Councillor bemoans Doncaster schools who '˜hand out sweets and chocolate' to children for doing well

A Doncaster councillor has claimed some borough schools hand out sweets and chocolate to pupils as rewards.Â

Conservative Sprotborough councillor Cynthia Ransome made the comments during a full council meeting on Thursday night. 

Coun Ransome didn't name the schools in question but asked cabinet member for children, Coun Nuala Fennelly if she thought this was good practice as the council was '˜trying to control obesity levels'.

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Coun Fennelly said she would liaise with the council children's director Damien Allen to look into this further.

The Conservative member also asked why there is '˜so many' teacher training days a year as education in Doncaster is 'sufficiently below' the national average and teachers already have '˜12 weeks holiday a year'. 

Responding to the confectionery question, Coun Fennelly said: 'I don't know any schools that do that but I will look it up because under the health and wellbeing board that I sit on I absolutely disagree with that.

'Children should be rewarded in better ways than that. I will get in touch with Damien (Allen) to look at this.

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'I personally think it's bad practice to do that. We'll bring it up at health and wellbeing to get the message out there that we won't accept that.'

Responding to the teacher training days question, Coun Fennelly added: 'This is actually enforced by the Department for Education that they have a certain number of training days where teachers in schools have to participate in.

'It's not optional for the schools. It something we may have to pick up and maybe write to Government or the DfE and ask they have 13.'

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