Wakefield primary school apologises after serving non-halal meat labelled 'halal'

The principal of Outwood Primary Academy Greenhill on Greenhill Road, Martin Fenton, issued a letter to parents on Tuesday (July 4) saying that he became aware of the issue last week.

Mr Fenton said the school set up an independent kitchen in 2016 “to ensure we provided healthy, nutritious meals that meet the needs of our children and families”.

He wrote: “We took the decision as a school some years ago that all of the meat we serve would be Halal because that is important to the majority of our community. However, it came to my attention last week that some of the meat we have served in the past was not Halal, despite the menu stating that it was.”

Halal food is that which is prepared adhering to Islamic Law, as defined by the Koran.

In the letter, Mr Fenton added: “I know that you will be very disappointed to hear this news but I would like to reassure you that it was a mistake and I am very sorry that it has happened.”

He said that he had worked with senior members of Outwood Grange Academies Trust “to make changes that will ensure this cannot happen again” and that “further enquiries” would be carried out.

Local councillor Akef Akbar said that he and other council representatives met with trustees and Mr Fenton earlier this week.

In a statement on his social media page, Coun Akbar said that the school was maintained by the local authority until it became a part of the trust in 2022, but that it was directly responsible for the meals it provided during the period in question.

He said: “Wakefield Council have expressed that they are extremely disappointed that a school in our district has misrepresented food served to their pupils.

"The corporate director for children and young people has confirmed that although the council no longer employs anyone at the academy, we will be considering if any action needs to be taken in relation to the actions of former employees, as more information becomes available.”

He added: “My stance on this matter is that I am disappointed that the school has misrepresented halal food. Consuming Halal is fundamental to the Islamic way of life.

"On the other hand, I am appreciative that the [trust] conducted an immediate investigation, acted transparently, and promptly to address and rectify the issue.”

A spokesperson at Outwood Grange Academies Trust said: "We offer a sincere apology for this unfortunate situation and have taken immediate action to prevent any recurrence. Since identifying this serious issue, which pre-dates the school joining our Trust, we have been working with the local authority, who oversaw the school until September 2022, to actively engage with the community, local councillors and faith leaders who have told us that they are confident in the actions we have taken.

"The school joined our Trust at the beginning of this academic year when it was rated 'Inadequate' by Ofsted. Since then, we have been auditing every aspect of the school's operations, including its processes and contracts in order to raise standards. Moving forward, we will continue our formal investigation to ascertain the full details of the situation.”