These Parents Say They Can Only Afford One School Meal A Week

[naomi24]

Parents of an eight year old, the mother as far as I can tell, doesn't work, and the father is a self-employed wholesaler. Along with other items for sale, he buys mainly fruit and vegetables in bulk before selling them on - but there is a limit to what small local shops are prepared to pay, so as costs rise his profits decrease.

My advice to him would be to abandon the one man band and get a job - and what's wrong with the child taking a packed lunch to school every day and having a cooked meal at home in the evening? The one school meal she does have is pizza and chips on a Friday, so hardly imperative for the benefit of her health. I find it very difficult indeed to sympathise with this family. What say you?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-63756634

[Untitled]

i say you're being extremely judgemental based on very limited information

[Tilly2]

If the father is a fruit and vegetable wholesaler, the family will not be starving.

[naomi24]

The information isn't limited. The father's business isn't generating enough income.

[barry1010]

She does take a packed lunch: ".....sometimes Alishah does not eat her packed lunch of cold leftovers."

I agree they both need to find employment.

[naomi24]

She has school dinners one day a week, berry.

[pastafreak]

I'd say it's obvious from the article that it is not just this child and her family who struggle. It's stated that others are cutting back on school dinners, and lunches brought from home are frequently inadequate. Yes, the father could change jobs...but are there any in deprived areas? Is the advice to change jobs applicable to all who struggle?

[naomi24]

Pasta, the head of the school says that many children bring packed lunches that consist of cold restaurant food - presumably last night's takeaway - so not an inexpensive option as evening meals go. That's why their lunches are inadequate.

[barry1010]

Don't assume the restaurant meal leftovers are due to the parents splurging on takeaways. There are a lot of 'curry houses' in Bradford and the staff can take the leftovers home. Also, many restaurants participate in schemes that allow people to buy the leftover meals very cheaply, although they don't know what they will get for their £3 or so.

Bradford may be one of the more deprived areas but there are huge warehouses that are always looking for staff, driving jobs, care jobs. There are also a lot of call centres in that area.

Leeds is not so deprived and is less than 12 miles away and is easily reached by public transport.

[nero2024]

have you travelled by public transport . the cost of this has risen above all sense,

[bednobs]

i'm not entirely sure what the point of the story is, and TBH, BBC could have picked a better case study than this family, who even themselves admit they are managing.
In my experience, schools are pretty hot on the lunchbox 'issue' and have been for at least the last 15 years (even my 10yo's nursery used to send out missives nearly every week about what to send in snack wise and food-wise).

[bednobs]

^^^ i meant to add they could have picked a better case study if the aim of the article was to show how people are struggling

[bednobs]

although looking at it again it's tagged as "young reporter" so perhaps it's just an exercise in empowering children and young people to have a say, rather than social commentary

[davebro]

I was decorating my newly-acquired bungalow with help from my friend Susan. The phone rang and & the caller said "Hi Dave - is Susan there?" I handed the phone to Susan, but it was a wrong number!

(Having just moved in almost no one knew my phone number anyway.)

[davebro]

^^^ Ooops, wrong thread!

[jno]

the mother as far as I can tell, doesn't work

actually it doesn't say, so you've just filled in the gap with your own assumptions.

[naomi24]

I said as far as I can tell, jno.

[mushroom25]

// have you travelled by public transport . the cost of this has risen above all sense //

in West Yorkshire, fares have been capped.

https://www.wymetro.com/corporate/news/releases/mayor-reveals-plans-to-slash-west-yorkshire-bus-fares-and-invest-in-new-routes/

[Untitled]

they say that they are just about managing so presumably the father's business was making enough before the current crisis hit...

do we know whether or not shutting down his business would be financially better than taking a minimum wage or zero-hours job?

[piggynose]

11.23, isn't 10 a little old for nursery?

[youngmafbog]

Well you all wanted lockdowns and support Net Zero, so here you are.

The chickens have come home to roost.