Scottish Parent Teacher Council

Backchat Newsletter - Issue 70 - January 2003

In this issue

Food in Schools - Is it glorious

The Scottish Parent Teacher Council annual conference on 9th November 2002 looked at the issue of food in school. It was well attended by about seventy lively delegates. It kicked off with an open discussion recalling delegates' own experiences of school dinners. All but one confessed to having eaten them. Positive memories mainly focused on puddings although roast beef did get one honourable mention. Amongst the unfavourable memories, cabbage and other vegetables featured large.

However, when we fast-forwarded to today's youngsters, only about half of the delegates said that their children took school lunches. Some had very positive experiences. Delegates mentioned social benefits as well as the fact that school lunches offered youngsters an opportunity to try foods not normally eaten at home. There were mixed experiences on flexibility. One delegate told how her son could get sandwiches and eat them at the school chess club, but another said that the reason her daughter went out of school was because she could not take food out of the dining room to eat in a social area with her friends.

The healthy nature of school meals was discussed - with varying experiences ranging from "not at all" to "very healthy". One poor delegate remembered always eating spam because the preferred choices had always run out by the time she got her meal. This led to the consideration of the benefits of pre-ordered meals, although one mother cautioned that her five-year-old could not always remember what he had asked for.

Gillian Kynoch then talked more widely about the need to improve Scotland's health by improving the diet, starting with women's health before conception and going on through the child and adult years. She highlighted a number of areas that needed to be addressed, starting with the consumer, going back to the producer and including consideration of availability and manufacture. Although she said that the best way to be interested in food was to get stuck in and prepare it yourself, she acknowledged that most people needed to resort to convenience foods sometimes. However, there was no reason why these should not also be healthy. Small adjustments in manufacturing would reduce salt and sugar intake considerably.

Gillian Kynoch talked briefly about Hungry for Success, the report of the expert panel on school meals. This involved a number of Scottish Executive departments - health, social justice as well as education - emphasising the fact that a better diet required changing attitudes across society as a whole.

Questions focused on the problems of the fuel zones in Glasgow, which had been set up like fast food burger bars in an attempt to appeal to youngsters. There was also mention of the Glasgow PPP schools which had been built with small or no dining halls so that the schools could not cope with the numbers at lunchtime. Then there was the problem of children being bombarded with adverts for unhealthy foods and of the manufacturers of chips and/or sugary drinks sponsoring school dining halls or vending machines.

Tommy Sheridan talked about his proposals for free school meals for all. He viewed it as comparable with the Health Service and said that no one should have any problem with those who could afford to pay also enjoying the free service as they paid more through taxes. He highlighted the support the proposal had received from health professionals and said that the cash needed was readily available from current funding. Each year, since the Scottish Parliament had been set up, the Executive had had a surplus, which was big enough to pay the £175m cost of free school meals, provide for a contingency fund and still have money over.

In a vote at the end of his session, support for the proposal was almost unanimous. However, during further discussion in the afternoon workshops this was pulled back to support for free school meals in primary schools. In secondary schools the logistical problems were considered too massive whilst there was also a feeling that pupil choice about what they eat is an important aspect of growing up.

School Meals update

The Executive has announced it is going to follow through many of the recommendations in the Hungry for Success report.

It will limit the availability of chips to perhaps twice a week, increase the quality of food and make dining areas much more attractive places for youngsters to eat in. One suggestion, which might prove a little controversial, is that televisions, broadcasting Sky TV, should be installed where possible. So instead of junk food children get a diet of junk entertainment!

Membership and Insurance due

Oh dear, most people rush around in January wishing everyone a Happy New Year, and we simply remind you that Membership and Insurance are now due - talk about kill joys! Renewal forms and important information about the insurance were sent out at the end of November. Our thanks to everyone who has already rejoined. If you've lost the forms/they've not arrived, please contact the office. One really important piece of news is that we have persuaded the insurers to continue the cover for hired-in entertainers for a further trial period. It will be reviewed again at the end of August.

New Website

We've been planning to upgrade our website for some time and are pleased to tell you that this has now been done. We hope you find it easy to use. There's a feedback page for you tell us what you think and please, please, please, if you spot any mistakes, let us know. The address is: www.sptc.info

The Hopscotch Theatre Company

Once again, we're pleased to tell you about the Hopscotch Theatre Company (http://www.hopscotchtheatre.com/) who take theatre productions into schools.
The shows last for fifty-five minutes and are suitable for primary and special schools.
They get rave reviews everywhere they go.

The 2003 programme is

THE STORY OF SAINT MARGARET 27th Jan- 2nd May 2003;
KIDNAPPED 31st March - 27th June 2003;
THE ROMANS IN SCOTLAND 25th August - 21st November 2003;
CHRISTMAS PANTO (production still to be confirmed) Nov 2003 - Jan 2004.

Contact Details:

Write: Hopscotch Theatre Company, 7 Water Row, Glasgow G51 3UW
Phone/fax Susan on 0141 440 2025
Email: info@hopscotchtheatre.com/

See Me - I'm a person not a label

You may have seen the television ads "See me, I'm a person not a label". They are part of a campaign by the Scottish Executive aimed at ending stigma against mental illness.
As research shows that one in thirty children (i.e. one per class) suffer from depression, this is a very real consideration for all parents and all schools.
The starting point is simply to be aware of the problem and of how common it is. You can find more information on the campaign website www.seemescotland.org

Parent Checklist for Youth Activities

Over half a million young people take part in and really enjoy Scotland's 11,000 youth organisations and clubs. The youth organisations are constantly trying to strengthen their selection processes for recruiting leaders and improving their training provision, but parents should assure themselves about standards before allowing their own children/teenagers to join a club or group organisation.

The Scottish Executive has produced a leaflet of basic questions parents might ask about the status and credentials of any club and its leaders. It should have been distributed to all primary school children.
If you want copies for your school, phone the Scottish Executive on 0131-244 0271.

Head Lice - Again!

Talk about head lice being a recurring problem - we seem to be running a mini series on them and here's the story so far! The traditional method of treatment is to use powerful insecticide lotions but many parents are unhappy about putting this on their children's heads.

Then, in Backchat 68, we told you about Delacet, a natural product based on larkspur and acetic acid which a member said she had found to be very effective. In Backchat 69, at the prompting of another member, we reminded you of the "bug busting" method of solving the problem. This involves putting conditioner on wet, washed hair to make it slippery and then using a fine-toothed comb to remove any lice or nits. Now, the Executive is getting in on the act. They have recently issued draft guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children.

The document takes a very comprehensive look at the problem of head lice. It explains what they are, how they are caught - only through head to head contact - how they can be detected - through weekly wet combing - and how they can be treated. Interestingly, the guidelines state that there are two main accepted forms of treatment: - using insecticide lotions and the bug busting treatment.

The document emphasises that both treatments have to be used properly in order to be effective. Moreover, the insecticide lotions should only be used if a living louse is found on the head and should never be used as a preventative measure. With the bug busting treatment, the guidelines say the important thing is to carry out the treatment carefully and daily for long enough, possibly for three weeks.

Once the draft guidance has been approved, the Executive plans to issue advice material for parents. Watch this space for the next exciting instalment!

Review of School Boards - Banks Report

School Boards are the official parent committees in school. They receive funding from the authority, are usually supported by a parent officer, have a right to request information and are involved in appointing senior staff. However, they have not been a rip-roaring success in terms of getting parents involved. This is partly because so few parents can be involved - even in a school of over 1,000 pupils, the number of parent board members is only six. The Scottish Executive has therefore undertaken a review of school boards, in particular their funding, effectiveness and how good they are at involving parents. The conclusions are detailed in the Banks Report, which you can find on our website.

Not surprisingly the review found that the election process, the formal nature of boards and the heavy workload were off-putting to many parents. However, it did not offer many sensible options on the way forward. The Executive has said that it will set up a consultation process involving all parents on what to do next. We will contribute to that with a questionnaire to all our members on how they think parents can be better involved in their children's education. Meanwhile, you can read our views on the Way Forward for parental involvement on our website, in "Consultations".

Regional Meetings

We are setting up a new programme of regional meetings and would be pleased to hear from anyone willing to host one. All you do is take out the let and provide the tea and coffee - we do the rest. It's a good chance to compare notes with other local PTAs/PAs

And finally - You can't be serious!

The Times Educational Supplement Scotland, a normally measured and informative journal, recently carried the following report: "Asian sexologists have called for more sexual education to beat the economic slump. The view is that if people have sex more often, they will be happier and more motivated to work and consequently the economy will improve".

It offers an interesting possible solution to the Executive's drive to raise attainment in schools!

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