Hull heads 'have helped cut school dinner prices'

“It could impact on pupil premium payments because schools only receive pupil premium for children claiming free school meals. If the cost of meals is low enough parents, many of whom find it embarassing to be claiming, may decide they can pay it and not claim free school meals. Schools generally have many more children eligible for free meals than actually claim.”

“Colin Inglis my two daughters' school has nearly 400 pupils with only 25 eligible for free school meals. The pupil premium is approximately £500. This means that the school only receives £12,500 in pupil premium funding.

If three quarters of the children at the school have a hot meal the school will be paying 300 times 30p per school day. As a school year is 190 days long this equates to £17,100 coming from the school's budget. A shortfall of £4,600 if the pupil premium was used only to save the council money.

I would suggest that you read up on the pupil premium and what it is meant to be used for.

For a politician to suggest that schools are using it to pay bonuses to staff is a bit like the pot calling the kettle!

I am a little concerned that politicians seem to think that the children in receipt of free school meals are not receiving adequate meals at home. If this is the case employ more social workers and send them round to every unemployed household (with children) at mealtimes and see what they find to be true. There are not many households on the estate where I work that don't have large televisions, games consoles and Sky TV, although being unemployed or in so called poverty, so I am sure that 30p per day on their child's meal would only mean 30p less on sweets.”

“The schools in the east riding are controlled by the council menu, it is the council that decide the price not the school. If the school chooses to opt out of this they then have to maintain their own kitchen and all repairs. which can be very costly for the school.”

“"The correct facts" as I understand them are as reported by the quoted Portfolio-holder, ie the Headteachers agreed to an initial reduction from £1.30 to £1.00 after originally supporting the increase to £1.60 planned by the previous administration. However, they refused to accept the planned further decrease to 60p, despite this being funded centrally by the Council, as was the accepted 30p decrease and part of the election promises made by the Labour Group.
The excuse given to Councillors for their non-co-operation was their concern that it would impact on their Pupil Premium payments, quite how that would work when the relevant figures are for those eligible and claiming free school meals is a mystery. The argument seems entirely illogical.
The suspicion has to be that the £1 million of central funding set aside for this, they would preferably have spent on other things in their schools, performance bonuses anyone?! Such desires however, have not come to pass, the funding was only available for the meal price reduction and was never simply to be passported to schools to spend as their Heads and Governors wished. The cash has now been removed from the Education budget altogether, a very poor decision on the part of schools which merely penalises their parents.”

“Hull is awash with money in education the east riding is starved of funding being the 8th worst funded LA in the country. Outside Hull schools cant afford to subsidise school meals.”

“@David Nivea. We are not unhappy at the quality of food, they are served hot healthy meals. And like Angel86, I like my children to have hot meals at school, especially during the colder months. I do often send them with pack-ups instead, especially if I don't have enough money left over for hot dinners for both of them everyday. It gets very expensive.

Why can't the prices of hot meals be in-line with Hull? It's a bit unfair, don't you think?”

“Not all head teachers. My daughters head teacher certainly didn't judge by the letter we all received after the change was implemented!”

“* continues to rise even!”

“I choose school meals because I want my Daughter to have a hot meal at least once a day, and because I work and have less time to prepare a packed lunch. I think we're going to have to go with the packed lunches if the cost remains to rise (they have risen by either 15 or 20p per day in the time my Daugher has attended the school, the last 3 years). When we have another child attending shool, £4.20 per day or £21.00 per week is more than we, or most other parents can or should have to afford.”

“@Angel86 & loubylou16: £2/£2.10 a day to feed a kid one meal?

What are they eating? Caviar fingers?

I can feed myself for a week for well under £10.

Also, why not provide packing-up if you are unhappy with what the school serves?”