Primary school to serve pupils halal meat whether they're Muslim or not

No choice: Dale Primary want to serve halal meat alone to avoid 'contamination'

All pupils at a primary school face being served halal meat at lunchtime whether they are Muslim or not, it emerged today.
Dale Primary, which has a large proportion of Asians among its 550 pupils, is consulting parents about the controversial move.
Under the plans pupils would only be offered Islamic-approved meals on days when meat is on the menu to 'avoid cross-contamination'.For meat to be classified halal, a Muslim must have slaughtered the animal from which it came by a single cut to the throat and without stunning it first.
A prayer, including the words 'Allah is great', is said while single cut to the throat all the blood is drained.
The school, Derby's biggest primary, provides its own catering after opting out of the city council system.
Head teacher Linda Sullivan has written to parents, carers and staff asking them if the school should offer halal meat to pupils.
Governors will consider the response before deciding whether to implement the plan.
A school spokeswoman said: 'The governors want to know if there is a strong demand as one or two parents have mentioned serving halal meat.
'The letter is asking for views and it's not a vote. If we were to change, it would probably be halal-only to avoid cross-contamination.
'The results of the survey will be going to the next governors' meeting for discussion.'
Local councillor Fareed Hussain, added: 'I think it is right that the governors should explore this but I think they need to listen to the responses carefully.
"If there are dissenting voices, I think they should consider giving a choice between halal meat or not because otherwise it will become a contentious issue.
'I know that places such as hospitals are able to offer either halal or non-halal dishes, so I can't see why the school couldn't accommodate that.'
Shabana Ayub, 30, a Muslim parent of two Dale Primary pupils, welcomed the idea of introducing halal meat but only if there were other menu options.
She said: 'I think it's a good idea because my children both like meat but they can't eat anything that's not halal.
'I think there needs to be other options because there are Hindu and Christian children who go to the school as well.'
Earlier this year parents hit out at Rose Hill Primary School in Oxford after it began serving halal meat without telling them.
Many of the complaints centred around the method of slaughter, which they claimed was cruel.
And last year parents staged protests outside a school over its decision to serve only halal meat at lunchtime.
Staff called the police after one father went into Kingsgate Primary in West Hampstead, north London, to challenge the new meals policy.