One in four pupils are registered for free school meals. The family needs to be on one of various benefits or Universal Credit with a post-tax income (excluding benefits) of less than £7,400. No getting away from it: we’re a rich country full of poor families. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... - ThreadSky

jowolff.bsky.social • 153 days ago

One in four pupils are registered for free school meals. The family needs to be on one of various benefits or Universal Credit with a post-tax income (excluding benefits) of less than £7,400.

No getting away from it: we’re a rich country full of poor families.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8egkp8y90o

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buckmeister.bsky.social•153 days ago

Hasn't there been an increase of 700,000 children living in relative poverty since 2010?

jowolff.bsky.social•153 days ago

I don’t know exact figure offhand but I’ve seen reports of something like that, I think.

michaelt1979.bsky.social•153 days ago

The percentage is raised by a long-standing transitional arrangement where families stay in FSM for some time after becoming ineligible - if/when that transition arrangement ends, there's a risk we see many kids going hungry all of a sudden!

jowolff.bsky.social•153 days ago

Fair enough. The figure seemed very high to me. But even so, it shows something very significant.

michaelt1979.bsky.social•153 days ago

Oh indeed. It's both frighteningly high, and worrying that the threshold is now so demanding. It means we have the oddity of some families eligible for six years because of a lean few weeks, and others ineligible despite being constantly hand-to-mouth.

notthatdoctor.bsky.social•153 days ago

£7400 would not even cover my rent for a year, and my rent isn't particularly high compared to others.

The fact that families are expected to survive on £7400 a year is a disgrace, and clearly shows we need better safety nets in this country for those that are less well off.

notthatdoctor.bsky.social•153 days ago

MPs get to enjoy their subsidised fine dining in the Commons, I don't think it is unreasonable to say that all pupils in state school should get a free lunch. Hunger is not conducive to learning, feeding children will improve educational outcomes and would pay for itself in the long term.

stuhennigan.bsky.social•153 days ago

You probs know this Jo but i wrote a book about it....

jowolff.bsky.social•153 days ago

I have it, though not yet read it. One day …

stuhennigan.bsky.social•153 days ago

There's some edited extracts here. Don't forget your blood pressure pills 🤪

https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/society/38718/the-idea-of-children-in-this-country-starving-seems-absurd

timmorton2.bsky.social•153 days ago

He did, turns out there were and are desperate people before and after lockdown

nowthenthee.bsky.social•153 days ago

Returning to interwar levels of insecurity for an increasing proportion of the country.

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