No such thing as a free lunch

vicisthebest · 13 Jun 2013 at 13:58

Freakbro said:
The bit I don't understand from the article is how the Parent said his 'credit' had run out

We use a system called ParentPay. I imagine this is what is being used by this school. It enables parents to pay for school dinners, uniform, trips etc, online so that not as much cash has to come through our school office. It is also more convenient for most parents.

Parents are asked to keep their school dinner account in credit (parents usually pay on a weekend/Monday for the week ahead, for example, or pay for the full half term at the beginning of the half term).

Obviously if the parents had forgotten to put any more money onto the system at the weekend, then on Monday the account would go into debit.

Schlong&Stable · 13 Jun 2013 at 14:01

TheVoice said:
Which them makes the kid potentially less productive and attentive for the rest of the day. It's not a nice thing to put a child through really.

I don't disagree, which is why their parents should have paid. If they fail, then it's no big deal that the child goes hungry for a few hours and is less productive and attentive, clearly it got their parents attention.

TheVoice · 13 Jun 2013 at 14:03

Thompson_NCL said:
I don't disagree, which is why their parents should have paid. If they fail, then it's no big deal that the child goes hungry for a few hours and is less productive and attentive, clearly it got their parents attention.

But you're still effectively punishing the child for the parent's mistake. That's what people have taken issue with.

bazaarboy · 13 Jun 2013 at 14:03

all this is actually a life lesson for the kid, shame the parents put him through it

Schlong&Stable · 13 Jun 2013 at 14:07

TheVoice said:
But you're still effectively punishing the child for the parent's mistake. That's what people have taken issue with.

I'm not sure being hungry for a few hours is worthy of the term 'punishment'. We're not automatons who must eat at specific times in order to function. A delayed lunch is not going to have any lasting effect, except perhaps the child learning the importance of paying on time.

Spangles · 13 Jun 2013 at 14:07

Kid should have boxing stanced the dinner lady instead of crying. Dinner ladies from hell 1 - 0 weepy child.

AJK · 13 Jun 2013 at 14:16

Thompson_NCL said:
I don't disagree, which is why their parents should have paid. If they fail, then it's no big deal that the child goes hungry for a few hours and is less productive and attentive, clearly it got their parents attention.

Thompson_NCL said:
I'm not sure being hungry for a few hours is worthy of the term 'punishment'. We're not automatons who must eat at specific times in order to function. A delayed lunch is not going to have any lasting effect, except perhaps the child learning the importance of paying on time.

Wow, that's a nice attitude.

Given that the kid (presumably) wasn't responsible for making his own payments, nor had access to the payment system to do so, how is he learning anything useful from this experience?

If the parents had forgotten to buy food for their own house, would you be advocating not bothering to feed their kid, because it'll teach him to buy his own dinner?

RDM · 13 Jun 2013 at 14:26

The school my daughter goes to operates a similar payment system but doesn't stop meals if the parents do not pay. What this means is that last year the school had to fund an additional £1,300 because of parents not paying for school lunches. That money comes from the school budget so is effectively less money to pay for education.

Schlong&Stable · 13 Jun 2013 at 14:28

Given that the kid (presumably) wasn't responsible for making his own payments, nor had access to the payment system to do so, how is he learning anything useful from this experience?

He's learning that not paying on time leads to feeling hungry, irrespective of whether he was responsible or not.

If the parents had forgotten to buy food for their own house, would you be advocating not bothering to feed their kid, because it'll teach him to buy his own dinner?

I'd put the child into care. If his parents are so irresponsible they forget to buy food, they don't deserve to be parents.

httk · 13 Jun 2013 at 14:37

Thompson_NCL said:
He's learning that not paying on time leads to feeling hungry, irrespective of whether he was responsible or not.

Yep, I agree. I think being upset/let down by your parents is bound to happen at some point. He might/should learn independence and resilience from this.

Practically speaking, what he has learned, is that if he or mummy/daddy do something wrong, then they should go crying to a sensationalist media in order to make themselves NOT look responsible for something they did wrong!

AJK · 13 Jun 2013 at 14:40

Thompson_NCL said:
I'd put the child into care. If his parents are so irresponsible they forget to buy food, they don't deserve to be parents.

Presumably putting the child into care would result in him being fed, right? So why is that different?

httk said:
Practically speaking, what he has learned, is that if he or mummy/daddy do something wrong, then they should go crying to a sensationalist media in order to make themselves NOT look responsible for something they did wrong!

And thus why they should just have fed him, then gone after the parents, a suitable method for which should (though probably doesn't, I acknowledge) exist.

httk · 13 Jun 2013 at 14:48

AJK said:
And thus why they should just have fed him, then gone after the parents, a suitable method for which should (though probably doesn't, I acknowledge) exist.

Yes, I accept that point, on principle they shouldn't have fed him, but in practice, they should've known it would kick up a fuss that would lead to them looking bad.

That said, if I was a parent in that area I would happily still send my kids there, knowing they were spending their budget on teachers rather than people's lunches!

Buckeyed · 13 Jun 2013 at 14:54

Thompson_NCL said:
I'd put the child into care. If his parents are so irresponsible they forget to buy food, they don't deserve to be parents.

What a ridiculous over reaction!

To be fair the father says that he wasn't notified, but the school say he was.. so who is to be believed? I once was informed of a non-payment for a meal by a note being sent home with my son - As with most notes I only found it when clearing out his bag at the weekend. (BTW, my debt was due to a school meal I didn't know about as my son spilt his packed lunch on the floor).