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Labour consider ending free school meals for infants and free period products (www.thenational.scot)

submitted 6 days ago by flamingos@feddit.uk to c/uk_politics@feddit.uk

18 comments fedilink hide all child comments

THE UK Government's Education Secretary has suggested cutting school spending by £500 million and ending universal free meals for infants in England ahead of the Spring Statement.

Bridget Phillipson has also offered to axe funding for free period products in schools as well as dance, music and PE schemes as part of potential savings.

The controversial proposals are part of a package of measures being put forward by Phillipson as the Treasury prepares for Wednesday's spending review, with reports Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to announce £1.5 billion in cuts to the civil service budget.
[…]
Government sources said Phillipson had suggested making it means-tested instead, as free school meals for older children already are.

Education is devolved in Scotland – all pupils in primary one to five receive free school meals, as well as those in P6 and P7 who receive the Scottish Child Payment.

Other suggestions from Phillipson included ending the provision of free period products to girls and women in schools, stopping the junior ISA for children in care and ending the subsidy that provides some parents with wrap-around childcare.

Bridget Phillipson Insiders told The Times that some of the measures had been presented as potential cuts because they would be too politically difficult to get rid of.

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[–] CptCosmicMoron@lemmy.ca 31 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Hey infants, fuck you for being born poor, and girls, fuck you for being born female. Ooh, and fuck all of you for wanting physical health, and joy in arts.

that's the real message

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I think they're removing free school meals for those who can afford it, as P1-5 seem to all get them. Which is how it works in the rest of the UK. You only get them if you need them (the criteria from my experience has been quite wide, there was a time I was eligible for it but my mum didn't feel like it was the morally right thing to do because we could actually afford it)

However removing the free period products is disgusting

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 11 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

for those who can afford it,

Yeah 2 issues with this.

Free school meals was not restarted as a fiscal support measure. It was designed to help ensure children get at least one healthy meal a day. Unfortunatly having an income in no way ensures parents know how to provide healthy nutrition. Infants being the age where healthy growth is most dependent on such things.

Second while above is true. It is also far from unheard of for young inexperienced parents to be above poverty income wise but suffer debt issues etc.

Old farts like me. Remember news of research from the 1950s to 80s, when all under 10yo children were given free meals at schools. Then this was cancelled in the 80s by thatcher. It was learned that the number of children not having a healthy meal in a day increased. This lead to nutrition issues and health issues in a sizable number of children treated by the NHS.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 2 points 6 days ago

That's a good observation, actually.