Parents required to have school run permits to curb child obesity

Schools would issue only a limited number, to encourage more youngsters to walk or cycle.

The idea comes from Dr Tim Crayford, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health.

He also said schools should consider banning pupils from leaving during their lunch break, to stop them buying fast food.

Scroll down for more...

It is also suggested that lessons in healthy eating should be compulsory for children as young as five.

Dr Crayford, who is also director of public health at Croydon Primary Care Trust, outlined his ideas at a seminar on childhood obesity staged by the Policy Exchange think-tank.

He said a permit scheme could be part of the homeschool agreements most parents sign when their children are admitted to a school.

Decisions on granting permits would take into account how far away a child lived.

But Dr Crayford admitted schools could not be forced to adopt a permit scheme.

On healthy eating lessons, he said he was concerned that the lack of mandatory advice was allowing some schools to skimp on the subject.

The number of fat children has doubled in ten years with one in four aged 11 to 15 classified as obese - so overweight that it threatens their health.

Dr Crayford wants a set of national standards on dietary education which would spell out what children should know and when.

He said even five-year-olds should acquire a basic understanding and learn that some foods, such as crisps, are not considered healthy and should be limited.

Lessons in healthy eating would include teaching about fats and other food groups, the importance of five portions a day of fruit and vegetables and how to read food labels.

Dr Crayford said the subject should be carefully introduced from children's earliest years at school because youngsters can show signs of future weight problems even before they reach five.

Currently, schools must cover healthy diets and lifestyles but only in science lessons.

PSHE (personal, social and health education), where teachers could cover the subject in more detail and give guidance on healthy eating, is not compulsory.

While the vast majority of schools include it on their curriculum, they have discretion over the content of lessons.

Dr Crayford stressed that his ideas were not his association's formal policy but said he was outlining some of the suggestions it had received.

Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said last night: "The idea of kids walking or cycling to school is a very good one, but putting this duty on to schools would seem completely wrong.

"Overweight and obese children should get exercise but their parents, not schools, should insist they walk or cycle.

"Schools would willingly encourage that but it should not be a further duty."

A spokesman for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority said: "Healthy eating has to be covered in science and it is there right from the beginning."