The alarming rise in childhood obesity is a health time bomb we all need to worry about.

Schools are best placed to educate children and parents how to live a healthy lifestyle and many are taking the initiative.

It is unfortunate that the health drive at Bayards Hill Primary School in Oxford has got off on the wrong foot, with staff raids on children's lunchboxes causing an outcry among parents.

This overzealous approach, however well-meaning, has upset families and alienated some parents, who feel undermined.

With what we know about the effects of diet on behaviour and learning, schools should have some control over what children eat when in their care.

Some parents don't get it right and it is teachers who have to put up with a class of children hyped-up on fizzy drinks and sugary snacks.

Bayards Hill Primary has got the right idea. But its methods need a little rethink.