School residential vegetarian/vegan only

[vgp1234]

My child had really been looking forward to their year 6 residential, but a new head has joined and had changed the format somewhat.

They have now booked a Sustainability Centre in Hampshire, which only caters for vegetarians and vegans. My child is not a vegetarian or vegan, and across the cohort of year 5 and 6 only one child is vegetarian.

While I appreciate that there is a view that they can go 5 days without meat and they should just suck it up, I find it incredibly frustrating that you would not ask a vegetarian or vegan child to suck it up and eat meat for 5 days. So I don't understand why we do not treat both dietary preferences with equal measure.

The new head is very keen on government guidance, and has changed our lunch menu to comply with the current guidance for school lunches which is that 3 days should include meat or fish (previously we had a meat and vegetarian/vegan option every day). However it seems this guidance only applies on the school site, so you can disregard it at a residential. While they are within their rights to do this, it does seem like quite a contradiction.

I have tried speaking to the Sustainability centre directly but they were very inflexible and just stated it is a against their ethos (may I add that they also offer a day trip at a cost to visit a working farm, who rear animals for meat, so their ethos does not run all that deep). This really goes against my ethos as not only do I think you should treat all groups equally, I can't help but feel that this is forcing their ideas on children verses allowing them free choice and the ability to hear both viewpoints (meat is unsustainable/sustainable) and make their own decision.

In all honesty I'm quite perplexed as to why the school choose the venue when it would clearly be controversial, as this is quite a personal choice for parents and the cohort has so few in it that have this dietary preference.

I'm sure some people will not agree with me, and I am open to your opinions as I'm a big believer in hearing both sides of the argument and our ability to think critically for ourselves and not be told what to think (I want this for my child too).

I do plan to send the school an email initially and request that they provide a rounded menu including meat. But I'd really appreciate any advice on how to word this appropriately as I'm quite upset by it, and I'd prefer to send a well worded email than an emotional one.

I have a child with serious food sensory issues relating to autism and in Year 6 I suspect he would have struggled. He has gone on residentials before where he literally would not touch the food. Another he ate rice krispies exclusively for 2 days.

If the OP's daughter would struggle to that extent then I have every sympathy. If not and the desire for meat is just a preference then I think it's fine for 5 days, and the DD may even enjoy it. Besides as others have pointed out plenty of what we eat all the time is 'vegetarian' just we may not identify it as such. Beans on toast. Jacket potatos and cheese. macaroni cheese. Soups etc. Pasta pesto.

I also agree it makes it much simpler for the camp. No need to worry about kosher or halal etc.

I think the key thing is they have protein for every meal, doesn’t matter what form it comes in. I’m a meat eater but we often have alternative proteins for money / health / variety reasons.

I’d be thrilled for my my kid to have a black bean chilli rather than the cheapest meat-glue UPF sausages that are likely to have been served otherwise

Pick your battles, open your mind - you never know your children might then open their minds, or is that what you are afraid of?

The children of narrow-minded and intransigent parents have it tough.

It sounds horrendous op, and I don’t disagree with you.
However I really don’t think you will get anywhere when a Head has this sort of attitude.

I would send a packed lunch for school. The quality of school meals is shite regardless of whether they have meat in or not.

I would want to see a detailed menu for the residential before I signed up.
Chances are my ds would eat toast, cereal and plain pasta with cheese the whole time regardless. If it was more elaborate veggie meals (especially if ‘wet’) then he would honestly starve. I don’t think he’s that unusual.

Bloody hell let’s hope there isn’t an Inuit experience trip included in the residential 🤢.

As their entire job is to provide for young children, I suspect they have thought this through

One of my kids lived on toast and cereal. He was a bit tricky to feed on a residential but they managed. If your kids have huge sensory issues, hopefully they'll talk with you to find an individual work around.

Can you send along some biltong in case of a carnivore state of emergency, or does meat get confiscated on the way in?

I don't think any email to the school will achieve anything if the residential isn't compulsory. I think you should let your child go and decide for themselves what they think of the food on offer. It would be unfair not to let them attend because you've decided the food isn't suitable. You are coming across as quite inflexible, it is good to keep an open mind and let your child try new experiences and decide for themselves.

I find it incredibly frustrating that you would not ask a vegetarian or vegan child to suck it up and eat meat for 5 days.

OMG you must see that these are morally two entirely different things?!

One is a minor inconvenience, the other would be abuse.

I'm reminded of the Y6 residential my vegetarian DD went on years ago. Probably PGL or something of that sort. Yes, they provided veggie/vegan options, but they were very much of the kiddie food/meat substitute variety, which she wasn't used to eating at all. She didn't eat much of it, so I do understand your concerns about your child going hungry. Can you allay your fears by finding out what kind of food will be on the menu? I really don't think you'll get anywhere by objecting on 'philosophical' grounds.

but vegan vegetarian is a life style choice as is eating meat if it where a place that only catered for meat eating people would you tell a vegan or vegetarian to suck it up and eat meat for five days personally it would not bother me as a meat eater but it does seem that the minority are setting the precedent for the majority in this surely no one life style choice is more important then someone else

Of course she sees that.

It's just another variant of the wilfully obtuse threads about vegetarians and vegans we see every week on here.

Vegetarian meals - fine. Vegan no. Children should not be vegan.

abuse really its a life style choice which means someone is choosing weather or not to eat meat not a dietary requirement

So is not being a vegan, the same as being an atheist is.
As for your red redpillers and incels etc those beliefs would not pass the granger test whereas the belief that denighing children a full and varied diet is harmful would so forcing a vegan or vegetarian diet on children is not acceptable

Personally I’d count myself extremely fortunate to have so little else to worry about in life that I had to equate eating vegetarian food for 5 days with oppression just to have something to feel offended by.

The only thing you are teaching your children about is being entitled, rigid and a bit wet. If not being able to eat chicken nuggets and arseholes and eyelids sausages is likely to harm your little flowers to the extent you have to make such a stand about it to the school, they likely aren’t equipped to be off the tit for that long anyway.

You're being daft and you know it.
Your child must eat vegetables, surely, day to day.
Vegan/vegetarian children do not eat meat.

You can't compare the two.

Your child will experience a more open-minded chef than you are, and over the course of a few days, see that it is perfectly easy to eat well without meat. Is that what you're scared of, that your child won't want to eat animal flesh again?

Well done to the Sustainability Centre.

Wow.

Rather than being “that parent” and getting on your high horse, ask to see a copy of the menu. I bet there are things like jacket potato and baked beans on there… I don’t think they’ll be force fed tofu for the week

Do not do this. It is against the ethics of the centre, It would be hugely disrespectful. And anyway, really - is a bit of dried up animal bits truly a great replacement?

God, what a load of fuss about nothing. Your child won't wither away like they've been working on the Burma Railroad and it'll be good for them to avoid the type of cheap, low welfare nonsense usually served by institutions.

Please don't demand to see the menu or any of that helicopter nonsense. Your child will be fed, and teachers have enough on their plate as it is. Be thankful some are giving up the time to take them on this.

Learning about sustainability 🥱 may be fair enough for, say, a Y4 residential but I think that Y6 should be an end of junior school, post-SATs blow out. A last chance for the kids to hang out and have fun together. Climb, abseil, build rafts, fall into water, push themselves, build confidence etc. etc.

Sure, this and the veggie food is bearable but God its sounds preachy and tedious.

He's not being asked to only eat vegetables for a week, vegetarian and vegan food is much more than that.

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