is this inappropriate behaviour by a head teacher?

mum-of-two_2

Thanks for the comments so far, guys.

davetrousers wrote: »

It seems like it's way over the top to me. But I do think that schools should take some responsibility in educating kids about healthy diets and exercise.

Mind you a Nutri Grain bar is not healthy, please don't be misled by the name.

Thanks, I do appreciate that these bars are high in sugar but I was just trying to give her a bit of variety.
Crossed them off the shopping list for the future.

belfastgirl23 wrote: »

I know you might feel your kids don't need it but what about the kids who have parents who don't watch the news etc? Childrens diet is one of the major issues for the whole country at the moment and personally I think it's great if schools are really seriously trying to address this. I suppose I'd just want to make sure that the kids understand why certain foods are healthy or unhealthy rather than it being about calories. But nutragrain bars do probably have a lot of sugar. Would be interested in why the cheese sandwich was a problem, was it white bread?

I think you're sort of taking it personally when it isn't meant to be taken that way. It sounds like you are trying to promote healthy eating in the home and isn't it great that the school is backing you up - it would be a lot worse if they had a tuck shop culture like mine did.

As above for the Nutrigrain bar.

I agree that SOME parents aren't clued-up but many are.
I guess it's the way that this is being done more than the fact it is being done that I disagree with.
I vary the bread that I give to the kids for sandwiches - granary, wholemeal, 50/50 and NEVER the cheap rubbish white bread.

My feeling is that the head is making this personal (rather than me taking it personally) by talking to individual children.

aliasojo wrote: »

How did the school know the child was 1lb overweight? Are they weighing the kids?

Yet another instance where professionals in a certain field are not the best people to deal with issues in another.

Their methods of dealing with this are wrong, ill informed and ham fisted.

Personally I would not be happy with this and would want to talk (not complain) to the Head about it. If you don't want to raise the subject OP then there's nothing you can do. There's no mileage in moaning about it but not trying to do anything to change things.

I don't know if they weighed the kids, mine haven't mentioned it.
It was just something that another Mum (different class to my kids) said in the school yard yesterday.

There's lots of moaning and muttering about this - nobody seems prepared to do anything about it and I'm wary of being the one who fires the bullets - IFKWIM.

kegg_2

thses are the shocking key facts from the 2008/2009 national report

n Reception, more than one in five (22.8 per cent) of the children measured were either overweight or obese. In Year 6, this rate was nearly one in three (32.6 per cent).
The percentage of obese children in Year 6 (18.3 per cent) is nearly double than that in Reception (9.6 per cent).
The percentage of overweight children is higher in Year 6 (14.3 per cent) than in Reception (13.2 per cent).
The overall prevalence of underweight children is similar for both age groups (approx 1 per cent). There were no significant differences in underweight prevalence between boys and girls in either age group.
In Reception, the proportions of underweight (1.0 per cent), overweight (13.2 per cent) and obese children (9.6 per cent) in 2008/09 were similar to those in 2007/08 where the corresponding proportions were (1.3 per cent, 13.0 per cent, and 9.6 per cent). None of the changes were significant.
In Year 6, the proportions of overweight (14.3 per cent) and obese (18.3 per cent) children were the same in 2007/08 and 2008/09. The percentage of underweight children was similar in 2008/09 (1.3 per cent) and 2007/08 (1.4 per cent).
Between 2007/08 and 2008/09 there were no significant changes in the prevalence rates for underweight, overweight, or obese children for both age groups. There were also no significant changes when comparing 2006/07 and 2008/09; all or some of the apparent difference of 0.8 percentage points in the proportion of obese children between 2006/07 and 2008/09 is estimated to be due to the higher participation rate for Year 6 in the later year's programme (as indicated by the expanded confidence interval).





View NCMP results from 2007/08 school year
View NCMP results from 2006/07 school year

aliasojo

mum-of-two wrote: »

There's lots of moaning and muttering about this - nobody seems prepared to do anything about it and I'm wary of being the one who fires the bullets - IFKWIM.

I completely understand. My kids are reason enough to be the one that fires the bullets though, sometimes you just need to step in.

Could you maybe ask a few of the other parents if they'd be willing to come with you if you arranged a meeting with the Head? Even a small group would indicate to the Head that there is general unease with her methods and you would not be a sole voice.

mum-of-two_2

piratefairy wrote: »

If i were you I would write to the Head and outline your concerns. Perhaps the focus on "healthy eating" is based on good intentions, but rifling through lunch-boxes and confiscating food is certainly not the most sensible way to combat this, if it is indeed a problem. Whilst I do agree that there should be a focus on healthy eating in schools, it is continually stressed that people (not just children) should try to maintain a balanced diet, and as the girls' parent I would say the onus would be on you to choose what is suitable for your children.
As you sya, the Head has no say over what the children eat for the other two meals per day, and I would be interested to know what would happen to a child whose packed lunch was deemed "not healthy" and confiscated, are the school going to provide substitute food for the children, or just exopect them to go without lunch?!

Thanks, piratefairy.

As I said in my first post, I'm not confident in talking about this as I'm sure the Head would tie me in knots and make me look in the wrong.

Maybe writing a letter detailing what diet my children have, pointing out that they certainly don't have a (over) weight problem and requesting that if there are any perceived issues with what my children have in their lunchboxes, any comments/concerns are addressed directly to me rather than making any comment to the girls would help.

I do think the Head is 'over the top' with this diet stuff - one of the boys in my youngest's class said they were going to McDs for tea with another schoolfriend.
The Head said - 'Be sure to have a salad, then'.

l4ne2008

Tell the head that as a parent it is your responsibility to provide your children with a suitable packed lunch. If you feel that the lunch that you provide is balanced & healthy then he should mind his own business. We really do live in a nanny state when head teachers have nothing better to do than interfering with packed lunches.

tessie_bear

i think schools should be involved in healthy eating but frisking lunch boxes seems a step too far....my sons head sent home a bit of paper saying what they couldnt have....i sent a letter in asking what i should put in the lunch box to replace the evil items such as crisps...still havent heared so am carrying on as before

lill

send them in with 2 packed lunches, lunch A to be offered to HT first contains white bread with lard and jam sandwiches, lunch B to be offered after containing your usual lunch with a note on top saying 'mind your own business' .. might get the message across :-D

Indie_Kid

I'm all for educating kids on eating healthy; but taking away their food is just wrong. I used to know someone whose brother had pure orange juice taken away from him - on the basis it's classed as a "treat"!

I am so glad we never had this when I was at primary school - kids used to have things such as crisps and chocolate bars.

Churchmouse

Sounds like a recipe for eating disorders to me too, Gingham.

I really think this warrants a quiet word of "concern" with the head. I"d be interested in where and when he got his dietitian qualifications. Contrary to popular belief, being able to regurgitate "sound bites" from newspapers, TV etc does not make him an expert. As to a child being 1 lb overweight, that is a ludicrous statement to make. If the child had just eaten or drunk something that could make the difference. A large glass of water weighs half a pound. And BMI is discredited on so many levels. Active, healthy sportsmen and women measure as "obese". Mmmmm very unfit aren't they :rotfl:Remember flab weighs less than muscle.

Before anyone jumps on me about the need for healthy eating, I do agree. I just think there needs to be balance, and that is something that seems to have gone out of the window lately. There is nothing unhealthy about a cheese sandwich. Any dietitian will say cheese (in moderation) is an excellent source of calcium. I also don't agree with pulling children up on their lunchbox contents in front of other children. It's neither fair nor kind, and is something that should be addressed to the parent. Children can have a hard enough time from their peers, without teachers loading the gun.

Mankysteve

I don't think its that unusual my primary school did a similar thing when i was there and iam 23 now. If your not confident talking to the head get in touch with someone whos on the PTA