Cleggs school meals plan in chaos: Failure to take into account cost of upgrading kitchens means thousands may have to eat cold packed lunches in classrooms Former Lib Dem minister slams back of a fag packet accounting Government sources say Clegg failed to account for upgrading kitchens Now ministers forced to concede that some children will get cold lunches By JAMES CHAPMAN PUBLISHED: 00:46, 30 January 2014 | UPDATED: 00:48, 30 January 2014 186 shares 44View comments +2 Bold scheme: But Nick Cleggs plan to offer free school meals to all young state school children is in chaos, Government sources have said Nick Clegg’s flagship plan to extend free school meals to all young state school children is in chaos – with thousands likely to have to eat cold packed lunches in classrooms, according to Government sources. The Deputy Prime Minister announced at the last Liberal Democrat conference that all children between the ages of five and seven would qualify for the free meals from September 2014. But even some colleagues concede that the £785 million scheme was dreamt up ‘on the back of a fag packet’ and its funding is now in turmoil. Sources at the Department for Education say Mr Clegg failed to take into account the cost of upgrading kitchen facilities to meet the demand, forcing the Government to offer £150million to pay for the building work. But the rush to introduce the new entitlement before the 2015 general election means that there is no time to determine which schools and local authorities genuinely need cash. So councils such as Durham and Newham in East London, which have already upgraded their school facilities, will get extra funding while others which say they need more assistance will not get it. Though initially the Government pledged a ‘hot, nutritious meal’ for all children in reception and years one and two, ministers have also now accepted that not all schools have the space to provide one. Cold packed lunches eaten at classroom desks will also qualify, since many schools do not have dedicated dining rooms and use gyms and school halls to serve lunch. Heads say space used for teaching and activities cannot be turned over for extended lunchtimes accommodating many more students. Sir Nick Harvey, a former Lib Dem defence minister, said: ‘It’s no great surprise that these practical reasons have arisen given that the whole policy appears to have been dreamt up overnight and sketched out on the back of a fag packet. It sounds as if the meals are going to be as half-baked as the policy.’ More... Hundreds of Syrians to be given refuge in Britain after Clegg brokers deal for the most vulnerable victims of civil war Underprivileged pupils fall FURTHER behind despite Nick Cleggs flagship education policy to narrow gap between rich and poor youngsters Read more: dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2548429/Cleggs-school-meals-plan-chaos-Failure-account-cost-upgrading-kitchens-means-thousands-eat-cold-packed-lunches-classrooms.html#ixzz31O8y3vL5 Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Posted on: Sun, 11 May 2014 07:07:32 +0000
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