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School children to be 'locked in' at lunch time to make them eat school dinners
Last updated at 23:52pm on 05.09.07
Jamie Oliver backed the idea of keeping school children in at lunchtimes
When Jamie Oliver launched his crusade to make school dinners healthier the only complaints seemed to come from pupils who fled in droves to their local chip shops.
But one council has come up with an innovative solution to the problem - lock the youngsters in at lunchtime.
Under plans being drawn up in Wales, children could be shut in to force them to eat healthy dinners.
Gates at seven secondary schools would be locked to prevent the daily exodus of children who go to chip shops and burger joints for lunch.
Education chiefs in Denbighshire, North Wales, are frustrated that pupils have rejected the healthy menus they introduced last year.
They hope that, by locking the school gates, youngsters will have no choice but to use the school canteen and eat something nutritious.
The controversial plan won the support of Jamie Oliver yesterday.
He said: "Kids should be kept on the school premises at lunchtime, so it will be interesting to see how the Denbighshire situation progresses."
In Jamie's School Dinners - broadcast in 2005 - the chef exposed the scandal of cheap and fatty school meals.
He said cut-price food was creating obese and unhealthy children.
Locking pupils in at lunchtime is one of a number of options being considered by the council.
However, schools would have the final say on whether to keep children in school during the dinner hour.
The decision to let pupils leave school at lunchtime is generally made by heads and governing bodies.
Many secondary schools allow sixth-formers to leave school for lunch as long as they return in good time for afternoon lessons.
A spokesman for Denbighshire Council said it was hoped that the policy would "ensure pupils are given a healthy food option".
He said: "Schools and the council have a duty of care towards its pupils throughout the school day, including lunchtimes, and this policy would look at only allowing those with parental consent to leave school for lunch."
The council says pupils were not taking up healthy options with 40 per cent more children eating school dinners when fast food was served.
Up to 400,000 pupils across the UK had deserted school dinners since the campaign to improve lunches began, according to figures published this week.
Last year, mothers began a delivery service through the playground fence at a school in Rotherham.
They offered fish and chips, hamburgers and fizzy drinks to youngsters bored with the school's healthy menu.
Eleri Jones, headmistress at Ysgol Brynhyfryd in Ruthin, said the school would consider the Denbighshire plan for younger children.
Older pupils would still be allowed out because of their need for independence, she added.
A report on the plan goes before the county's resources scrutiny committee today.
But one parent said: "You can't lock the gates at lunchtime. It will be like a red rag to a bull and there will be mass breakouts of kids desperate to get their hands on crisps, chips and fizzy drinks."
Bright classrooms can lead children to misbehave, study reveals
Fluorescent lights can hamper learning and cause pupils to misbehave, according to research published today.
The lights create an imperceptible flicker which causes headaches and impairs concentration, claim Cambridge University researchers.
Interactive whiteboards which are used with overhead projectors add to the problem by reflecting light into children's eyes, the study found.
Nine out of ten classrooms are too bright, researchers will tell the British Educational Research Association conference in London.
Excessive lighting can make it harder for pupils to read accurately and teachers may also notice an increase in "off-task" behaviour, their study warns.
j.narain@dailymail.co.uk
Reader views (13)
The whole notion of school dinners is ludicrous. In the Netherlands, where I lived for several years, the kids just bring a packed lunch. The Dutch would find it ridiculous that our schools have kitchens and people working in them all morning. And remember that in the recent UNESCO study into child well being the Dutch came top and we came bottom.
It's not the taxpayers' job to feed children. The only reason that this anachronism remains is that the government knows that in our broken society it's a way of making sure that some children get a decent meal each (school) day.
- John, Bangkok, Thailand
Walk in any town centre at the weekend and you will see kids in buggies being fed crisps, chocolate, sausage rolls etc. Many parents feed their offspring junk food and ready meals at home from an early age so that's why they get a taste for it. Jamie did a fantastic job and all he got was slated for it by some very ignorant people who should realise that kids don't know what's best for them and they should not be given a choice to eat rubbish all the time.
- Steve, Hereford
And what type of little facist do you think you will be creating for the future if you lock up children in an attempt to force them to eat food they just don't want to eat?
- Henry Adams, Manchester, UK
Is this the stupidest idea of all time, or just a sign of a sadist on the job? Do they know about eating disorders and how to make them worse?
They did this to me at my primary school 40ish years ago. That was, until one day when I really wanted to go out and play, forced all the muck down, and then found that my stomach rebelled in a spectacular fashion. After that happened twice, they gave up.
To this day, I can't even look at swedes without feeling ill.
- Nigel, London
I'm with Pa Roddy on this. Why are children who are still considered minors by law, allowed out of school at lunchtime without supervision? At my own school only those in the sxith form were allowed out a lunchtime and this was a privilege not a right. Furthermore if it helps a generation of children to eat more healthily it can't be a bad thing.
- S.Pearce, London
Jamie should do something about his own cooking. I only see him in advertisements never in his restaurant.
- Steve O, London
Good for Jamie Oliver for trying to do something about nasty, unhealthy school dinners. I remember as a child in the 80s day after day it was chips, chips and more chips for school lunch and more often than not we would cover our chips in lots of salt. Jamie has made an effort to use his fame and influence for the better, now it's down to teachers/individuals at schools and parents to encourage kids to eat properly - the poor guy can't do everything! Parents especially need to make more effort if you ask me.
- Headhunter, London
This is totally unworkable. The problem like so many things these days is down to bad parenting. Maybe people should have to pass an exam and get a licence before they can have children.
- Michael, London, EC4
I'm just curious as to why exactly these children are allowed off school premises in the first place? We were never allowed out at lunchtime in school unless we had explicit permission to be off the premises, everyone was allowed in the playground or in certain other places on the school grounds.
- Pa Roddy, London
Young Oliver is better for supermarket commercials only!
- Strong, London
Children are these days extremely big and unhealthy - and do little or no exercise. Of course anyone would prefer a bar of chocolate to a piece of fruit. I'm an adult so of course a child would go for the chocolate whenever it was offered. However, to reduce an epidemic of a nation which is overweight and under nourished we have to do what we have to do. People are so quick to complain but all I can see lately are Britney lookalikes - girls who are 16 but look so much older because they are overweight and have puffy bloated bad skin.
- Jk, London
I think little Jamie should stick to TV commercials.
- Armen, London
This is mad: you cannot lock young children up! Maybe Jamie can do this to keep people in his restaurant! Last time I was there the food was revolting.
- Georgie, London
