Free child care

[Old Greg]

Pupil Premium is determined by how many pupils are registered for free school meals. Giving everyone a free school meal means that there is no incentive to register for free school meals. Which in turn means that there is a reduction in the amount of money that the school receives via pupil premium.

Tower Hamlets has been doing free school meals for primary places for a while, and one of the unintended consequences is that the PP money dropped off because there is no reason for the parent to register any more.

So, you either need to get parents to still register (which they won't), or you need a new metric to measure whether a pupil should receive the pupil premium money instead (which isn't a straightforward task).

Grabbed the headlines with little thought to the implementation - the story of many coalition policies to date.

The great news is that this proves a reduction in child poverty.

[vetran]

The great news is that this proves a reduction in child poverty.

Actually you may have hit the nail on the head there. I'm sure some Policy Wonker suggested that.

[eek]

Pupil Premium is determined by how many pupils are registered for free school meals. Giving everyone a free school meal means that there is no incentive to register for free school meals. Which in turn means that there is a reduction in the amount of money that the school receives via pupil premium.

Tower Hamlets has been doing free school meals for primary places for a while, and one of the unintended consequences is that the PP money dropped off because there is no reason for the parent to register any more.

So, you either need to get parents to still register (which they won't), or you need a new metric to measure whether a pupil should receive the pupil premium money instead (which isn't a straightforward task).

Grabbed the headlines with little thought to the implementation - the story of many coalition policies to date.

So you tell parents the truth. It is known in Durham that schools can get more money depending on your working status as it was an issue they needed to address when they were part of the trial run.

[lilelvis2000]

Oh yeah increase the labour pool and lower wages. then artificially raise them with a minimum wage law - which discourages employers from taking on staff. Yeah brainy move.

Though I'm biased as I'd prefer my wife stayed at home with the kids. It generally makes for happier kids, better behaved kids and happier families. And heck it lowers the labour pool and increases wages naturally.

What labour maybe could think about is lowering taxes for families with a stay-at-home parent. too simple perhaps?

[eek]

Oh yeah increase the labour pool and lower wages. then artificially raise them with a minimum wage law - which discourages employers from taking on staff. Yeah brainy move.

Though I'm biased as I'd prefer my wife stayed at home with the kids. It generally makes for happier kids, better behaved kids and happier families. And heck it lowers the labour pool and increases wages naturally.

What labour maybe could think about is lowering taxes for families with a stay-at-home parent. too simple perhaps?

They can't cut tax as they prefer to put money directly in people's pockets. Remember Family Credit....

[TheFaQQer]

So you tell parents the truth. It is known in Durham that schools can get more money depending on your working status as it was an issue they needed to address when they were part of the trial run.

That assumes that parents read what schools tell them, or bother to go to school meetings - big assumption in many parts of the country.

As I said, Tower Hamlets has been doing the free school meals thing, and noticed a drop in the number of people registering for FSM. If you are going to get the meal anyway, then why bother to apply for it (particularly if you have problems reading / writing in the first place)?

[Coalman]

Unfortunately without some sort of subsidised childcare then the result is only the rich & government funded can afford to have children. I personally would like to see more rounded childcare in schools (start at 7-8am and finish at 6-7pm so once the child goes to school mum can work full time) at a fair rate.

What about the child?
Most primary school kids are knackered after a few weeks of the current schedule!

Sorry if you are a parent but you don't come across as one.

[eek]

That assumes that parents read what schools tell them, or bother to go to school meetings - big assumption in many parts of the country.

As I said, Tower Hamlets has been doing the free school meals thing, and noticed a drop in the number of people registering for FSM. If you are going to get the meal anyway, then why bother to apply for it (particularly if you have problems reading / writing in the first place)?

If tower hamlets are too stupid not to use esc that is their look out.

In Durham the drop occurred the year after the trial finished 7288 claimed in 2010-11 (last year of trial), only 6867 claimed in 2011-12 after it stopped.

The reason and I've just chatted to a head involved people stopped claiming as children's friends went back to packed lunches leaving only the poorer children having them.

Many eligible people stop claiming as they didn't want the meals feeling their children would be stigmatised.

It really wouldn't surprise me if claims go up. Oh and once they've claimed the pupil premium stays for 6 years....

[TheFaQQer]

If tower hamlets are too stupid not to use esc that is their look out.

(I don't know what esc is, so can't comment on why it's not used)

If people don't see the point in claiming for something that they get anyway, then you can hardly blame the school or the authority. If the school appeal, beg, plead for them to sign up for something that they don't need to do, and they choose not to do it, then you can't blame the school or the authority.

So, when people don;t claim for something that they don't need, come next September, then who can you blame? The school for begging and being ignored by the parents, the authority for trying to explain it, or the government department that brought in a policy that delivered the problem?

In Durham the drop occurred the year after the trial finished 7288 claimed in 2010-11 (last year of trial), only 6867 claimed in 2011-12 after it stopped.

The reason and I've just chatted to a head involved people stopped claiming as children's friends went back to packed lunches leaving only the poorer children having them.

Many eligible people stop claiming as they didn't want the meals feeling their children would be stigmatised.

So, why not communicate that they should register for the free meal and not have it? Doesn't stigmatise anyone.

It really wouldn't surprise me if claims go up. Oh and once they've claimed the pupil premium stays for 6 years....

I can't see that parents will claim for something that they don't have to claim for. Particularly in areas where adult literacy are low.

[vetran]

What about the child?
Most primary school kids are knackered after a few weeks of the current schedule!

Sorry if you are a parent but you don't come across as one.

No not at lessons, after school clubs and day care for 4-5 year old plus.

The law does not set a minimum age at which children can be left alone. However, it is an offence to leave a child alone when doing so puts him or her at risk.

So reasonably you need childcare until 12-14.

Many schools provide a 'Gap club' which fills in the Gap between a half day primary or school end and 5pm.

The child is then minded by professional childcare teams, they enjoy play and afternoon sleeps(for near nursery age). Providing the same level of care as a professional day care but on school grounds, the price is less.

However the start is normally 8:50 and collect at 5pm. Which limits the jobs the mums can get, 3 days a week is fine with some employers if you can work full days.

I'm just proposing that they extend the school age care to 7-8am drop off and 6pm pickup. This is the area individual child minders currently fill with school 'drop off' and 'pick up'. The child minders sometimes charge a premium for this because it reduces their ability to earn with full time kids because of their 'ratio' (Kids to carers).

Also when term time only children become school age it becomes difficult to find care minders for them as the child minder only earns £8 - £16 a day(£4 an hour 2-4 hours) for that child which is a fifth of their earning potential or they charge while the kid is at school. Nurseries will rarely touch them for similar reasons or charge a half day say £20 - £30 to preserve the place, this tends to be only for nursery age as they don't want 8 year olds mixed with babies.

So when they go to school full time until they are 12 then you have a real problem with childcare. This obsession with just worrying about cute babies is only half the story. They are the profitable and easy ones.

I'm a parent, married to a child minder and friends with many child minders and child care professionals.

Not sure why you feel the need to accuse people of being ignorant because you don't understand
them. If you need an explanation please ask, it is only polite.