Primary school dinner lady sacked after 11 years for accidentally dishing up gammon to Muslim girl



Alison Waldock, 51, apologised for mistake as soon as error was spotted



She said it was difficult to keep track of more than 40 students with different dietary requirements with the lists she was given



But despite 11 years working as a dinner lady, she was sacked by Queen Edith Primary School in Cambridge

Dinner lady: Alison Waldock, 51, has been sacked after forgetting the dietary requirements of a seven-year-old Muslim pupil and serving her gammon

A school dinner lady with 11 years service has been sacked after she accidentally served pork to a Muslim pupil.

Alison Waldock, 51, gave gammon to a seven-year-old girl after she pointed to the dish on the canteen menu.

The school’s headteacher spotted the mistake and stepped in before the youngster ate any of the meat, which is banned by her religion.

But her parents were told about the error and complained to the catering firm that supplies meals to the school.

Miss Waldock was suspended from her duties and has now been sacked for gross misconduct.

A British Muslim group has already branded the decision ‘heavy-handed’ and an ‘overreaction’.

Miss Waldock yesterday said she had made an honest mistake and was dismissed despite begging bosses to let her keep her job.

‘I feel the school and catering company made me a scapegoat so they can’t be seen as politically incorrect,’ added the mother-of-two.

‘I was really upset when I found out what I’d done. I’d never have done something like this on purpose. It was a simple mistake – I was so gutted with the school’s reaction.

‘I really enjoyed the job and I’d never had any problems before.’

The error happened at Queen Edith Primary School in Cambridge, where the proportion of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds is ‘well above average’ according to the school’s latest report from Ofsted. The school’s website also says that the families of pupils speak 28 languages.

Miss Waldock said the pupil had actually asked for the meat. ‘I asked, “Do you want the gammon?” and she said yes, so I served it to her,’ she said.

‘When the headteacher found out, she was not happy. But there are 200-odd children to feed and I don’t know who is a Muslim or who is a vegetarian.

Miss Waldock, who lives in Cambridge, said there were about 40 pupils with various dietary requirements, but claimed it was impossible to keep track of them.

Dismissed: Ms Waldock claims there were around 40 pupils at Queen Edith Primary School in Cambridge with various dietary requirements and it was impossible to keep track of them with the lists she was given

She said: ‘There is a list, but the pupils don’t wear name badges or stickers and we can’t know them all. I respect all of the children’s beliefs, religions and meal choices. This was just one mistake. I think firing me was really harsh.’

The girl’s parents, Zahid and Rumana Darr, claimed the school told them Miss Waldock was not concerned about the mistake.

Mrs Darr, 33, said: ‘The person there said the dinner lady didn’t care or wasn’t that bothered.’

But Miss Waldock said: ‘That’s just not true. If I saw the parents today, I would say sorry.’



The Darrs also contacted Lunchtime UK, the catering firm that operates the canteen. The company’s operations manager Peter McAleese said: ‘Anyone losing their job is regretful.



'But there was a full and transparent procedure that Alison went through, as well as an appeals procedure, which she lost.’

A Muslim campaign group said that 'dismissing a dinner lady for inadvertently serving pig meat is an overreaction'

Community group Muslims4UK said the majority of Muslim parents would be ‘understanding’ of the mistake. Founder and chairman Inayat Bunglawala said: ‘Dismissing a dinner lady for inadvertently serving pig meat is an overreaction. ‘The most sensible way to rectify such mistakes is to improve awareness of the pupils’ dietary requirements while apologising to the pupils and their parents.’ The Muslim Council of Cambridgeshire called the sacking ‘heavy-handed’. ‘We are all human beings and all make mistakes,’ said a spokesman. UKIP leader Nigel Farage has vowed to take up Miss Waldock’s cause. He said: ‘I feel desperately sorry for her. If she’d served gammon to a vegetarian would she have been fired? I think not.’







