[daniel_williams]

Free School Meals Bill, Socialist

Free School Meals Bill

BE IT ENACTED by The Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, in accordance with the provisions of the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-

Free School Meal Act

1a/ Healthy meals shall be provided to students in every state school, free of charge, at lunchtime.

b/ Meals will be available to primary aged children immediately after the passing of this bill; to children aged 11-16 two years after the passing of this legislation; and to sixth form students four years after the passing of this legislation.

c/ Free school meals will include a main course and a healthy dessert, such as fresh fruit.

d/ The menus for free school meals will be developed in consultation with NGOs, in order to ensure that school meals provide a balanced diet.

e/ Vegetarian and vegan options will be available every day. Similarly, all allergies must be catered for.

f/ Schools will receive additional funding to cover the costs of meeting this provision.



2a/ State schools will be compelled to run daily ‘breakfast clubs’ for all students aged 3-11 before school starts. ‘Breakfast clubs’ will provide a nutritional and healthy breakfast.

b/ The menus for ‘breakfast clubs’ will be developed in consultation with NGOs, in order to ensure that a nutritional and healthy meal is provided.

c/ Vegetarian and vegan options will be available every day. Similarly, all allergies must be catered for.

d/ Attendance to breakfast clubs must be optional for all students.

e/ Schools will receive additional funding to cover the costs of meeting this provision, and staff will be paid for extra hours worked as a result of the ‘breakfast clubs’.


3/ Both the the free lunches and the breakfast clubs shall be optional for all students/guardians. They will be required to indicate at the start of each term whether they will require the meals.

[oriel historian]

Because of sections 2 and 3, I cannot bring myself to vote for this even if it's a socialist bill.

[Kyalimers]

I raised concerns about this Bill, none of which were addressed nor discussed. Appalled by this Bill. The socialists have work to do if they're to pass a Bill.

[paperclip]

(Original post by oriel historian)
Because of sections 2 and 3, I cannot bring myself to vote for this even if it's a socialist bill.

So you don't agree with them being optional and the breakfast clubs idea?
The latter i understand, but the former i don't

[oriel historian]

(Original post by paperclip)
So you don't agree with them being optional and the breakfast clubs idea?
The latter i understand, but the former i don't

No I disagree with the forcing of people to make a choice at the beginning of a term. What if circumstances change in the middle of term and you suddenly need the free school meals?

Stop trying to paint me as an idiot; I assure you I'm not.

[paperclip]

(Original post by oriel historian)
No I disagree with the forcing of people to make a choice at the beginning of a term. What if circumstances change in the middle of term and you suddenly need the free school meals?

Stop trying to paint me as an idiot; I assure you I'm not.

I didn't mean to paint you as an idiot, was just a bit slow on new years day i suppose

Come to think of it i agree with you, but it doesn't justify voting against the bill as if you vote against then the people whose circumstances change in the middle of the term so they need free meals won't get meals at all.

[oriel historian]

(Original post by paperclip)
I didn't mean to paint you as an idiot, was just a bit slow on new years day i suppose

Come to think of it i agree with you, but it doesn't justify voting against the bill as if you vote against then the people whose circumstances change in the middle of the term so they need free meals won't get meals at all.

That's where you're quite wrong. Those whose families find themselves on income support are automatically entitled to free school meals under the current system.

[Nothos]

Dare I say it, I agree with Oriel on the matter

[paperclip]

(Original post by oriel historian)
That's where you're quite wrong. Those whose families find themselves on income support are automatically entitled to free school meals under the current system.

Being one of those people, i knew that.
But i had a fairy decent illustration in the other thread, below half the median income (£11,000 PA) is classed as absolute poverty, and will activate most benefits, but working people can still be poor. If you earn £12,000 you'll have around £220 PW (you'd get child tax credits and benefits so figures slightly higher, say £250-300) which isn't enough to feed a family of 4 well on when taking into account rent, utility bills, etc.

[oriel historian]

(Original post by paperclip)
Being one of those people, i knew that.
But i had a fairy decent illustration in the other thread, below half the median income (£11,000 PA) is classed as absolute poverty, and will activate most benefits, but working people can still be poor. If you earn £12,000 you'll have around £220 PW (you'd get child tax credits and benefits so figures slightly higher, say £250-300) which isn't enough to feed a family of 4 well on when taking into account rent, utility bills, etc.

Yes, being one of those "working families" which falls under those 'categories' I know that well enough as well. The point is, kids don't need some poncy middle class breakfast club, they need a better standard of living. This is a really bad solution to the problem of poverty and poor eating.

[paperclip]

(Original post by oriel historian)
Yes, being one of those "working families" which falls under those 'categories' I know that well enough as well. The point is, kids don't need some poncy middle class breakfast club, they need a better standard of living. This is a really bad solution to the problem of poverty and poor eating.

The breakfast club not only encourages healthy eating but helps working parents who need to leave their kids early in the morning to go to work. It isn't an ideal solution, a nice cooked breakfast would be better but it not only provides a nutritious meal but helps with childcare costs.

Plus, from a psychological perspective it also increases the sociability of the Children, and, hopefully will encourage them to cooperate with their peers.

[oriel historian]

(Original post by paperclip)
The breakfast club not only encourages healthy eating but helps working parents who need to leave their kids early in the morning to go to work. It isn't an ideal solution, a nice cooked breakfast would be better but it not only provides a nutritious meal but helps with childcare costs.

Plus, from a psychological perspective it also increases the sociability of the Children, and, hopefully will encourage them to cooperate with their peers.

Oh please. Don't spin psychological crap at me. Working class families have been "struggling" for generations and breakfast clubs are not a solution of any form.

I don't see why it's so difficult to understand?

[paperclip]

(Original post by oriel historian)
Oh please. Don't spin psychological crap at me. Working class families have been "struggling" for generations and breakfast clubs are not a solution of any form.

I don't see why it's so difficult to understand?

I'm glad we have a mutual respect for eachothers degrees. There is numerous amounts of research on daycare and the such but i won't go into it.

But if nothing, then it'll make (healthy) eating cheaper for everyone.

[oriel historian]

(Original post by paperclip)
I'm glad we have a mutual respect for eachothers degrees. There is numerous amounts of research on daycare and the such but i won't go into it.

I'm sure there is; doesn't make it any less crap.

(Original post by paperclip)
But if nothing, then it'll make (healthy) eating cheaper for everyone.

Will it? Giving every household a toaster and a lifetime's subscription to hovis is just as good. Why don't we do that?

[paperclip]

(Original post by oriel historian)
Will it? Giving every household a toaster and a lifetime's subscription to hovis is just as good. Why don't we do that?

Hardly. Too much fibre can be a bad thing too, these meals are guaranteed to be healthy.

Free meals on wheels and we'll get taking

EDIT: Oh and i'm gonna ignore your criticisms of psychology. I have lost a lot of respect for you though.

[Metrobeans]

The idea of giving all students a healthy lunch is something I'm sure everyone in the house supports, but the way you have chosen to implement this is wrong. The bill achieves its aim of providing the meals, but wastes a large amount of money by providing these meals to people who can easily afford them. I presume you're trying to convert people from packed lunches to school dinners by making them free for all, but I'm not convinced, especially if students are eating packed lunches because they don't like the taste of school meals.

After discussing this with Michael and coming up with an idea that in hindsight is probably unworkable, I came up with another idea which may be similarly unworkable as it was at 4:41am and I was slightly inebriated. In addition to making the meals nutritionally balanced, introducing salad boxes or health packs provided free to everyone entitled to free school meals and heavily subsidised for everyone else would have been nice. This scheme was trialled at my high school and proved a hit. The boxes were always sold out towards the end of the lunch hour and everyone was seen eating them.

It also would have been nice to have seen some clarification as to what you mean by healthy meals. You start by saying that "Healthy meals shall be provided..." but then go on to say "...in order to ensure that school meals provide a balanced diet." Healthy meals and a balanced diet are not the same thing. Cake (in general) isn't healthy but can be eaten as part of a balanced diet. I really wish this bill had gone to a second reading as some of these questions and suggestions could have been discussed and maybe we'd have got a bill that really works. I find myself unable to vote for this bill in its current state.

[oriel historian]

(Original post by paperclip)
EDIT: Oh and i'm gonna ignore your criticisms of psychology. I have lost a lot of respect for you though.

Why? Because I don't like psychology? Oh well, if that's how you wanna play it...

[paperclip]

(Original post by oriel historian)
Why? Because I don't like psychology? Oh well, if that's how you wanna play it...

There's a difference between not liking a subject and calling it a doss.

Also, the arugment for/against daycare facilities is a very real one which had quite a large impact on the American system (and from what i've heard, the Swedish one too).

Do you dislike ex polys too?

[oriel historian]

(Original post by paperclip)
There's a difference between not liking a subject and calling it a doss.

Precisely, which is why I did no such thing.

(Original post by paperclip)
Do you dislike ex polys too?

What, if anything, has that got to do with it?

[paperclip]

(Original post by oriel historian)
Precisely, which is why I did no such thing.

(Original post by oriel historian)
Oh please. Don't spin psychological crap at me.

What, if anything, has that got to do with it?

Just wanted to see how snobby you were, but do forget it because this is gonna end up like the arguments between yourself and Grape too, may as well just end it here.