To insist on sending gluten free flour for DS's food tech lesson

[listsandbudgets]

DS is gluten intolerant. We've just had an email from school asking us to send ingredients for bread and also scones - fair enough not too complicated. However the email goes on to say that it's so they can look at the affect of gluten in cooking

I've emailed back saying that as DS can't have gluten I'll send the closest gluten free equivalents I can find so DS can at least participate and almost immediately got a response saying that it had to be gluten because that was the point of the lesson.

AIBU to insist? It seems very unfair to make him cook something he can not eat. I'm considering emailing back telling them that having a gluten free version will help illustrate the differences and actually enhance the lesson (but I don't want to be THAT MOTHER!!)

Yes, YABU to insist.

The point of the lesson is to examine the effect of gluten in baking, not to produce something edible.

Bake something gluten free with him at home. The teacher could mention gluten intolerance or allergy as part of the lesson. There's no need to make your child be the poster boy for it.

I think you are significantly missing the point of the lesson.

I'm sure we don't need to spell out that they cant study the effect of gluten on baking without the gluten?

I wouldn't send non gluten. If they want to make the point of the lesson to be to show the effect of gluten - let them provide the resources for that. Why should you pay for something that is useless to your/your son?

Schools should pay for the resources to achieve the learning objective - not the parent. I remember a few years ago I found out my son was being told to use his mobile in school in a lesson to access something regularly - at MY expense as I was paying for the data (not allowed on school wifi) and it had used rather a lot. I kicked off and they apologised.

I would reply to them with what you suggested. It seems a good opportunity to show the difference with/without gluten.

Actually - think it would be useful to have both gluten including and gluten free examples. Then you can 'see' the difference in the dough stretch etc.

Ask for the recipe to be sent home and DS can make a gluten free batch at home.

If it's a food science type lesson rather than a catering lesson you would be unreasonable to send in the gluten free flour. They may well be doing gluten free the following lesson to compare.

The point of the lesson is to examine the effect of gluten in baking, not to produce something edible.

What's the point of cooking something inedible in a food tech class??

OP: yes, point out to them that DS baking with gluten-free flour will provide an in-class example they can compare with gluten flour. Although will that be edible or would a different recipe be needed?

I would expect a Food teacher to understand dietary requirements like gluten intolerance... and why this lesson could potentially cause illness...

How can you study the effects of gluten without having a with and without gluten version ? Very poor science surely

Why don't you just go the whole way and revise the National Curriculum to suit your child?

The DC won’t be ill unless he eats the items containing gluten. If he had a severe allergy triggered by atmospheric exposure to gluten the OP would have had to pull him out of all food tech lessons already.

If The curriculum says study the effect of gluten then they should have gluten and none gluten or they are not studying any effect , just making a mockery of education and scientific method

I think if this is for GCSE then it is reasonable. If lower down school then I think they should allow gluten free and use him as the comparison.

Edited for typos

The OP hasnt mentioned any future lessons, there is no way of knowing whether students will be doing a separate lesson using gluten free to both compare properties but possibly looking at intolerances as a whole. If that is the case the OP can not/should not tip the lesson sequences on its head by insisting her child uses gluten free on the gluten week

YABU, school have explained why, you could always cook the same thing at home GF with him so he gets to eat it.

This sounds like the GCSE curriculum, he will need to know the effect of gluten.
I think at some point they wash the gluten from the flour, unless things have changed in the last couple of years.

I think you’re right and it’s silly of the teacher not to take advantage of this opportunity to allow them to cook both gluten and non gluten and do a comparison.

I wouldn't send flour. I'd send a message to say we don't have gluten containing products in the house due to allergy/intolerance. Please be aware not to ask my son not to handle/eat gluten.
I know some kids would feel pressure to be just like anyone else and taste the products. Not all have the confidence to stand up.

Has DS been diagnosed with coeliac disease by the GP? I think this is critical as to whether you are being unreasonable or not.

I wouldn’t have eaten anything that came out of the home economics department at my school. It was minging so this wouldn’t be an issue. They gave us cold water and watered down washing up liquid for dishes. The soap was so watered down it was just water with a few bubbles. The dishes were always slightly greasy and the place to store the chopping board was down by pupils feet! All those saying ‘ what a shame he can’t eat it!’ I’d have been happy not to.

I'd say "that's fine, you provide the ingredients then".

I find it kind of odd that pre school and nursery settings are so hot on not wasting food and won't allow in date food to be used in things like messy play etc. But secondary schools are still making kids bring in ingredients they won't or can't eat to make food that no one will want. Food tech teaches kids very little anyway. I don't know anyone who actually learnt anything particularly useful in it. I for certain didn't.

This.

any scientist knows you need a control to act as comparison.

so how do you know what you are observing is due to the gluten, if you don’t do a control experiment where everything else is the same but omitting the gluten?

your dc should write up his report saying it’s impossible to define whether the qualities are due to gluten or the yeast, or temperature of the water, or some other variable.

It’s a cooking lesson not an eating lesson. If it’s something that can be eaten, others can eat it. But your DS will get the learning from the lesson regardless of whether he can eat it.

If the child has Coeliac Disease he shouldn't be in the lesson full stop, never mind handling flour.

Yanbu. I'm intolerant too and I don't touch gluten!

What year is he in OP? I’m a food teacher and whilst students need to have an understanding of ingredients at ks3 the curriculum doesn’t specify specific things such as gluten. I wouldn’t expect a parent to pay for ingredients their child couldn’t eat because it is a waste, in this situation I would either provide ingredients and not let your child eat it at the end or suggest a suitable alternative.

If it is ks4 and they are doing experiments for the food science section I would query why you are providing ingredients, I’m pretty sure science don’t request parents send in chemicals for experiments there so why is this different.