PARENTS SKIPPING MEALS TO FEED KIDS AMID FREE SCHOOL DINNERS CHAOS
PARENTS are skipping meals to feed their children amid the free school dinners chaos.
A North East Lincolnshire councillor has called the confusion over provision shocking and said the debacle is putting children’s health and education at risk.
Images of some of the paltry hampers handed out to some of the most vulnerable families in the country made national headlines on Tuesday and many examples from our area were shared on social media. Debbie Rodwell, Labour councillor for Sidney Sussex ward, said she had been contacted by many parents worried about what had been provided and others who had received nothing at all.
Cllr Rodwell said: “I’ll be honest, I would have said I was shocked but nothing shocks me about the way these sorts of things have been dealt with throughout the pandemic. “I think the thing that did actually shock me this time was after getting the feedback from people within the ward, there are so many people in so many situations it is confusing, some are OK, some have been given very little and some have received nothing at all.
“There are people out there eligible for help that have been given nothing and that is going to seriously affect the education of the children.” One such parent is Garry, whose six-year-old son attends Queen Mary Avenue Infant and Nursery School in Cleethorpes. He hasn’t yet received any help from the school who had told him to wait for more information this week.
He said: “I am struggling a bit, I’m making sure that there is food on the table for my lad but it means that sometimes I’m having to skip a meal here and there.
“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I’m in the worst situation and I don’t want to seem ungrateful for the help we have been given, there are some families out there who having nothing who will be really struggling.
“It isn’t helping when I’m having to battle low energy myself, I’ve got a health condition so not eating well is probably affecting me quite a bit. “It isn’t just for myself though that
I want the help to come, it is for my son, for his schooling and for the other families that are right at the brink.”
The Telegraph contacted Queen Mary Avenue Infant and Nursery School who confirmed that as they were waiting for Department for Education guidance on food vouchers rather than the controversial hampers, hence the delay. Parents of children at the school waiting for their allocation under free school meals will be contacted in the coming days about the vouchers.