PARENTS are furious after a school in Walsall banned kids from using knives and forks over “Covid fears”.
Kids at Edgar Stammers Primary Academy have been forced to eat meals with their hands after the school banned all cutlery.
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The school decided to provide a “reduced” menu of “finger food” during the pandemic to ensure children are fed as “safely as possible”.
Lunches at the school are currently delivered to classrooms to minimise contact with kids from other bubbles.
But the move has sparked outrage from parents whose children have had to eat a “small amount of mash served in a Yorkshire pudding” with absolutely no cutlery.
One parent branded the move an “utter joke”.
And headteacher Darren Mann admitted the feedback on the meal arrangements was “not positive”.
Writing to parents at the end of November, Mr Mann said he had told the University of Wolverhampton Multi Academy Trust of parents’ wishes to bring back knives and forks for the kids.
He wrote: “As parents know, we have been trying to increase the amount of hot food in the menu, but with the restriction of it being classed as finger food.
“Today, as part of the lunch, we had a small amount of mash that was served in a Yorkshire pudding to enable the children to pick it up and eat together.
“Unfortunately, the feedback from this from some parents and children has not been positive.
“We will look to adapt the menu again to try and make it better and easier for the children.
“I have also informed our academy trust of our desire to start using cutlery as soon as possible.
“As soon as it is deemed safe under their Covid restrictions, we will let all parents and children know.”
Professor Michelle Shaw, CEO at University of Wolverhampton Multi Academy Trust, told BlackCountryLive pupils washed their hands before and after meals and that the use of “hard utensils which may spread the virus” had been limited.
The schools’ decision comes amid a backlash against measures used in some schools to minimise virus transmission.
Barr Beacon School in Walsall told pupils in September to “get used to being cold” after keeping its windows open to protect against the virus.
The school said the measure helped to keep classes ventilated, but kids were told they couldn’t wear coats inside.
Other schools have banned ties from being worn and told parents to wash their kids’ uniforms every day to stop the virus.
Parents across the country have also blasted schools for sending kids home with the slightest cold or runny nose.
At other schools, strict new rules were put in place to discipline kids for using the wrong toilet, and parents were told pupils could be sent home if they “joke coughed or sneezed” over fears detention classes couldn’t be socially distanced.
At Ark Alexandra Academy in Hastings, East Sussex, playground jokes about Covid-19 were completely banned.
A single confirmed Covid case is enough to send an entire school year home.
