Responding to Labour's Child Health Action Plan, including plans
for supervised toothbrushing as part of new breakfast club
provision, and expanded mental health support, Paul Whiteman,
general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said:
“While it’s good to see that supervising toothbrushing won’t be a
part of the school day itself, or an expectation of teachers, we
remain somewhat sceptical about how this will work in practice.
“Questions remain about access to the facilities required to make
this proposal work and the staffing implications for breakfast
clubs. There is no doubt that, as a nation, we should be focused
on improving children’s dental health, but this will certainly
need further thought and additional funding. It is important that
we don't inadvertently send the message to parents that basic
care such as tooth brushing is something that can or should be
outsourced to schools.
“Many schools already have breakfast clubs for pupils, and we
support their expansion where practically possible. However, it’s
important that this policy is fully funded, and we should look at
a variety of models for how such clubs a can be delivered without
expecting more from existing school staff.
“Similarly, Labour’s focus on and proposals for greater mental
health support is welcome, but it must be recognised that
significant investment will be required to rebuild the health and
support services that have been so eroded over the last decade.”
