This policy has been updated recently, following its original publication in 2016. This is the policy from which the 'sugar tax' originates and where the focus for improving nutritional education in primary schools alongside staying more active began.
As a teacher and educator, my view will always be that the world's problems can be solved in our schools; if we teach our children about the dangers of eating unhealthily and the benefits of exercise they will change their behaviours and we will become a healthier nation....surely? However, this belief was rapidly crushed during a conversation with a (fantastic) colleague a few months ago- 'We all know speeding is dangerous but everyone still does it'.
This simple comment created a massive shift in the way that I see education's purpose in solving problems- it was no longer the simple solution to everything and required a bit more thought.
This policy is aimed at improving the knowledge of children and young people. I believe this can only be a good thing as they will move through their education learning more and more about what it is to be healthy, both mentally and physically. However I think this policy misses out the impact of one very important aspect in a child's life- their parents and carers. As much as we educate our children in what makes up a healthy meal, or how much physical activity they should be building into their day it is their families who determine whether this actually happens. Adults do the shopping, cook meals and make lunches and decide on evening and weekend activities for their children. There is a great strength in 'pester power' but how many children would choose not to eat burger and chips because they want more vegetables? I believe more focus needs to be put into how we can support adults in helping young people to become more healthy through diet and physical activity but this seems a much more difficult plan to action. Worryingly, one third of parents were reported to say they are not interested in making healthy choices for their children. Frustratingly, there is not information on why this is which could provide more evidence on how this statistic should be interpreted. It may be because these parents know that their children already make healthy choices so no more needs to be done, but more investigation definitely needs to be done here. How can we encourage adults to change their choices and behaviours when they have had more time to become habitual and engrained?
To ensure that the Obesity Strategy is implemented effectively, and as a response to the increasing concerns for issues surrounding child mental and physical health the new Ofsted inspection framework, planned for 2019 ,includes more of a focus on personal development and healthy behaviours. This is also a positive step as the move away from using academic grades and performance as a measure for school success should allow for teachers to create more balance in their practice and within the support they give pupils. I am interested to see what impact this has on secondary schools in particular, after many reported almost a 50% reduction in time given to PE lessons in recent years alongside the change in weighting to the GCSE exam. I am sure I will have much more to say on this when we see what this new framework really looks like and how it is used in schools.
Three months after my colleague issued that crushing realisation I am still a big believer in the power of schools to create change in society. However I now am a little more realistic in how these changes can come about. The 'Attenborough effect' on plastic use after Blue Planet II was shown earlier in the year shows that we are capable of creating huge change. However David Attenborough himself ( I was lucky enough to hear him speak at the Cheltenham Literature Festival this year) does not claim that his programme was the reason for such significant changes in policy and practices surrounding plastic use. Instead it acted as a pivot, bringing issues surrounding plastic pollution into mainstream consciousness which allowed those changes to become more widespread more quickly.
I do not believe that the new iteration of the Obesity strategy, or the changes to school inspection ares going to be such a pivot for widespread action on childhood obesity, but it is definitely a step in the right direction. Society is becoming more aware of the priority for good health and integrated physical activity for both children and adults, and time will show how our improvements in health education can positively impact the overall health of our nation.
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