Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with key external stakeholders on the childhood obesity strategy; how frequently such discussions take place; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Department for Education is playing an integral role as part of the government’s aim to reduce England’s rate of childhood obesity significantly within the next ten years. We are working with other departments and agencies, including the Department of Health and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, to deliver the childhood obesity plan.
Our department supports the provision of nutritious food in schools to enable pupils to be well nourished, develop healthy eating habits and to concentrate and learn in school. Our school food standards regulate the food and drink provided during the school day, and foods high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as low quality reformed or reconstituted foods, are restricted.
Alongside these standards, we are leading several significant programmes of work, as outlined in ‘Childhood Obesity: A plan for action’. This includes doubling the Primary PE and Sport Premium, investing £10 million a year into school healthy breakfast clubs and introducing a new voluntary healthy rating scheme for primary schools. We will come forward with further information on each of these programmes soon.
The department has regular formal and informal conversations with a wide range of stakeholders on these programmes, including external organisations with an interest in school food, health, sport and physical activity. We look forward to continuing to work with these organisations as we deliver our programmes.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's role is in the Government's childhood obesity strategy; what work her Department is engaged in with other government departments on that strategy; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Department for Education is playing an integral role as part of the government’s aim to reduce England’s rate of childhood obesity significantly within the next ten years. We are working with other departments and agencies, including the Department of Health and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, to deliver the childhood obesity plan.
Our department supports the provision of nutritious food in schools to enable pupils to be well nourished, develop healthy eating habits and to concentrate and learn in school. Our school food standards regulate the food and drink provided during the school day, and foods high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as low quality reformed or reconstituted foods, are restricted.
Alongside these standards, we are leading several significant programmes of work, as outlined in ‘Childhood Obesity: A plan for action’. This includes doubling the Primary PE and Sport Premium, investing £10 million a year into school healthy breakfast clubs and introducing a new voluntary healthy rating scheme for primary schools. We will come forward with further information on each of these programmes soon.
The department has regular formal and informal conversations with a wide range of stakeholders on these programmes, including external organisations with an interest in school food, health, sport and physical activity. We look forward to continuing to work with these organisations as we deliver our programmes.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the debate in Westminster Hall on Children's Health: Access to Milk of 28 March 2017, what steps her Department is taking to (a) revise the school food standards to align them with the intent behind and structure of the soft drinks industry levy and (b) encourage more schools to adhere to those standards.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government encourages all schools to promote healthy eating and provide nutritious and tasty food and drink. The new School Food Standards came into force from January 2015 and have been widely welcomed.
The childhood obesity plan, published in August 2016, mentions that we will update the School Food Standards in light of refreshed government dietary recommendations. We are currently reflecting on the best course of action and further announcements will be made in due course.
We are confident that schools endeavour to provide a healthy food service whether or not they are required to adhere to the School Food Standards. Over 1400 academies are voluntarily following the standards and we encourage the remaining schools to commit to the standards.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of (a) levels of support among parents for and (b) the potential health benefits to young children of extending the school nursery milk scheme to include all children in reception classes regardless of age.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
We know milk is excellent for children’s growth and development. As part of the School Food Standards, where they apply, lower fat milk or lactose reduced milk must be available to children who want it for drinking at least once a day during school hours. It is a legislative requirement that milk is provided free of charge to pupils who meet the free school milk criteria, and schools may charge all other pupils.
The Government has no plans to extend eligibility for free school milk to all children in reception classes or assess the demand from parents. We already assist with the cost of providing milk; schools can take part in the EU School Milk Subsidy Scheme and, as mentioned above, free school milk is provided free of charge to disadvantaged pupils.