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Children are facing a ‘postcode lottery’ when it comes to the quality of the food being served up to them as school meals. Food campaigner Saffron Stedall told the BBC that the difference between schools is ‘heartbreaking’ to see.
Saffron Stedall, 19, who is the Young Food Ambassador for the Children’s Right2Food campaign has said the poor quality of school meals was an issue that came up ‘all of the time’. One mum, Francyne, told the Guardian that she has to make two dinners for her daughter – one for when she gets home from school and another in the evening – because she is so hungry.
‘Whilst this story has highlighted several key issues being faced in many schools across the country we can’t forget there is a kitchen team at the heart of the story,’ they said in a statement. But new research — part of the Children of the 90s study — has been published in the journal Paediatric Research and questions whether measuring fat as waist-to-height ratio would be more effective.
I know I’m firmly in the minority when it comes to thinking weighing children in schools should be stopped. And I get it. We weigh babies and toddlers to determine how healthy they are, so why is it a problem to weigh primary school kids too? We are teaching them that being fat is bad and being thin is good. So it’s no surprise that eating disorders in children have increased by 66%.
The Women & Equalities Commission’s cross parliamentary inquiry into body image stated: ‘We recommend that the Government urgently reviews the NCMP to ensure it is not creating undue body image pressures in children. Rather than just being about weight, in an ideal world, the scales should indicate bone mass, muscle mass, water percentage, and height, providing a comprehensive view of the child’s physique. This information can be presented in percentiles, similar to how it’s done at birth.Every six months, we measure their height and compare it to the average for their age. For example, I might explain, ‘If 100 children were lined up, you would be the 79th tallest.
Schools could play a role in this by providing parents with comprehensive fitness reports, including assessments like the bleep test for kids, these could simply be completed in PE. And now the retailer is looking for shoppers to flex their wine-tasting muscles and let others know what they really think of its latest tipples.
The downside? Only 30 people will be chosen – but you’ve got to be in it to win it, right? Here’s how to apply… Looking for some wine tasting tips? If you want to get practicing your wine tasting at home, Aldi’s ‘Mistress of Wine’ Sam Caporn has the following tips, based on the five S’s. 4. Sip: According to Sam, this is where the magic happens! ‘The aromas in your mouth go up your nose and the wine onto your taste buds, allowing you to appreciate the delicious flavours in the glass.’
The parents, who have three children at the same school, have said the school changed the dates they normally have the October half-term break. ‘Ensuring regular attendance and improving attendance is an absolute priority for Harpfield Primary Academy.‘Term dates are communicated before the end of the academic year, ready for the new academic year. We have weekly, half-termly and termly rewards for attendance to encourage regular attendance so that children do not miss out on any opportunities to learn.’
The head wrote the letter this week after deciding he could ‘no longer tolerate’ the quality of food being sold in his school canteen. He said: ‘As the headteacher, you will often hear me say “if it’s good enough for my own children, it has to be good enough for yours.” ‘Unfortunately, Redbridge Community School has no control over the private company Chartwells,’ he wrote.
He appealed to parents for their feedback on the meals, saying: ‘Now, I could be completely wrong, misguided, fussy, difficult or on a different planet; so I will leave you to decide with a selection of photos taken for you to make up your own mind. ‘Our frontline teams work really hard to prepare great meals every day. We’re proud of the high standards we deliver in schools up and down the country.‘We have faced specific challenges in this school, which we’re working urgently to address and we’re keen to work with the head teacher as we put these plans into place.
It’s unclear whether Adrian himself has children or just considers himself an authority on the matter due to his nutritional qualifications but he carries on to say that he doesn’t believe an outright ban on screens for kids is necessary. ‘Buy them toys, let them be bored with no screen, give them activities and give them a good diet is all I can recommend. He’s the easiest kid to deal with.’‘I think the biggest problem our children are facing is that they are not allowed to roam freely outside with other kids. It’s all well and good to say they need to be bored but being bored on their own at home is not developmentally appreciate either.
‘It’s going to damage the next generation and the current parents of the world need to wake the F up. Do better. Do more. They are children reliant on you to fix the problem’ Professor Andrew Przybylski who worked on the study said: ‘Our findings should help guide the heated debates about technology away from hyperbole and towards high-quality science. If researchers don’t improve their approach to studying tech, we’ll never learn what leads some young people to flounder and others to flourish in the digital age.
120,000 children’s data analysed Researchers at Queen Mary University of London examined adata from 123,836 children living in London, taken from the National Child Measurement Programme . Researchers believe that knee and back pain could be caused by excess weight adding stress on the body’s joints. She added: ‘Building a stronger evidence base on the possible causes of joint and muscle pain could lead to policy changes that will improve the health of children in East London, as well as nationally.’CHAT: With parents in our forumPuberty blockers pause the physical changes of puberty – including breast development and facial hair – and are currently available at NHS gender identity clinics.
A spokesperson said: ‘NHS England has carefully considered the evidence review conducted by NICE and further published evidence available to date. ‘Landmark decision’ Maria Caulfield, the Health Minister, said: ‘We welcome this landmark decision by the NHS to end the routine prescription of puberty blockers and this guidance which recognises that care must be based on evidence, expert clinical opinion and in the best interests of the child.
What are puberty blockers? Puberty blockers can be used to delay the changes of puberty in transgender and gender-diverse tweens who have started puberty.When taken regularly, GnRH analogues stop the body from making testosterone and estrogen. Where is this treatment given? Currently, services are provided by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.
The research comes comes after it was found more than a fifth of pupils were ‘persistently absent’ from classes, meaning they missed 10% or more of school, in the autumn and spring terms in 2022/23. 87% of teachers had experienced parents taking their kids out of school for a term time holiday while 76% listed family events as a reason.While a third of teachers surveyed said they’d had pupils being kept off school due to a ‘parental dispute’ with the school.
‘Nearly a third of teachers and leaders say this has been given as a reason. When we look just at responses from headteachers – who are most likely to have a complete overview – nearly half say they have been given this as a reason for non-attendance,’ he said. From August 2024, parents who take their kids out of school during term time will be fined £80 per child, per parent, per absence, up from the current rate of £60.
The Prime Minister also shared that he would be cracking down on term-time holidays with one possible initiative that could see ‘pre-emptive’ texts be sent to parents warning against taking them out during term time. The move would see aligned timetables across the 16 schools where pupils have a start of 8.50am across the week and finish at 3.40pm from Monday to Thursday.
Mixed opinions from kids and parents The shake-up was proposed after council education chiefs asked teachers, parents and pupils for their opinions on the current timetable. This would mean that more collaborative work could be done between local schools as currently the schools have misaligned timetables so collaboration is difficult.
The council’s education committee will vote on whether or not to implement the new timetable. If it gets the go-ahead, it will come into force from June 2025.CHAT: With parents in our forumWhether they’re dressing up as the BFG or Princess Belle this World Book Day, it’s an exciting time for primary school kids. Not only do your little ones get to dress up as their favourite ‘book-inspired character’ and receive a token for a free book from school, they can also get a FREE book from Maccy D’s.
How do I claim the book? You can claim a free book by heading into McDonald’s restaurants today only .Kids can also receive a free £1 World Book Day token with Happy Meals that entitles little ones to a free World Book Day book or £1 off a book or audiobook at certain booksellers. This offer is available until 26 March.
The research also found that 92% parents agreed that reading has helped develop their child’s creativity and imagination, while 88% say it develops their memory and 85% said their child’s empathy and social understanding has improved. Now one school in England is taking further measures to ensure its own pupils are not taken on holiday during term-time, by sending staff to catch them out.
‘There’s no activity in the house over a few days’ The secondary school is part of the Astrea Academy Trust, which is responsible for 17 schools across South Yorkshire. More than 720 students attend the school. ‘Invasive snooping tactics’ But others have been vocal about how a clampdown on school holidays are actually ‘invasive snooping tactics’.‘Lots of schools locally are experiencing difficulties with challenging attendance figures.
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