Responding to Labour's Child Health Action Plan, including plans for supervised toothbrushing as part of new breakfast club provision, and expanded mental health support, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“While it’s good to see that supervising toothbrushing won’t be a part of the school day itself, or an expectation of teachers, we remain somewhat sceptical about how this will work in practice.

“Questions remain about access to the facilities required to make this proposal work and the staffing implications for breakfast clubs. There is no doubt that, as a nation, we should be focused on improving children’s dental health, but this will certainly need further thought and additional funding. It is important that we don't inadvertently send the message to parents that basic care such as tooth brushing is something that can or should be outsourced to schools.

“Many schools already have breakfast clubs for pupils, and we support their expansion where practically possible. However, it’s important that this policy is fully funded, and we should look at a variety of models for how such clubs a can be delivered without expecting more from existing school staff.

“Similarly, Labour’s focus on and proposals for greater mental health support is welcome, but it must be recognised that significant investment will be required to rebuild the health and support services that have been so eroded over the last decade.”