Case for a lunch-time lock-in

A NEW study has found that children going out for takeaways at school lunch time are eating excessive amounts of salt and fat.

It has led to calls for more schools to lock pupils in at lunch to stop them risking their health with junk food.

Richard Hooton asked shoppers in Oldham if they agreed such action needs to be taken.
EVEN though school meals are getting healthier, children are regularly buying unhealthy snacks from fast-food takeaways.

In the largest study of its kind, environmental health observers in London watched secondary school pupils buy chips, chicken dishes, deep-fried sausages and pies.

Tests showed much of the junk food breached official healthy eating guidelines and contained potentially harmful amounts of salt, fat and calories.

The quality was well below the nutritional standard of the Jamie Oliver-inspired meals now served in England’s schools. And the observers say it’s a problem across the country.

The findings prompted calls for head teachers to forbid pupils from leaving school during breaks, which the experts say will also reduce litter and lateness back to lessons. They say parents should buy school meals rather than give children money to eat out.

Shoppers in Oldham town centre almost unanimously agreed with locking the school gates at lunch.

Wayne Taylor (28), from Limeside, out with his two-year-old girl Lotti, said: “I think it’s a good idea. It’s hard to get the kids to do it though. It’s easier at primary school than secondary school.

“When I was at school I wanted to get out even though I had the school dinners. You try and cage kids in and they want to break out. It’s good to see schools around here encouraging healthy eating. It’s a problem all over.”

John Redmond (72), from Oldham, said: “They should shut the gates and keep them there. All you get is litter from the time they leave the shop to the school gates.

“Yes, eating junk food is a problem. It depends on the school bringing it in if they think it will help.”

Personal trainer Kirsty Edwards (23), from Oldham, said: “It’s a good idea. I was watching the Jamie Oliver programmes and nowadays children are just getting too fat.

“I used to go to Blue Coat School and we were not allowed out at dinner, they would have monitors patrolling the gates. They had a healthy eating bar that was really good.

“I also used to go to Radclyffe School and then we were allowed out and used to go to McDonald’s at lunch. I think shutting the gates at lunch would help but it’s not easy to do with children nowadays.”

Lena Williams (63), from Denshaw, said: “I always used to spend lunch time in school. There wasn’t a choice to go home. My grand-daughter goes to Delph Primary School and they do all the healthy food and she stays for lunch.

“I think it would work as children otherwise would go to the pie shop or somewhere or have nothing at all and spend their money on sweets.”

Her husband Trevor Williams (64) said: “I think it’s a pretty widespread problem. I think the way obesity is going for children they need to do something now. I think it would work.”

Rebecca McManus (34), from Huddersfield, who was with her two-year-old daughter Logann, said: “Yes, it’s a good idea. For safety and everything as well as you don’t want them on the streets.”

Her mum, Ruby Duckett (73), said: “Yes, I agree it’s a good idea to lock them in. It’s unhealthy for the children to eat junk food. They should give them vouchers and make sure they get a good dinner.”

Daughter-in-law Kath Duckett (38) said: “I would definitely lock them in. My two children prefer salad to chips anyway.”

Frank Winterbottom, from Springhead, said: “My grandchildren have their meals prepared by their mother and take a packed lunch to school.

“They will have a school meal every now and again but they don’t seem to have enough time. At Saddleworth School there’s 1,000 pupils so by the time they have queued up there’s not much time left.

“There’s definitely a problem with healthy eating in Oldham. My grandson does not eat fruit and vegetables. We just can’t make him see sense and he’s 14.

“It might be worth doing. It might help if they were compelled to have whatever’s good for them. There’s a lack of discipline anyway and it would be some form of discipline.”