by Derren HayesTwo stories, two pages apart caught my eye in last Tuesday's issue of the Daily Telegraph.
The first was reporting the findings of a new study by the Department of Health which has found that one in 10 five year olds in England are clinically obese. In some of the worst parts of the country - generally inner London local authorities and parts of the North West - the figure is one in six.
The long-term prognosis for the health of these children makes for sobering reading. They are more likely to develop diabetes and be at risk of dying young from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
The second related, and equally depressing, story highlighted how thousands of schools are considering closing their canteens due, in part, to a huge drop in the number of children eating in them since the introduction of the Jamie Oliver-inspired healthier meals. I can understand why the celebrity chef isn't everyone's cup of tea but his efforts to improve the diets of the nation's children have been nothing short of heroic.
So many children are choosing to go to the local chippie for their lunch rather than the school canteen that some experts are now calling for children to be banned from leaving the school grounds at lunchtime to prevent them eating junk food. Absolutely right, I say. It probably won't stop some local mums trying to pass their kids a burger over the school fence, but at least it would send a powerful message that society takes this problem seriously. You can see why some believe it borders on child abuse.
Oh, and a few days later another story reported that bad behaviour in our classrooms is at record levels - surely further proof that you are what you eat.
The long-term prognosis for the health of these children makes for sobering reading. They are more likely to develop diabetes and be at risk of dying young from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
The second related, and equally depressing, story highlighted how thousands of schools are considering closing their canteens due, in part, to a huge drop in the number of children eating in them since the introduction of the Jamie Oliver-inspired healthier meals. I can understand why the celebrity chef isn't everyone's cup of tea but his efforts to improve the diets of the nation's children have been nothing short of heroic.
So many children are choosing to go to the local chippie for their lunch rather than the school canteen that some experts are now calling for children to be banned from leaving the school grounds at lunchtime to prevent them eating junk food. Absolutely right, I say. It probably won't stop some local mums trying to pass their kids a burger over the school fence, but at least it would send a powerful message that society takes this problem seriously. You can see why some believe it borders on child abuse.
Oh, and a few days later another story reported that bad behaviour in our classrooms is at record levels - surely further proof that you are what you eat.
hello there, im a primary teacher of a year five class and we are currently studying the theme 'cooking.' some of the children having asking questions and complaining about the standard of scool meals. we have now decided to have aclass debate about it
any help????