58 organisations – including prominent academics, health charities and advocacy groups – have written to the Education Secretary, urging the government to protect children from misleading and harmful classroom materials funded by unhealthy product industries.
The letter warns that resources are being used in schools to teach children about harms made by the very companies producing the harmful products. Evidence shows such materials routinely misrepresent evidence, normalise harmful behaviours, and shift responsibility for harm onto individuals, including children.
Chris van Tulleken, Professor of Infectious Disease and Global Health at University College London said:
We wouldn’t let Big Tobacco teach children about smoking. So why are we allowing the alcohol, gambling, and junk food industries into classrooms? Allowing these industries into schools distorts learning and helps industry establish the next generation of customers.
The group is calling on the government to issue clear guidance – as Ireland has done – stipulating that schools must avoid using materials funded by harmful industries. They argue that all educational content on these topics must be developed, delivered and evaluated independently, free from vested interests.
The letter also urges the Department for Education to recognise its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, including recognising the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health – and to take concrete action to protect that right effectively.
In The Guardian, a Department for Education spokesperson said:
Through our plan for change we have already strengthened statutory guidance to address these concerns, making it clear that schools should check that external resources are unbiased and should guard against organisations that have a broader interest in promoting harmful products.
Schools are responsible for setting their own policies on these subjects, in line with this guidance, and are best placed to decide what materials, speakers or organisations to use based on their knowledge of their pupils and communities.