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Schools in healthy eating programme do better in national tests

Rebecca Smithers and James Meikle
Wednesday March 9, 2005
The Guardian


Primary schools which belong to the government's national healthy schools programme, where pupils are better fed and exercised, have outperformed others in national tests in reading, writing, maths and science, according to research.

The findings will underline the link between healthy life style and educational attainment and put fresh pressure on ministers to spend more money per head on school meals amid a growing public debate about poor nutritional standards. The debate has been fuelled by Channel 4's TV series Jamie's School Dinners, in which the chef Jamie Oliver has called for the government to raise spending per pupil from 37p to 50p.

The research, commissioned by the government, analysed the test results of 2,314 schools in 16 local education authorities in inner-city and rural areas. The measure of improvement used was the change in the proportion of 11-year-old pupils achieving level 4 (the expected standard for their age) or higher in English, maths and science at the end of so-called key stage two. Progress was measured over one year (2003-04) and two years (2002-04).

It found that all 496 schools which had already achieved healthy status reported a greater rate of progress over two years in all three subjects. The improvement was small - 1.5% across the three subjects - but the fact that it was universal to all 496 schools suggests that it was significant.

Under government targets, half of all schools must achieve the healthy schools status by December 2006, reaching minimum standards in healthy eating, physical activity, sex and drug education, emotional health and well-being. Around 14,000 schools are involved so far, of which 7,300 have achieved the status.

Colin Noble, acting head of the national healthy schools programme, said: "These results clearly demonstrate that investment in the healthy schools programme brings educational benefits as well as health-oriented ones."

News of the research came as the fast food giant McDonald's, attempting to stave off criticism of its products, launched the "McCarrot". It said almost three-quarters of its extended Happy Meals range for children will contain at least one fruit or vegetable option. New products will include carrot sticks as an alternative to fries and leaflets will list the fat, sugar, salt and calories in different combinations.

The £7.4m changes come weeks after the public health minister, Melanie Johnson, criticised fast food companies for sending contradictory messages in the battle against obe sity by offering two-for-one burger promotions and other incentives aimed at children.

Peter Beresford, chief executive of McDonald's UK, said: "Clearly parents are considering the health of their children and are aware of childhood obesity... They have told us they want more choice and more fruit and vegetables."


Healthy Living
More on the report
Report in full (pdf)

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Comment
20.02.2005: Only Jamie can do dinners at 37p
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15.02.2005: Turkey's off
14.12.2004: Food fight




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