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Schools should stop telling parents how to raise their children, Ofsted report says

There is no evidence to suggest that teachers’ attempts to “influence” parents makes children healthier
There is no evidence to suggest that teachers’ attempts to “influence” parents makes children healthier

Schools should stop telling parents how to raise their children and focus on PE and cooking lessons to tackle obesity, an Ofsted report has found.

There is no evidence to suggest that teachers’ attempts to “influence” parents makes children healthier, according to the schools watchdog.

Inspectors visited 60 primary schools around the country as part of a study into whether school are having an impact on levels of childhood obesity levels.

The report concluded that schools should concentrate on improving existing provision such as PE lessons, dancing lessons and cooking classes.

Teachers should not waste time on endeavours that  go “beyond their core educational role” as this may lead to “unintended consequences”, the report warned.

“How much workload is being created in planning and delivering events around health that parents struggle to attend?” the report said.

“One of the most striking things from the evidence given to us by schools is how much effort is being put into activities designed to influence parents without any evidence that they either have an impact or are what parents want.”

The report said that parents want to see more time in the curriculum for PE lessons, and added that “tight funding” need not be a barrier to this.

Schools should focus on PE and cooking lessons to tackle obesity, an Ofsted report has found
Schools should focus on PE and cooking lessons to tackle obesity, an Ofsted report has found

While swimming require a pool and cycling requires bikes, there are plenty of activities that are relatively cheap, such as dodgeball.

Amanda Spielman, Ofsted’s chief inspector, said that schools cannot provide a "silver bullet" to tackle childhood obesity.

Schools can help encourage healthy lifestyles and exercise as part of the curriculum, but they must not be expected to address all aspects of the problem, she said.

The research found "no pattern" to suggest school-level interventions alone, such as having a kitchen onsite or a member of staff leading on obesity, were linked with higher or lower levels of obesity.

There are are "too many factors beyond the school gate" for them to have a "direct and measurable" impact on children's weight, according to the report.

"We must also recognise that schools cannot provide a silver bullet for all societal ills,” Ms Spielman said.

"Teachers and school leaders are already stretched; they should not be held responsible for an issue that requires concerted action across the board.

"Families, government, industry, and other parts of the public sector all have a role to play in making food and drink healthier, and supporting children to make better choices."

The Ofsted report comes just weeks after the Government published the second chapter of its childhood obesity strategy, which called for a united effort to halve childhood obesity by 2030.

It warns schools focusing on activities other than education risk may fail to improve health, help children lose weight and teach them what they need to know.