Lynn Ruane (Independent)
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I thank the witnesses for their presentations. I must try to think to whom I will direct my questions, because many of them are general statements and I am probably going to vent more than anything so I apologise. Something in which I have had a personal interest for a long time is physical fitness and well-being in schools, particularly in disadvantaged schools. Dr. Murrin pointed out the difference in the prevalence of obesity between disadvantaged schools and advantaged schools. I would love to know why this is and I had a conversation with my daughter and many of her friends over the past week on this topic. They all go to different schools and I asked them what they did during physical education. One of them said the PE teacher really liked football so he played a lot of football with the boys and the girls were just told to take hula hoops and footballs from the equipment room and they did a bleep test every now and again. This is what has been happening and it is really unfair. I know all schools are not like this but the problem is that it is so hit and miss. How do we set a standard and ensure people adhere to it?

We need to be creative and innovative. Many young people care about their physical health. I know where I train there are teen TRX classes, which are full to the brim of young people who also learn about nutrition. Obviously this not enough children, but they are involved. Is there room, and perhaps this question is for the Department, to be a bit more specialised in physical education? If someone likes basketball or football, that is great, but if children do not like them, it is tough luck. Is there room for accreditation for young people working towards points or having a certificate in nutrition, PT training or gym courses, so they have something to work for and it is an incentive for them to enjoy it? It would not just be with the PE teacher, but specialised coaches would be brought in who really are engaged and know what they are talking about. Is there room for PE teachers to become trainers? I do not know about accreditation.

Some of the feedback I got from some of the girls to whom I spoke was a little worrying, in the sense some of them spoke about being embarrassed, because they were slightly overweight in secondary school, with the idea of getting changed in dressing rooms and the pressure it brought on, and not feeling as fit as some of the other children. One young girl spoke about the fact she almost stopped eating and she was counting her macros and calories and had her fitness pal and was watching every morsel.

We must be mindful of the potential for children to develop eating disorders as a consequence of feeling embarrassed about their weight and under pressure to lose pounds. We need a balance between promoting healthy living and watching out for those who may, through being obese, become isolated and experience the impact on their mental health. Both issues must be addressed in tandem.

I hope Dr. Murrin can answer my question about the differences between advantaged and disadvantaged schools. The departmental officials might respond to my query about accreditation and the more specialised stuff. I am interested in hearing from any of the delegates on the mental health aspects.