I'm calling this LunchGate.
(UPDATE - 13:54 - 15 June 2012: Well that did not take long. According to the BBC (same link as above), the council has lifted the ban. So this blog thanks Roddy McCuish and Mike Russell for their common sense. Chalk one up for the good guys! I am leaving the original post intact as a reminder of how not to go about responding to criticism.)
(UPDATE 2 - 15:16 - 15 June 2012: The original pathetic justification linked below has been wiped from the council's page and replaced with a statement from Roddy McCuish. Fortunately, while I didn't screen capture it, I have the original text saved and have added it to the end of this post.)
I have previously mentioned the NeverSeconds blog, where a bright nine-year-old girl has been posting up images of her school's lunches. The blog went viral. So what does Argyll and Bute council do? They bully the girl and ban her taking any more photos, essentially banning her from blogging.
Here is the council's pathetic justification:
Argyll and Bute Council wholly refutes the unwarranted attacks on its schools catering service which culminated in national press headlines which have led catering staff to fear for their jobs. The Council has directly avoided any criticism of anyone involved in the ‘never seconds’ blog for obvious reasons despite a strongly held view that the information presented in it misrepresented the options and choices available to pupils however this escalation means we had to act to protect staff from the distress and harm it was causing. In particular, the photographic images uploaded appear to only represent a fraction of the choices available to pupils, so a decision has been made by the council to stop photos being taken in the school canteen.
There have been discussions between senior council staff and Martha’s father however, despite an acknowledgement that the media coverage has produced these unwarranted attacks, he intimated that he would continue with the blog.
So, catering staff were in fear for their jobs because a little girl took photos of the paltry lunches they served to their students? I think they were embarrassed by all the media attention and when the father wouldn't capitulate to their demands, they ban the girl from taking photos. Rather than address the problem, let's blame it all on a nine-year-old girl with a camera. That's good council planning. Tossers. And I suppose it's easy for a council to bully a nine-year-old girl to silence her.
I must add that the school, to their credit, fully supported the girl.
This is a fucking disgrace to the free speech rights of everyone, but more importantly it's government attacking a nine-year-old which is even more disgraceful. If this is your council, please make a complaint.
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| Argyll and Bute Council Almost Bullied This Little Girl! Fortunately, they have now lifted their ban. We thank them for supporting free speech. |
“Statement on school meals from Argyll and Bute Council
Published Date:
15 Jun 2012 – 10:53
Argyll and Bute Council wholly refutes the unwarranted attacks on its schools catering service which culminated in national press headlines which have led catering staff to fear for their jobs. The Council has directly avoided any criticism of anyone involved in the ‘never seconds’ blog for obvious reasons despite a strongly held view that the information presented in it misrepresented the options and choices available to pupils however this escalation means we had to act to protect staff from the distress and harm it was causing. In particular, the photographic images uploaded appear to only represent a fraction of the choices available to pupils, so a decision has been made by the council to stop photos being taken in the school canteen.
There have been discussions between senior council staff and Martha’s father however, despite an acknowledgement that the media coverage has produced these unwarranted attacks, he intimated that he would continue with the blog.
The council has had no complaints for the last two years about the quality of school meals other than one from the Payne family received on 6 June and there have been no changes to the service on offer since the introduction of the blog.
Pupils have a daily choice of two meals from a menu which is designed with pupils, parents and teachers. Our summer menu is about to be launched and includes main course choices like meat or vegetarian lasagne served with carrots and garlic bread or chicken pie with puff pastry, mashed potato and mixed vegetables.
Pupils can choose from at least two meals every day. They pay £2 for two courses and this could be a starter and a main or a main and a desert. Each meal comes with milk or water. Pupils can have as much salad and bread as they want. Salad, vegetables, fruit, yoghurt and cheese options are available every day. These are standing options and are not a result of any changes in response to the blog site.
As part of the curriculum for excellence, pupils in all our schools are regularly taught about healthy eating and at lunch breaks staff encourage pupils to make good choices from what is on offer. We use a system called ‘Nutmeg’ to make sure everything is nutritionally balanced. Our staff also get nutrition awareness training so they know how to provide a good healthy meal. There is portion sized guidance which we adhere to and it is matched to the age of the child so they get the right amount of food. Second portions would mean too many calories for pupils.
In Lochgilphead Primary School we are piloting a new pre-ordering scheme which is designed to encourage class discussion around meal choices and also improves the accuracy of meal choices. The pupils use a touch screen to select their lunch option and the data is downloaded in the kitchen so they know how many portions of each meal are required. As they place their order, the pupils are given a coloured band which relates to their meal choice that day. They wear it during the morning, and at lunchtime they hand it to the catering assistant, who will give them the corresponding meal.
The council’s focus is now on supporting the school in the education of young people in Argyll and Bute.”
