Quote:
Originally Posted by hedman2003
I've recently been on a course with colleagues who work for the school meals service who came up with an interesting suggestion regarding scrapping or reducing child benefit but providing all school age pupils with a "free" school dinner.
The argument was that it would ensure all children received at least one hot nutritional meal per day as many of the kids did not have breakfast and sometimes their tea was very limited in terms of nutritional value.
It would also provide employment opportuniities for parents working in the school kitchens and increasing the working population
It would increase the social skills of pupils sitting down with their peers and using a knife and fork which they dont do at home
It would ensure that the child benefit was used positively and for the benefit of the child
It seemed a really good idea to me and I couldn't immediatly think of any major negatives
any thoughts?
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thanks for all your feedback. the intention would not be to make anybody worse off but simply that an element of the child benefit say £8.75 (the weekly cost of a school meal) would be deducted from child benefit for parents who have to pay. Parents in receipt of free school meals would have no reduction in their child benefit. All school age pupils would have a nutritious meal at lunchtime.
Several respondents are seeing the bigger picture regarding creation of part time jobs for parents, greater income would create better menus and varieity.