Minister calls for lunchtime lock-in at schools to stop rush for chippie. The Guardian

Shocking new research into schoolchildren's lunch habits adds to concerns over obesity

A gaggle of schoolchildren at the chip shop is a common scene in Britain's high streets - but it may not be for much longer. The children's minister, Kevin Brennan, has called for secondary pupils under the age of 16 to be locked in school grounds at lunchtime to stop them from stocking up on sweets, fizzy drinks and takeaways.

The proposal comes as damning new research reveals the extent to which children pass through school gates to buy large quantities of food that is high in fat and sugar. Some pupils left school to buy junk food more than 11 times a week.

With soaring numbers of children now dangerously overweight, Brennan said one answer was to keep millions of pupils inside the gates. 'Some schools have a stay-on-site policy for 11- to 16-year-olds but lets the sixth form go off-site. I'm very strongly supportive of that approach. I would like to see more schools operating some sort of stay-on-site policy because its advantages are shown not just in improved uptake [of healthy school lunches], but also improved behaviour and community relationships.'

But any plans to lock children in were attacked as Orwellian by parents yesterday, while headteachers argued that it was not possible to police pupil movement. 'Much as schools would like to keep children on site at lunch time, the number of exits in some - as many as 20 - make this almost impossible,' said John Dunford, general-secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders.

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