Parents hit out a 'vegetarian primary school' and demand meat back on lunch menu

A primary school is facing mounting pressure from parentsto reintroduce meat to its mostly vegetarian menuafter claims children have suffered stomach aches and nutritional deficiencies.

Sharrow Schoolin Sheffieldcurrently serves a vegetarian menu featuring dishes like cheese and onion rolls, Quorn-based alternatives, and wholemeal margherita pizzas. Fish fingers are served once a week, and tuna mayonnaise appears once every three weeks - the only animal protein options available. More than 100 people have signed a petitiondemanding meat be reinstated.

Emre Heald, 22, whose younger sister attends the school, launched the petition and accused the school of putting children's health at risk. "My sister was coming home and saying the meat in the school wasn't real," he said. "Me and my mum were like 'what do you mean the meat’s not real?' and she said 'it doesn’t taste like meat, it's not real'."

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Heald said that after complaints were made, the school insisted its menu met official standards - a claim he disputes. "Other complaints from other parents were also dismissed." Government guidance recommends schools serve meat or poultry at least three times a week, and oily fish once every three weeks - a standard Sharrow's current menu appears to fall short of.

Several parents have reported health issues since the change. One mother said her daughter developed daily stomach pain: "She was having stomach ache every day, she was getting really sick. I only let her have a jacket potato at school." She added: "Brains need fat to run, you need to eat animal fat - it’s as simple as that. To remove that and just give them sugar and wheat, it’s abhorrent in my opinion."

Heald said children have even asked him to buy them food from outside the school. "Some kids were asking me to buy them rice and chicken from the shop - they weren't even asking for sweets. A lot of the kids are so poor they don’t get any meals after that two meals a day at school."

He also cited reports of pupils becoming unwell: "A lot of the kids in the school were getting really bad stomachs, and one of the kids was going to the doctor having a bad stomach that we know. He said to my mum that he thinks it’s the school meals." The school has not commented publicly on the petition or allegations.

Sharrow is among a growing number of schools believed to be cutting meat due to rising costs. Nearly half of its pupils qualify for free school meals. The government currently allocates £2.61 per meal in England, a figure that catering body LACA argues is too low. The group is calling for the rate to rise to £3.16, warning that schools are turning to cheaper protein alternatives in order to stay within budget.

A LACA poll found over 50% of schools surveyed had reduced meat offerings as a result.

The Mirror has contacted Sharrow School for comment.