No. Pork has not been banned in Islington schools
Islington Council will no longer serve pork to primary schools because it says it can no longer monitor which pupils don’t want to eat sausages, bacon and pork chops due to their religious beliefs. Monitoring is an “unnecessary cost at a time of tight budgets”.
So reports the Evening Standard.
Pork will still be served in the borough’s secondary schools. Although, vegetarians can still say “no thank you”.
Chris Godfrey, owner of Godfrey’s butchers in Highbury Park, says it’s “disgusting”.
“I think it is disgusting that they do not have pork on the menu. There are so many religions in this country and if listened to all of them then you would not eat anything. We are pandering to other religions too much – kids that don’t eat pork should take packed lunches. It is not up to us to pander to their requirements.”
Other religions? Most council schools in Islington are not of any religion:
Of the 46 primary schools in Islington, 27 are community schools, nine are voluntary-aided Church of England schools, six are voluntary-aided Catholic schools, one is a free school and three are voluntary-aided Catholic schools, one is a free school and three are academies.
Godfrey the butcher adds:
“I thought everyone was meant to be integrating into our society?”
Does that include the Catholics? Are vegetarians not integrating? Does integration mean eating pork?
The Mail forgets to blame the BBC
Godfrey’s words are lift from the Islington Gazette, on which we read:
Dr Zoe Davies, chief executive of the National Pig Association, said: “This is something we are particularity concerned about.
“It’s something we have heard of but we wouldn’t say it’s common. It tends to happen in areas where there are large numbers of children from, for example, a Muslim background who wouldn’t eat pork.
Oh, and if you don’t use the council’s catering provider, you can serve pork.
And that meal is free at the point of eating – it costs around £500 a year to feed a child school grub.
The Council states:
The Council policy is to provide universal free school meals to all nursery and primary school pupils, aged three and above, in maintained schools in Islington. Research has shown that free school meals for all improves children’s learning and productivity, and saves you money in tough times.
But can you get pork? Yes:
An Islington Council spokesman told The Independent: “It’s not true that pork is banned in our primary schools.”
Such are the facts…
Posted: 13th, February 2015 | In: Reviews Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
