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

[DoctorBeat]

Nationalism with some gender stereotyping thrown in for good measure? Girls bring in something sweet?! 😒

I'm not being goady...I genuinely don't get this comment? Can you expand?

"Really?

Girls: Victoria sponge, strawberries
Boys: pork pies, pasties

Must just be me then..."

No matter how you split the school - someone will be offended.

Yy stumbly.

I understand subconscious bias perfectly well, but one neutrally worded poster does not a sexist school make...

God forbid a that a boy would be expected to go in with a Victoria sponge...

"Girls: Victoria sponge, strawberries
Boys: pork pies, pasties"

At no point does the poster say that is waht they should bring though. You could have chosen any sweet/savoury thing to list there . You chose the "gendered" items to support your theory/opinion.

For example these items would fulfil the criteria in a less 'emotive' way.

Girls: Shortbread, Bananas
Boys: Cheese sandwiches, Ritz Crackers.

What makes a banana more 'girly' than a Ritz Cracker?

Anyway I'm going to send my dd in with black pudding

Phallic food!? Surely not!

Now I'M offended.

I see the Professionally Unoffended are out in force!

I agree with you, OP. It's just one more thing in the drip drip drip of unconscious stereotyping.

God forbid a that a boy would be expected to go in with a Victoria sponge...

Oh come on.....this has GOT to be a wind up..?

www.salon.com/2010/07/02/food_gendering/

Thanks Bert!

It was just some food for thought really (pun completely intended) it got my back up, wondered if others felt the same, appears many do not. Never mind.

It's called sarcasm well. People with senses of humour sometimes use it, and can generally understand when someone else is...

This is the trap it seems people are in now, it could have been chosen in 100 different ways, but just because it ended up girls getting the sweet option it's automatically seen as sexist by some.

I don't see an issue with the wording as its typically known as savoury and sweet, and this seems a better open ended option than when I was in primary them asking the children what particular item they wanted to bring in, which sounds good until little George wants to bring in something on the more expensive/ more preparation end of the spectrum

Isn't it to do with the Queens's Birthday? Our school - very multicultural- ( well more than Newton Abbot anyway!) is having a party with lots of union jacks etc etc on that day because she's 90 the day before.
Sweet/ savoury thing wouldn't bother me- better to have that than 7000 cupcakes.

not one British event
So you've had no British celebrations of Christmas, Easter or Halloween, Guy Fawkes, St David's or St Patrick's day, no May dancing, Valentine's, Mothering Sunday? No celebration of the traditional spring flowers or Autumn crops and harvests?
And the nursery has never ever had a themed event about a British author? No Julia Donaldson? No Roald Dahl? Alice in Wonderland?
And ALL their stories have non- white characters in their entirety so none of the white British children ever see themselves represented in stories about celebrations or everyday events?
If those are all true, then please do complain about not celebrating or representing anything British.
If not - 99% of British schools already do this. It's not necessary to do it specially because it is already woven into the fabric of the school.

Thank you Dr Spouse! Our whole lives are saturated with British culture whether we like it or not! We celebrate Xmas, new year, Easter, harvest, etc etc we are surrounded by British things, eat British food by very virtue of the fact we are in Britain. Occasionally acknowledging Chinese New Year or divali (which admittedly by daughter's school does do - though not on this scale) is not "political correctness gone mad" it is just providing a bit of balance.

My DDs year is not equally split at all. Only a third of the year is girls. Not sure how common that is but could be the reason for girls bringing sweet foods rather than savoury.

But nobody in this thread has voiced a problem with acknowledging chinese new year or diwali, only a few posters object to the British event!
You're the only person who's said political correctness gone mad.

I get you, OP, I'm offended on a gender and a 'restrictive view of Britain' perspective (not to mention the spelling mistake!) and I'd be disappointed if my kids came home from school with that too.

I may have missed this but is it an official school thing or a PTA thing? I've found that sadly the PTAs I've known over the years are - despite efforts, time, cake making skills etc, are not exactly on the ball to say the least when it comes to efficiency, common sense, diversity awareness or indeed good old political correctness.

If it's the school then they should bloody well know better than to produce that kind of tosh.

I'd speak to / email the head in the first instance and see what their view on the matter is. Chances are it slipped through the net but they ought to be seen to be apologising and removing the rather prescriptive food and clothing requirements.

In the meantime, dress a boy as Emmeline Pankhurst and a girl as Isambard Kingdom Brunel or someone (you get the idea!) and send them in with a range of dishes like samosas, spring rolls, egg fried rice etc. Revolution from within!

So YANBU to be irked by this.

Good luck - would be interested to know how it works out.

Thanks. Thinking of sending dd in with some baklava or something - I used to buy that from my corner shop in London so don't see why they aren't British...

I would be ewwww, too

Then rally and send girls dressed as Maggie thatcher and lady di

With an arctic roll and butterscotch angel delight

School ticks British Values box for Ofsted

Job done

You could really get them talking and send both boys and girls (sorry - don't know which you have here - may have missed it in earlier post) in full niqab, on the basis that they've come dressed as all encompassing British Values. That'll test their gender and ethnic tolerance (or at least if would in the rural shires where I am). And definitely yes to some baclava!

Ok. Sorry not sorry if I've now gone and offended someone here.

Sorry - completely missed the word 'daughter' in your post title...