A soft drinks ban at a Fife school could have pupils fizzing next week.
Fizzy drinks will be banned from Kirkcaldy High School from Monday when pupils return from their October break. Head teacher Derek Allan said the aim was to protect pupils’ health and prevent tooth decay and obesity.
While carbonated juice and energy drinks such as Red Bull were removed from school tuck shops and canteens across Fife some time ago, Mr Allan has gone a step further and has prohibited the consumption of such drinks anywhere within the building.
In a letter to parents, he has asked them to ensure packed lunches do not contain carbonated, sugary drinks but said water, milk and fruit juice are still acceptable.
The ban has not been extended to sugar-free fizzy drinks.
Mr Allan has the support of Fife Council, but one parent claimed he had gone too far and questioned if it would make any difference. The 42-year-old dad, who asked not to be named, said: “I can see what he’s trying to do but kids who want to drink that stuff will still drink it.
“They’ll just go outside the gate. Surely it would only work if he banned sugary sweets and chocolate and other unhealthy stuff as well. It’s up to parents to police what their kids eat, not schools.”
Fife Council education spokesman Brian Poole described the initiative as forward thinking.
“I have to say I would support him 100%,” he said.
“There is overwhelming evidence that fizzy drinks affect tooth decay and sugar is linked to obesity. If the school is taking this approach then it’s pretty forward thinking and I would support the principle of it. Good on him.”
In his letter to parents, Mr Allan said there was a growing body of compelling evidence to suggest carbonated, sugary drinks and energy drinks could have a harmful effect on young people.
“The high sugar content is linked to tooth decay, obesity, diabetes and hyperactivity, and high caffeine intake is also known to harm health,” he said.
“For this reason, we have decided to ban all consumption of such drinks in our refectory or anywhere within the building.”
He added: “We appreciate that this ban will not be popular with all our pupils and also understand that it may be difficult to monitor.
“Nevertheless, it is the right thing to do and I hope that you will appreciate our commitment to health and wellbeing by supporting our stance on this matter.”
Gavin Partington of the British Association of Soft Drinks agreed it was important young people learned about the health benefits of following a balanced diet and an active lifestyle but added: “It has quite rightly been pointed out that obesity is a complex problem with many causal factors and it is unlikely that a blanket ban on vending machines in schools is going to make much difference.”