Consultation is a byword in local government these days.

But the need to ask parents' views on a particularly sensitive topic at Rose Hill Primary School in Oxford appears to have bypassed those in charge.

Children staying for school dinners have been served halal meat for several weeks without parents being told.

Those unfamiliar with the term might conclude that there is something objectionable and distasteful about this type of cuisine.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Halal meat is perfectly healthy and edible - the only difference is in the method of killing the animals.

But it is little wonder that some parents are upset when they are suddenly told that the school dinner menu is not quite as they thought.

What on earth was the school thinking about?

It probably kept quiet because it feared a backlash, but it should have consulted parents on the move beforehand, not served it up as a fait accompli.

The school is now paying the price, with protests and a petition.

Of course, Muslims at the school are entitled to have meals of their choice, but so are other sections.

The obvious solution would be to have separate menus for all, but that would no doubt be expensive, so the school has taken the easy way out - by choosing one to save money.

In doing so, it has pleased some, but upset others, largely because it didn't bother to ask anyone.

It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the school has handled the issue clumsily.