‘Lengthen lunch times for more active play’
SCHOOLS are being advised to increase the length of their lunch breaks so that children have enough time to exercise, socialise, and make healthy food choices.
The recommendation is one of many that has come out of an investigation looking at what the local authority can do to ensure children have the healthiest start in life possible.
It follows national concerns that declining levels of activity and rising obesity rates are growing among young people.
Neath Port Talbot Council has now approved a series of recommendations made by its own task and finish group which seek to promote healthy living among pupils in the county’s schools.
They include increasing the variety of sports available to pupils, consulting children when canteen food menus are put together, appointing a health and wellbeing governor, and increasing the number of pupils walking or cycling to school.
Schools are also being encouraged, where necessary, to “give serious consideration” to lengthening the lunch break and are discouraged from shortening it.
Within Neath Port Talbot school lunch breaks vary between 40 minutes and 55 minutes.
It is understood some schools are cutting the length of lunch breaks to save money, manage certain behavioural
issues, and to help stop bullying.
According to the report there is “robust evidence” that a longer school lunch break has demonstrable effects on general physical activity, wellbeing and learning.
Council officers have even suggested that lunchtime supervisors in schools could be replaced with play workers to help improve the physical health of children.
Councillor Alex Thomas, who led the task and finish group, said: “There seemed to be two significant underlying concerns that we picked up from teachers about the physical health of children in schools – declining levels of physical activity, with the increase of digital play, and the ubiquity of marketing on unhealthy food choices.
“We needed to look at how to improve their diet and how to get them taking more exercise – it’s not just formal exercise but active play outdoors.
“We picked up evidence of lunch breaks being reduced in some schools and the fundamental issue there is that if you want children to make healthy choices they need to have time to think about it, not just grab the first thing on offer at the snack bar.
“You’ve also got to allow them time to socialise, which is good for learning social skills and their mental health, as well as time for active play.”
The research group found that it was “very possible” most of unstructured, active play among children occurred in school break times, with traditional outdoor recreation decreasing due to digital play and parents being more reluctant to allow children to play outside the home for extended periods of time.
Officers also noted there had been a shift in funding at a national level towards elite sport which had removed resources from community provision.
In the report, which went before cabinet at a recent meeting, concerns were similarly raised about the diminishing time set aside for physical education (PE) with recommendations around encouraging schools to review the timetabling of food technology and PE classes to ensure adequate time was allowed for preparation and post-lesson activity.
Council officers said there was a dearth of specialist teacher support for PE in primary schools and acknowledged transport was an obstacle to participation.
Cllr Thomas said: “In going into schools we picked up anecdotal evidence that unfortunately PE was being edged out of the curriculum through a focus on literacy and numeracy, which are of course massively important, but something has to make room for that extra focus and it appears PE lessons have been the ones to suffer in some schools.
“The biggest single barrier to getting swimming lessons in school, which is not just good for fitness but an essential life skill, is the cost of getting children to the swimmingpools.
“If we can find ways of minimising the costs for schools in renting coaches by helping them come together then we could maximise the opportunities open to the children.”
The report stated that 95% of pupils in Neath Port Talbot would like to do more sport of some kind, with swimming being in demand among pupils along with mountain biking, cycling, trampolining and gymnastics, as well as the more traditional sports like football and netball.
The council is looking into ways it can facilitate the sharing of sports resources between schools and the potential collaboration in afterschool activities.
Furthermore, if funding can be found, the council will look to create a part-time post for a healthy schools co-ordinator, to work with schools and the health board.
The research conducted by the council included consultation with Professor Simon Murphy at Cardiff University and an NHS healthy schools co-ordinator.
Cllr Thomas said: “What works in one school is not guaranteed to work in another, but the two exceptions to this general rule are the promotion of active travel to and from school and the extension of lunch breaks.
“By increasing the lunch break and encouraging more pupils to walk or cycle to school there will be far wider benefits in terms of physical activity and general health.
“Healthy nutrition and exercise pay dividends in terms of behaviour and academic attainment.”