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Woke headteacher forces children to go vegetarian after banning meat at primary school
16 February 2022, 00:14
A 'woke' headteacher has faced backlash from furious parents after she banned meat eating for children attending the primary school.
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Parents have hit out at Barrowford School in Lancashire after they were told all meat had been banned from lunchboxes and the canteen.
The 'ludicrous' new rule will see all children adopt a vegetarian diet during the school day in order to "help the planet".
Headteacher Rachel Tomlinson sent a letter out to parents to inform them of the new rule change, saying the carbon footprint caused by meat and dairy products "come at a huge environmental cost".
Justifying her reasons Ms Tomlinson said: "We made our school lunches meat-free to demonstrate how each of us making a small change to our daily habits can have a much wider positive impact, and that reducing meat consumption is just one way to do this.
"We have been careful to approach this in a balanced way, and teach that it is fine to eat meat, but that reducing our consumption can help our planet."
But the news has enraged parents and local farmers who have accused the school of "discriminating against a pupils right to eat an omnivores diet".
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Zoe Douglas told The Sun that the meat-free rule was "a joke".
Saying: "I think they forget that non-meat eaters and vegans have to take a lot of supplements.
"What supplements they getting instead at that school? Nothing, probably saving on food costs."
Whilst local farmer from Gill's mobile farm said: "By discriminating against a pupils right to eat an omnivores diet you are going against the governments compliance of equality.
"If a child is on free school meals due to low income you are taking away their choice to have healthy, well balance meals.
"This may be their ONLY hot meal in the day. It is not very inclusive of an omnivore’s dietary needs if that child is only offered a vegetarian option meal."
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Farmer Gill invited the school for a free trip to the farm in order to educate the children and teachers on how to lower their carbon footprint and on "making informed choices that aren't biased".
The school has previously faced ridicule after headteacher Tomlinson scrapped all punishments for bad pupils and banned teachers from raising their voices insisting no child was ever to be considered naughty.