Up and running

One idea that stands out from the Government’s war on childhood obesity is to encourage exercise in schools. This is a belated conversion to common sense and unlike some of the other proposals being outlined today, it cannot be criticised as a case of nannying going too far. It is ridiculous that Britain has become such a sedentary country: children simply don’t do enough exercise.

The causes are various. Schools sold off fields. Left-wing teachers turned against team sports. Because of the internet, children stopped going outside to play. And growing numbers live too far away from schools to walk to them – an unintended outcome of the good change that is increased school choice. Ultimately, parents have to take responsibility for their family’s health, but for that part of the day when children are at school, it’s the state’s duty to ensure they are working off loose energy. No one can say this is anti-academic: humanity has known for centuries that a healthy body fashions a mind more open to learning. As John Locke, the English philosopher, put it: “A sound mind in a sound body, is a short, but full description of a Happy state in this World.”

One particularly good proposal is the Daily Mile scheme, which was designed by a Scottish head teacher in 2012 – pupils run for 15 minutes a day. There’s nothing to stop teachers implementing this, and on top of regular PE lessons. Any complaint that an institution does not have the time betrays a false sense of priorities. So often it is the poorest students who show the greatest incidence of obesity and would thus benefit the most from a new regimen. It would be sheer negligence to condemn them to an unhealthy adulthood.