Parents give sweet-ban head a taste of support

Published on Saturday 24 February 2007 11:57

PARENTS have come out in force to back a headteacher who banned children eating sweets and chocolate in his primary school.

Leith Primary head Alasdair Friend introduced the new rules at the start of the week, but was forced to back down after angry parents complained to education chiefs.

They claimed the ruling was taking away their right to give their children "treats".

But now a number of parents have come forward to give their support to the ban and to Mr Friend.

Evening News readers also joined the healthy-eating debate, with almost 200 posting comments on the online message board - many of them supporting Mr Friend's actions.

Kate Marks, 45, from Claremont Park, Leith, has a five-year-old daughter Ellie at Leith Primary School, and son Harvey, three, who next year will attend Leith nursery.

She also helps organise the annual Parents Like Us healthy living festival for children under-six in Leith in May.

Ellie has had to have all her baby teeth removed after they had become black by the age of four.

Her mother blames a combination of sweets and orange juice and antibiotics given to her daughter as a baby to cure an eye infection, which she believes damaged the enamel.

Mrs Marks said it was easier to keep her daughter satisfied with healthy food in school if other children are not eating sweets.

She said: "If my child sees sweets she wants them. It's the most basic form of peer pressure. "My daughter had a few sweet things as a child, but not a lot. And she drank quite a lot of fresh orange juice, which I later found out is one of the worst things they can have for teeth."

Angus Miller, from Leith Links, has a seven-year-old son, Duncan, at the school and his four-year-old daughter Jessica is at nursery.

He believes the ban was one of a number of "positive changes" Mr Friend has made at the school.

However, he believes some flexibility is needed to make healthy eating work in the school.

The 37-year-old said: "An awful lot of parents actually support what the school is trying to do.

"We don't want our kids to be eating something that's bad for them all the time.

"I do think that maybe things should have been made a bit clearer as to what was allowed and what wasn't.

"Mr Friend has now said in his newsletter that this is voluntary, and that the school would be encouraging healthy eating. I know parents would like to see this and would like to work with the school to make it successful."

Mr Friend's ban was strongly criticised by mum Janet McWhirter, who claimed chocolate bars were confiscated from her two sons, aged five and eight, by teachers.

The ban was lifted when city council chiefs told the headteacher that he has no authority to dictate what children have in their packed lunch.

The school plans to open up a healthy eating tuck shop after Easter.