia should be legal? YES! What happened to freedom of choice in this country?

    ANDREW JENKINS
    Whose responsibility is this?

    2 October 2008

    It should not be up to the schools to educate children into healthy eating. This is the parents' responsibility!! How many children eat a healthy lunch even if put in front of them? what a waste of taxpayers' money! Why not educate the parents into being able to provide these healthy meals in the home instead? How many parents automatically sit their children down to pizza or burgers? I disagree with the young mother who believes she cannot buy a week's shopping for £60. What is she buying? Pre-formed ready foods such as Cheesestrings and Dippers, which cost a lot of money for very little nutrition? There is a whole range now of very expensive packaged snacks marketed as lunchbox fare. Of course this is going to be costly! If parents returned to home preparation, the cost would immediately be halved and the children's appetites would be more satisfied. I have lived for ten months on £50 a week total yet have never gone hungry as I bought sensible nutritious foods. This is possible fo

    Marie Tassie
    this government is a disgrace

    1 October 2008

    they say make sure your children are fed good nutricious, healthy food, well Mr Brown if you paid us more money and the cost of living wasn't so high then people might be able to eat healthy. I could go to Tesco and get my weekly shop for about £60 and that was a good shop with lots of fresh produce, now I can't even go to Tesco and get 3 days worth of shopping which includes packed lunches for £60 let alone for a week and guess what I'm not going back years ago either as I'm a 27 year old mum of two with a baby on the way who works full time for tuppence. If you ask me this is the new third world country.

    kelly dwp
    NO WAY

    29 September 2008

    How can we expect to end child poverty by diverting public funds that are already stretched to feeding of children. Both me and my wife have public servant jobs and have two children and sometimes my kids eat turkey twizzlers and believe it or not, im concerned about both the environment and farming and how low cost eating affects this and mr oliver and his stuck up ways can go and twizzle!

    DUNCAN HILTON
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