A MUM from Oldham is calling for a vegan option to be added to school dinner menus across the UK.

Ruth Jenkins started a campaign to get vegan meals into schools at lunch time.

She also said that vegan children miss out on educational trips to places such as farms because of their diet.

Ruth said: “More than one in a hundred people in the UK are now vegan, and the proportion is growing every year. It’s time our schools catch up and make sure all their pupils feel safe, welcome and valued.

“School trips to zoos and farms, dissection policies, hatching projects, and even nursery rhyme choices have big impacts on vegan-inclusion.”

According to Ruth vegan school kids experience discrimination and exclusion at school every day.

She said 233 vegan pupils have completed a survey to capture their day to day experiences as vegans in school, and the results show a widespread challenge.

Her studies found that fewer than 40% of respondents feel welcome as a vegan pupil in their school, and less than 40% feel safe.

Only 13% feel valued.

If pupils do not feel welcome, safe and valued, they will not be able to learn at their best.

She said 72% of pupils have been teased, and 40% have been for their vegan beliefs at school. In both these cases, more than 1 in 5 of the perpetrators are teachers or school staff. Of those teased or bullied, only 25% said their school had been swift and helpful to tackle the issue. Bullying of vegans includes assault and can result in children taking their own lives.

Ruth said: “’I’m a mum of a vegan six year old and I got frustrated that schools weren’t more vegan friendly, so I’ve started this campaign.

"Hopefully we can show teachers that while there might only be one vegan pupil in their school at the moment, there are hundreds across the UK, with more and more to come.”