Mums' fury at school sweets ban

Published on Thursday 22 February 2007 11:52

A HEADTEACHER ordered chocolate bars to be seized from children after declaring a ban on sweets in an Edinburgh primary.

Leith Primary head Alasdair Friend introduced the new rules this week in a drive to improve the diet of children at the school.

But he was forced to back down after only two days when furious parents complained to the council about sweets being confiscated.

City council chiefs have now told Mr Friend he has no authority to dictate what children have in their packed lunch.

Parents today said the short-lived ban at the St Andrew's Place school had been "ridiculous".

They were told about the new rules coming in on Monday in a newsletter earlier this month.

Some chose to ignore it, believing it would never be enforced, but it is claimed when Mr Friend spotted eight-year-old Ian McWhirter with a Twix at lunchtime he immediately seized it.

The youngster's little brother Stephen, five, also had a Kit-Kat taken off him by a teacher.

The boys' mother Janet, 42, of Duke Street, a cleaner, said: "We received a newsletter from the headteacher saying no more sweets would be allowed to be brought into school.

"That's taking parents' rights away from them. Surely it's up to us what we give out children for their lunch.

"My boys brush their teeth. They get their five fruit and vegetables a day, why shouldn't they enjoy a treat at lunchtime?"

Sara Bremner, 31, of Restalrig Road, whose son Ryan, 11, and daughter Kia, six, attend the school, added: "I think it's absolutely ridiculous.

"How dare they tell me what I can feed my child. My kids don't eat a lot of sweets, they don't get any after school but they enjoy a treat at lunchtime and I enjoy giving it to them."

Mr Friend's bid to improve children's diets at the school includes plans to open a healthy tuck shop after Easter selling fruit and low-fat foods.

He surveyed parents on what they wanted their children to eat before Christmas, and believed outlawing treats during school time would be a popular move.

The newsletter said the ban was being introduced with the support of the school board and 82 per cent of parents. The letter went on to warn that any sweets would be confiscated and returned at the end of the day, adding "the school definition of a sweet includes Kit-Kat and Twix bars etc".

And it claimed that legislation going through the Scottish Parliament would prohibit sweets in school. In fact, the Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Bill will only apply to the sale of sweets in schools, not food brought in by pupils.

An education spokeswoman at the council said today: "The headteacher genuinely thought he had the support of parents and the school board. He now realises that some parents have come out against him and he cannot impose it as a rule.

"As an authority we can't tell parents what to put in their children's lunch box."

SNP education spokeswoman and Lothians MSP Fiona Hyslop said the case highlighted the need for a "commonsense" approach to healthy eating.

"There is a serious drive on in schools just now for healthy eating," she said, "But you have to do it in a commonsense way that takes the children with you. Confiscating sweets is maybe not the best way of persuading pupils to eat healthily."

Colin Mackay, Edinburgh secretary of the EIS teachers union, added: "The headteacher must not take powers that are beyond what is reasonable.

"In this instance everyone's heart was in the right place and if there is a conflict between the parents and the school they should try and work that out together."