Bullies 'exploit' healthy eating

Jamie Oliver spearheaded a campaign to reform school dinners

Children vulnerable to eating disorders are being put under increased pressure by the government's school dinner reforms, a teachers' union has said.

The healthy eating plan in England has given bullies "seeming justification" to target children about their size, warns the NASUWT.

It said children of increasingly young ages are developing eating disorders.

The Department for Education said it worked with schools to take tough action against all forms of bullying.

"Clearly it's vital that young people take part in sport at school and eat healthy meals," a spokesman said.

"But schools should not tolerate bullying related to weight or any other issue."

'Deeply hidden'

The government promised £280m to improve school dinners in England, including tougher nutritional guidelines, following a campaign by the TV chef Jamie Oliver.

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates told a union event in Manchester that bullying over body image was a much neglected issue.

"There is anecdotal evidence that the government's important and well intentioned healthy eating programme for schools has increased the pressure on overweight youngsters and made them even more vulnerable," she said.

Media coverage of the strategies and TV programmes on overweight youngsters had in some cases oversimplified the issues, she added.

She also warned the problem of homophobic bullying was an "even more deeply hidden" problem with many pupils unwilling to report incidents.