01 March 2024 , 14:27
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Parents have been left furious after a primary school enforced a rule making students eat outside in the 'freezing cold' - as it will help their 'mental health'.
Teachers at Locks Heath Junior School in Southampton, Hants, have started 40-minute picnics outside to let 'more children eat together' and to lower 'the risk of contagions'. But parents are far from pleased, as they've hit back and called the new rule 'absolutely disgusting'.
Karen Upton's daughter, Maddison, is in Year Six at the school. Karen says the new rule has angered her to the point that she would have taken Maddison out of school if she wasn't in her final year. She said: "[My daughter] has asthma and in this weather, she suffers from a horrendous cough.
"She should not be outside and without her inhaler. Maddison has been ill a lot recently and she is off sick at the moment, and I ask myself, is this the reason why? It is good to get fresh air, but the children are being made to have their lunch outside."
Karen continued: "They are being treated like monkeys in a zoo. I drop my daughter off to school hoping she will be safe and well, but the staff are not ensuring that. Maddison came home and told me she was freezing outside. I would like the school to give pupils the option of sitting inside or outside."
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A dad of a Year Five student at the school, who didn't want to give his name, also called the move 'absolutely disgusting'. He expressed his concern, saying: "The children are being kicked out of school for 40 minutes in the freezing cold to eat their lunch, and that's not on. This needs to be highlighted as it is a massive failing."
In response, Natasha Farrell, the headteacher of Locks Heath Junior School, said both students and parents have reacted well to the changes. She explained: "We have always used outside space for picnicking on dry days and when it is not too cold. We use sheltered courtyards around the school. There is a benefit to children in terms of their mental health and because it reduces the risk of contagions. On cold or wet days, we eat inside the building.
"This is quite common in schools up and down the country. Children opting for a hot school dinner eat in our hall, with a few spaces made available for children with health conditions or when they are convalescing from an illness", she added.
Ms Farrell also mentioned new picnic benches arrived on Monday, providing more outdoor seating for the kids. She said: "This arrangement allows more children to eat together freeing up staff so we can offer a greater range of play activities and enables a longer time to enjoy them." The school, which Ofsted rates as Good, regularly gathers the opinions of children about different aspects of school life, Ms Farrell said.