What do people think of this going on at my daughter's primary school?

What is actually offensive though OP?

Schools have to promote British Values now by law.

And FFS, why can't we celebrate being who we are? You don't complain (i'm sure) when the school does something like a Nativity, or Diwali or Chinese New Year

Famous Britains? Famous Britons surely? I'd certainly be bringing that up. Pretty bad error on their part.

Good way to open up the conversation though. Error on the page and lazy thinking on the girls = sweet nonsense.

I personally wouldn't be offended by it if it is the only occurrence but I do think that schools do often reinforce gender stereotypes and I probably would be inclinded to draw attention to it to the unthinking assignment. If you don't challenge these things then they continue. We had girls being given pink folders and boys blue, girls having to line up with girls and boys with boys. There are many more ways of dividing groups up. At least our school divides by key stage usually when it comes to food.

Mini one study doesn't mean most people. Everyone I know would not give it any further thought other than remembering to actually send the required food in.

I agree with the poster..You only want people to agree with you and see nothing good in this..

I think it is important to feel proud in our culture...Can I say our culture does include other cultures to as we are a multicultrual .. If you went to to spain would you not expect them to celebrate been spanish..

We celebrate davali at my son's school so why shouldn't he celebrate his culture too... I think the girls sweets is completely over thinking I really think that they though not much about it.

I do think Britpop followed by the London Olympics have helped enormously in the quest to regain the flag and Britishness from right wing fuckwits.

"Good lord, this is some overthinking.

Savoury/sweet seems the easiest way to split food requests.

And the British thing? Well, this is Britain so...

If I lived in Spain would I feel offended or excluded by a Spanish festival? Of course not. confused"

This. WAy way overthinking it IMO

NewStart, it's not offensive but as the study I read proved, most people, especially woman, if asked vaguely to organise such a split would opt for sweet=girls. It's just one of those subtle ingrained things that we've subconsciously picked up from previous generations probably from them doing double things like this.

I think it's a shame celebrating "Britishness" had got tied up with nationalism. Given the date I'm really surprised they're not celebrating st George's day. We loved dressing up for st David's day in primary school.

The sweet/savoury girl/boy split is lazy I'd have preferred they didn't reinforce the stereotype.

Um maybe because boys aren't expected to be "savoury" but girls are expected to be sweet?

No, boys are expected to bring savoury food, not 'be savoury.' Etc.

You seem determined to be offended by this.

LauraChant

You spoke to education type people who had their head in their hands at the primary schools' willful and stupid interpretations of their edicts on what exactly British values are.

Perhaps if these education type people actually ever came into schools and spoke to people who deliver their daft ideas rather caste aspersions on people doing their level best to interpret this impossible nonsense and teach it to 4 year olds in an accessible and memorable way.

How bloody dare they! They wouldn't have a clue.

(Just to add: I have no problem at all with celebrating Britishness. I only have a problem if a very narrow band of experience is allowed to represent Britishness.)

I guess to please all those people who will find a problem with everything everyone they could have found another way to split it, maybe KS1 bring sweet and KS2 bring savoury, depending on if they were doing it as one big school celebration, or by Year if they were doing smaller parties.

Knights and Princesses may not be exclusive to Great Britain but we do have them and have for quite a few years, doesn't mean the girls have to dress as Princesses, my gorgeous 6 year old DNephew would happily dress as a Princess and does regularly! I think it's lovely that they're doing anything British at all, as a PP said, Ireland celebrate St Patrick's day without managing to offend anyone, why can't we celebrate something British??? Jeez...

I think it really depends on what the school intends by it, and I agree that their brief explanation isn't very encouraging. Personally, I'd go with assuming good faith, even if you don't feel like it, and then interpreting it however you want. The "famous Britons" theme covers quite a lot - and so if you want to send your kid in as Sophia Duleep Singh (suffragette) or Jayaben Desai (brilliant trade unionist) then do, and if the school doesn't like it they can bite you.

How about sending the boys in Kilts? That's good traditional dress

As for national dress/traditional dress, how about tweed or a hand knit jumper?

Can't believe people are offended by who brings in the sweet or savoury food, just ridiculous tbh. My DCs school do the same, and no it's not always set the same way - it's just a non-issue

I can't remember ever feeling excluded by Bastille Day when I lived in France

You could dress her as Vyvyan from The Young Ones.

There's no issue withcelebrating 'Britishness'. It's likely they're due an Ofsted.

However, the sweet or savoury split is disappointing. Firstly because you may get a 50/50 split when what you actually want is more like 70/30. Secondly, and much more subtly, if 100 members of staff came out of a meeting having been told to split sweet and savoury along gender lines then 99% of them would ask girls to bring sweet. They probably couldn't tell you why and it won't be conscious but that's what would happen. I read a study along similar lines with puppies and kittens and over 90% allocated the kittens to the girls.
So just swapping it around, or better still making the split across key stages would go that little bit towards preventing such subconscious associations.

There is nothing wrong with this at all and you are looking for something to be offended by rather than actually finding it offensive. Get a grip.

St George's Day is April 23rd!
Same as Shakespeare's birthday (and death day)

OPs yes same b day as DH. Not sure where 24th came from although maybe something to do with the fact that is when we are celebrating it

Presume it is for St George's Day but probably easier to call it British than have parents question why no effort is made for St Andrew's or St Davids' day.

The food thing is a bit off but life's too short to take offence at everything. Why not simply suggest that it's rotated for next year so the boys can make choc rice krispie buns next year?

I'm not British and I wouldn't object to this. My DD's school celebrate plenty of other national holidays/religious festivals. In any case St George is a Greek martyr/saint and his feast day is widely celebrated elsewhere, particularly in Eastern Europe.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George