What can schools do to tackle the problem of obesity?
Prue Leith, chef, food writer and Chair of the School Food Trust:
“Merely lecturing children about obesity and food can lead to other eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia. Whether children are fat or skinny, they are almost certainly malnourished and their bodies do not function properly to enable them to concentrate at school or take part in sport.
“We need a return to cookery lessons because unless children are taught the pleasures of cooking, they won’t find out how good eating will help them achieve the right weight, get fit and make them feel good about themselves. Clearly, they are not picking up this knowledge from their parents.”
Gary Murrell, Head of Marlborough Primary School, Isleworth, Middlesex:
“Schools certainly bear some responsibility for advocating healthy lifestyles, good nutrition and exercise, but realistically we cannot make an impact on our own. The Every Child Matters policy and the Healthy Schools Agenda are helpful because they enable schools to work in partnership with other agencies, such as health workers, doctors and social services, in delivering these vital messages. This is especially important when it comes to dealing with families who are harder to reach and where good diet and exercise is not part of the home culture. No school really wants to go down the ‘nanny knows best’ route alone.”
Louise Diss, Managing Director of the Obesity Awareness and Solutions Trust:
“Children can be very self-conscious about the way they look, and schools have a responsibility in helping to raise self-respect and confidence, and an awareness of self, in lessons such as ‘personal, social and health education and citizenship’. The role of schools is about more than healthy eating and sport. “Fatness appears to be the one area where it is still all right to tell jokes or tease others. More effective anti-bullying policies would help to solve the problem of children who are caught in the vicious circle of being picked on and who then comfort eat because they are unhappy.”
Julie Critchlow fed children chips, burgers and fizzy drinks through the railings of Rawmarsh School in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, in defiance of the school’s health eating policy:
“The problem is with food preparation. Some schools are serving badly prepared, often still frozen or cold, food, so the pupils end up spending their money on crisps and chocolate after school.
“No adult would eat something they didn’t like, so why do we expect our children to do so? Schools need to bring back competitive sport. Activities such as dance and gymnastics can make boys feel self-conscious and awkward. Give kids a reason to compete and they will, because winning makes them feel good. It was a big mistake to ever take that away.”
Rachael Fenwick, aged 14, pupil at Whitley Bay High School, North Tyneside:
“Sometimes it’s too easy for pupils to be able to get away with not doing any sport at school. They just bring in a note from their parents to say they are sick or injured. PE teachers should get them to do some sort of gentle exercise that they can manage so they realise they won’t get away with it.
“When it comes to food, we need better information about what’s good for us and what isn’t. I don’t think kids want to eat bad things, but often they don’t know why something is good. Some don’t want to listen, but most do.”
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Compiled by Dorothy Lepkowska
