A PRIMARY school has withdrawn plans to serve halal meat to all its pupils after the decision sparked outrage among parents.

The school sent letters revealing that only halal meat would be served after the half-term.

But just hours later after complaints from fuming parents, Lynnfield Primary School in Hartlepool sent out a text message stating the changes would not go ahead.

Parent Stephen Lister, 33, described the proposed changes to the menus as "disgusting"' and threatened to remove his child from the school if only halal meat was served.

But Rajab Malik, 45, who has one child at the school and three children who have now left Lynnfield, said: "The halal meat would have been ideal for all of the Muslim children and there is no problem for the wider community to eat halal meat."

Muslim children can only eat halal meat, which is killed by hand and must be blessed in the name of Allah.

Marian Fairley, headteacher at the school, said the change was originally made with the aim of catering for pupils with dietary requirements based on their ethnicity.

Mr Malik, who is chairman of the Salaam Centre, in Murray Street, said: "Quite a lot of children at the school are Muslim and I think food should be prepared halal for them."

But Mr Lister, who has two children at the school, said: "What upset me was the fact it felt like it was forced on us, we did not have a say."