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Fish and chips were being passed through school railings |
TWO protesting South Yorkshire mothers have called a truce by halting their deliveries of fish and chips to a school following talks with the head teacher who wants them to abandon the service.
Julie Critchlow and Samantha Walker started delivering through the school fence two weeks ago after Rawmarsh Comprehensive School near Doncasterintroduced new healthy eating rules.
Head teacher John Lambert introduced healthier school meals that he says helps the children to concentrate better. He also banned children from going out during the school's new half-hour lunch break to stop them visiting local takeaways.
But Ms Critchlow and Mrs Walker, who both have children at the school, said the regime does not give pupils enough choice or enough time to enjoy their lunch and so started to deliver up to 60 food orders from the grounds of a nearby cemetery while the school gates are locked.
From this term, pupils have been given two half hour breaks instead of the previous 15 and 45 minutes. Ms Critchlow said: "The children aren't eating what the school provide in the cafeteria because they don't like the quality of the food.
"They prefer to come to us to have their food delivered fresh and hot, which is what they're asking for. We're giving them what they're asking for."
However, after a short meeting with the deputy head teacher, the pair said they would not be giving out meals today, adding only that they had reached an agreement and would be returning for a meeting with the head later in the week. Mr Lambert had earlier referred to the two mothers as misguided and said they were undermining the school and their children's education.
He added: "We need a little bit of breathing space. I think the parents realise the community of Rawmarsh has perhaps been portrayed in a way that is, perhaps, negative.
"I think we need to stand by the vast majority of parents who believe we are doing the right thing," he said.
Speaking before the meeting, Mrs Critchlow said: "We are not against healthy eating, far from it. We are saying the food in the cafeteria is not good enough to be classed as healthy eating. It is not the case that we want to fill them up with junk food. They just want to put us across as bad mums, but that is not the case."
The mothers said their move was also in part a reaction to Jamie Oliver, the celebrity chef who ironically began a new series this week from neighbouring Lincolnshire and urged schools to use more local produce including Grimsby fish.
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