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Original poster

Should I complain?

30 replies

FridgeRaider · 01/12/2011 13:56

Just had a text from DD at school to say she feels sick because she has just had a cooking lesson where her teacher (who's also her form tutor) forced her to make something where she had to touch raw meat. We are vegetarian, teacher knows this.

I am really cross about this, because having been vegetarian all my life, I know it would make me feel very sick too.

When I was at school (nineties) I was allowed to not participate physically if the lesson involved handling meat, or if in Science, the lesson involved cutting up parts of dead animals.

First point of complaint is to the teacher/form tutor, or to year head if complaint is about that teacher. So should I complain? Or am I and my DD being precious?

OP posts:
LouiseInLondon · 01/12/2011 15:21

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marriedandwreathedinholly · 01/12/2011 15:07

If she's been a vegetarian since birth it is not a decision she has made it is a decision you have made for her. I think she should be learning to cook with meat, she may one day decide she would like to eat it or that she would like to prepare it for people who are not vegetarians.

I think it sounds exceedingly precious to say touching a piece of meat makes you feel sick and am quite sure your daughter has picked up this from you. The teacher has not asked her to do something that breaches Health & Safety, that is illegal or that could cause her harm in any way. If it is a cookery lesson she is being taught to cook a variety of foods. You have absolutely nothing to complain about or to criticise.

Original poster
FridgeRaider · 01/12/2011 14:12

Kez100 Yes, she has to take in ingredients to cook once a fortnight. On the alternate weeks the teacher provides ingredients, they cook in groups and then taste/assess the results. This is one of those weeks. Had it been the week where she takes her own ingredients, we would of course have been able to substitute the meat for something else. I will check out school policy on this as you have suggested.

exexpat Thank you. That was my thinking too. It's not as though she's a fickle teen who has suddenly decided she wants to be vegetarian. She has been a vegetarian from birth, as have I. It's not GCSE, she's year 8.

OP posts:
exexpat · 01/12/2011 14:02

I would complain (I'm vegetarian too). Would they force Muslim or Jewish students to handle pork?

Unless this is a GCSE class which she has opted to take and cooking with meat is an essential part of the course, in which case this situation should have been discussed earlier.

Kez100 · 01/12/2011 14:02

I'd not go at it as a complaint. I'd ask them their policy on this and then, once you have got it, check with your daughter that it wasn't followed and ask for it to be adhered to in the future.

I imagine from your post that your daughter is safe and well (apart from feeling a bit iffy over the meat), so I can't see any full on complaint is necessary.

Alos, I am surprised she was involved with cooking meat and didn't know - we have to take ingredients in, so would have known beforehand what the dish was. Does her schol do it differently?