Darlington College free meals protest (From Darlington and Stockton Times)
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Darlington College free meals protest
8:00am Saturday 28th April 2012 in News
By David Roberts, Chief Reporter (Darlington)
STUDENTS in further education colleges have said they are being served up a raw deal when it comes to free meals.
Young people from Darlington College have called on the Government to address the inequalities in the free meal system.
Students from low-income families who attend further education facilities, such as sixth form colleges and technical colleges, do not receive free school meals, while their counterparts who attend schools with sixth forms attached are entitled to them.
Yesterday, the students at Darlington passed on their concerns to local MP Jenny Chapman.
Ryan Gaze, 18, from Leyburn, North Yorkshire, said subsidising school meals to the tune of £2 a day could make a big difference for students from low-income families.
He said: “We feel strongly about this.
“We should be allowed the same privileges as people in schools.
“It’s perfectly reasonable that people doing the same courses but in different places should get the same privileges.
“With the loss of the Education Maintenance Allowance, coming to college can be a struggle for some people, especially along with bus fares. This is a basic right.”
College principal Tim Grant said he was aware that some of his students were undernourished as a result of being unable to afford proper lunches.
He said: “The same issues that affect young people who are getting free meals at school affect young people that are here.
“Less well-off families are struggling with transport costs and struggling to support young people in education.
“From our point of view, my teachers struggle when young people can’t concentrate because they’re hungry.
“This year, we’ve had a number of people who we have noticed have been undernourished.”
Mrs Chapman said: “The young people are making a very strong case.
“It’s something that the Government needs to look at.
“My concern is that, because of the lack of financial support, young people will fall out of education earlier in their lives than they would otherwise.”
A spokeswoman for the Department for Education said: “We do recognise that this is a concern, but we are looking closely into the situation.
“In a tough financial climate, difficult decisions always have to be made.”
Comments(12)
antagonist1
says...
6:16pm Sat 28 Apr 12
but they get enough money from some place for fags, and booze on a weekend !
Fossildog
says...
6:16pm Sat 28 Apr 12
College students today seem to think that a good quality free education is not enough, they need to be pampered and fed before they deign to study. How many of the poor deprived youngsters who cant feed themselves have iPhones?
Homshaw1
says...
6:21pm Sat 28 Apr 12
Many parents work and they have difficulty getting the children to and from school and for children travelling alone there are safety issues
The parent I spoke to had a child at Carmel.
This would worry me more if I were a parent
stevegg
says...
6:26pm Sat 28 Apr 12
antagonist1 wrote:True. Why cant they take in a packed lunch like I used to do?
awwww, the poor things !
but they get enough money from some place for fags, and booze on a weekend !
Fossildog
says...
6:31pm Sat 28 Apr 12
Homshaw1 wrote:What a load of tosh. What safety issues are there? We are talking young adults here, not primary school children.
I was speaking to someone who said the school buses were being withdrawn for pupils who do not receive benefits or working tax credits and even if the parents were prepared to pay the children would not be allowed to use them.
Many parents work and they have difficulty getting the children to and from school and for children travelling alone there are safety issues
The parent I spoke to had a child at Carmel.
This would worry me more if I were a parent
spragger
says...
7:02pm Sat 28 Apr 12
These same people who wish to spend other peoples money on THEIR kids food can be seeing buying National Stealth Tax tickets, Scratch Cards, Booze, Fags, DVD's & Hello Mag.
Its all a matter of priority but if you can get someone else to pay .. .
Homshaw1
says...
10:20am Sun 29 Apr 12
Fossildog wrote:11 & 12 year old are young adults and safe to find their way home on dark evenings!
Homshaw1 wrote:What a load of tosh. What safety issues are there? We are talking young adults here, not primary school children.
I was speaking to someone who said the school buses were being withdrawn for pupils who do not receive benefits or working tax credits and even if the parents were prepared to pay the children would not be allowed to use them.
Many parents work and they have difficulty getting the children to and from school and for children travelling alone there are safety issues
The parent I spoke to had a child at Carmel.
This would worry me more if I were a parent
Hope you are not responsible for any children
castlecreator
says...
11:47am Sun 29 Apr 12
Equal rights for all!
Fossildog
says...
1:34pm Sun 29 Apr 12
Homshaw1 wrote:The story is about 18 year old college students. They are more than capable of getting home safely without mummy or Daddy picking them up. Not sure where bus transport for 12 year olds has come from, are you reading the correct story?
Fossildog wrote:11 & 12 year old are young adults and safe to find their way home on dark evenings!
Homshaw1 wrote:What a load of tosh. What safety issues are there? We are talking young adults here, not primary school children.
I was speaking to someone who said the school buses were being withdrawn for pupils who do not receive benefits or working tax credits and even if the parents were prepared to pay the children would not be allowed to use them.
Many parents work and they have difficulty getting the children to and from school and for children travelling alone there are safety issues
The parent I spoke to had a child at Carmel.
This would worry me more if I were a parent
Hope you are not responsible for any children
Homshaw1
says...
5:13pm Sun 29 Apr 12
Fossildog wrote:I simply said there was more important issues than free food for over 18s and it was quite clear from my reply that it referred to Carmel college which caters for 11 to 18 year olds.
Homshaw1 wrote:The story is about 18 year old college students. They are more than capable of getting home safely without mummy or Daddy picking them up. Not sure where bus transport for 12 year olds has come from, are you reading the correct story?
Fossildog wrote:11 & 12 year old are young adults and safe to find their way home on dark evenings!
Homshaw1 wrote:What a load of tosh. What safety issues are there? We are talking young adults here, not primary school children.
I was speaking to someone who said the school buses were being withdrawn for pupils who do not receive benefits or working tax credits and even if the parents were prepared to pay the children would not be allowed to use them.
Many parents work and they have difficulty getting the children to and from school and for children travelling alone there are safety issues
The parent I spoke to had a child at Carmel.
This would worry me more if I were a parent
Hope you are not responsible for any children
At no point did I say technical college students could not find there own way college but you seemed to have read something into it that was never suggested.
Perhaps you could take the time to read a posting correctly before refering to it as utter tosh
loopeyloo75
says...
10:33pm Sun 29 Apr 12
BMD says...
1:19pm Sat 28 Apr 12
.
"Life isnt fair"
.
Undernourished? Most of them are 14 stone monsters!