How schools are fighting the obesity epidemic

The old chestnut of appalling public school stodge is now redundant. Independent schools use the best, often locally sourced ingredients and lots of fresh fruit and veg

Manufacturers of school uniforms are now providing clothing in size 18, which, for an adult woman, represents a 42in bust, 32in waist and 44in hips. In the UK, childhood obesity rates have trebled in 20 years and 10 per cent of six-year-olds and 17 per cent of teenagers are now obese. It’s a problem that cuts across demographics, as statistics show that rising numbers of children from middle class backgrounds are becoming overweight.

We’ve heard much about initiatives to tackle child obesity in state schools. Jamie Oliver famously exposed the nutritional nullity of the chicken nugget, and in January 2008 the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families published the document Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives, as part of its aim to reduce the proportion of overweight children.

What is the independent sector doing to help combat the problem, especially at boarding schools where we relinquish control and place our trust in the school to provide healthy, balanced meals? Hilary Moriarty, national director of the Boarding School’s Association states: “In a competitive market, food is one of the most important elements of the ‘offer’ schools make to parents and pupils. Food will be plentiful, of high quality and offering plenty of choice.”

Tasty and healthy options

Independent boarding schools have different catering arrangements and costs from state schools. Menu planning and food preparation for a whole school community from breakfast until supper, including snacks, throughout the week is a different business from preparing one meal for a fast lunchtime turnover.

Some schools have their own caterers or employ caterers who are at the forefront of devising menus with high-quality ingredients. Hilary adds: “They are fee-charging, independent schools so they have more money to spend per pupil per meal, which increases the options. There’s unlimited fresh fruit at all meals and in the boarding houses for snacking.”

With the old chestnut of appalling public school stodge now redundant, what tempting offerings can your children look forward to? Glance through a typical day’s menu at Royal Alexander & Albert School, a boarding and day school in Reigate, and you’ll see an array of healthy offerings inspired by world cuisine. For lunch, pupils can choose from beef wrap with salsa, cheese and sour cream; stir-fried chicken in black bean sauce; vegetable tortillas, or a selection of cold roast meats accompanied by a vast array of salads. (See a sample menu from an independent boarding school below.) 

Most independent schools cater very well for vegetarians and special diets, indeed at Glendower Preparatory School for Girls in London, lunches are vegetarian and made from organic products where possible. The meals are popular among the children and in 2007 the school won Tatler magazine’s ‘Best School Food Award’.

Fun and games

The emphasis placed on sport and extra-curricular activities in private schools is another area where they help to combat obesity. Researchers have found that an hour’s exercise a day can reduce the number of overweight children by a third.

At St Paul’s School for boys in London pupils enjoy a lunch break of an hour and 45 minutes – the longest break of any school in the UK. This allows plenty of time for exercise or extra-curricular activities, such as rowing, swimming or the Japanese martial art, Aikido. If your child doesn’t enjoy competitive team sports (a recent report suggests that overweight children avoid these), activities such as hill walking, sailing, rafting, pilates and gym work-outs are often available at private schools.

One-to-one counselling has been introduced at some independent schools to help children who are very overweight. This can be arranged with the child and parents’ consent and takes place at the school. Some counsellors help the child to lose weight by encouraging them to focus on why they want to slim down and how they think they can achieve this.

Weight loss camps

What can be done if you, your GP and your school have tried every option and your child still has a serious weight problem? Issues surrounding food can be very complex especially in teenagers. In some cases eating may become a source of social stigma and deep emotional distress, seriously impacting on a young person’s mental health and academic achievement. This is why some parents are investing up to £6500 in residential weight reduction programmes such as WellspringUK in the Lake District National Park.

For the Wellspring recipe to work the young person must be ready for the challenge and want to spend a hefty chunk of their summer holiday taking part in activities such as hill walking, canoeing and abseiling.

Wellspring has hosted over 70 students from the UK and overseas this summer – 80 per cent of them girls. Ian Carter, programme director, states that this is the norm: “Girls are more aware of body image and the pressure on them to conform to supermodel thinness is considerable.”

Wellspring’s cognitive behavioural therapists work with young people to help them understand the impulses causing them to overeat and encourage them to make healthier choices. On its website, Wellspring states that its campers demonstrate an average weight loss of 4.25lb per week, nearly two and a half stone over an eight-week stay.

Ian Carter sees the boarding school tradition of sporting excellence as an advantage at Wellspring: “Having typically found sport a turn-off, our newly fit students realise that it’s a fun and enjoyable part of life. Private schools can include all the sport they want – whereas state schools are having to cut back on PE lessons because of the demands of SATS and the national curriculum.

“Boarding schools have the ability to generate funds, while state schools are having their budgets squeezed,” says Ian. “With the state of the economy today, a tight budget becomes an impossible budget.”

Funding for weight loss programmes

If finances are tight and you’re keen to find help for an overweight child, funding to Wellspring and other residential weight loss centres may be available through Primary Care Trusts. (For more details, contact your local trust direct or speak to your GP.)

Rotherham Primary Care Trust recently sent overweight children to Carnegie Weight Management, a non-profit organisation at Leeds Metropolitan University offering a range of weight loss programmes that have benefited over 4500 young people.

Like Wellspring, they avoid the boot camp ‘no pain, no gain’ label and have fostered an approach based on fun. Activities include dodge ball and kick-boxing, the word ‘diet’ is avoided and lifestyle classes such as smoothie-making encourage children to enjoy experimenting with healthy food. Prices start at £195 for a one-week attendance at day camp, rising to £3675 for the seven-week maximum residential course.

The government is now trying to ban schools and parents from using the word ‘obese’ in relation to children. Is this wise avoidance of a demotivating and derogatory label or a case of political correctness diluting the importance of a pressing problem? You tell us.

Have your say

Do schools do enough to help overweight children? Share your views by leaving a comment below. Plus: what's the food like at your children's school? Do they complain about it or is it as varied as the menu below?

A sample menu from an independent school

Breakfast Menu

Assorted cereals
Muesli bar
Toast & preserves
Tea, coffee & juice
Fresh fruit
Assorted flavoured yoghurts

Daily selection from the following hot items:
Porridge
Grilled back bacon
Grilled sausages
Scrambled egg
Baked beans
Spaghetti hoops
Boiled eggs
Grilled tomatoes
Mushrooms
Plum tomatoes

Lunch

Braised pork steak
with apples
Grilled cod with a rarebit
topping
Roasted vegetable quiche (v)

Minted new potatoes
Courgettes with cracked black pepper

Apple crunch


Salad Bar Menu

Daily selection from the following items:
Home cooked roast beef
Baked gammon ham
Roast turkey
Selection of continental meats
Coronation chicken
Egg mayonnaise
Tuna mayonnaise
Mature English Cheddar
Mixed leaves
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Pasta salad
Waldorf salad
Baby beetroot
Rice salad
Cous cous
Greek salad
Traditional coleslaw
Potato salad
Pickled onions
Five bean salad
Selection of sauces & pickles
Fresh fruit
Assorted flavoured yoghurts

Supper

Lamb stew and herb dumplings
Baked chicken Maryland
Stuffed cannelloni (v)

Creamed potatoes
Braised leeks

Fruit salad