Ofsted boss Amanda Spielman said, parents should not expect schools to police children’s eating and exercise or toilet train pupils.
England’s chief inspector for schools argue the answer to obesity crisis lies at home and that parents should not “abdicate responsibility”. Amanda Spielman will say schools “cannot be a panacea” and criticise some parents for neglecting some of the “most basic of parenting tasks” such as toilet training. She makes it clear that schools cannot take over the role of a health professional and parents.
Amanda Spielman’s second annual Ofsted report, stated: “Our education and care services don’t exist in isolation from the local areas they serve. They are and should be a central part of our communities. But being part of a community means being very clear what your responsibilities are, and what issues, however worthy, can only be tackled beyond the school, college or nursery gates.”
Two studies this year have queried the benefit of school anti-obesity schemes. In February the British Medical Journal reported that a year-long anti-obesity programme involving more than 600 West Midlands primary school pupils made no improvements. In July it was said that 60 schools found no link between effort to tackle obesity and pupil’s weight.
Amanda Spielman said: “Schools can and should teach children about the importance of healthy eating and exercise in line with their core purpose; their PE lessons should get them out of breath,”
“But beyond that, schools cannot take over the role of health professionals – and above all parents.”
“While schools can play a role in educating young people about the danger of knives, they cannot be a panacea for this particular societal ill,”
“Instead, preventing knife crime requires all local safeguarding partners to work together to protect children from harm whilst the relevant agencies tackle criminal activity.”
Over the summer the Home Office issued lesson plans for children as young as 11 about the dangers of knife crime and how they affect life. They were told that carrying a weapon to keep safe is a myth.
Children’s minister Nadhim Zahawi said the lesson plans will “help illustrate the real impact of knife crime on young people’s lives” and that schools “up and down the country are taking advantage of them”. With evidence that the average age of knife crime victims is falling. Many NHS doctors have called for school exit times to be staggered to reduce the chances of clashes.
