Responding to the Health Minister's announcement of the rollout of the government's supervised toothbrushing programme, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “There is no doubt that there is a crisis in childhood dental health in this country and the government are right to make it a priority.

“However, we cannot keep loading increasing expectations on schools. Nor can we keep looking to schools to fix all of society’s ills. Most people would see tooth brushing as a basic part of parenting, and we must be careful not to shift what is ultimately a parental responsibility onto the shoulders of schools.

“The new expectations around breakfast clubs are already placing increasing demands in schools, there is only so much we can expect teachers and school staff to do.

“We would urge the government to think further about how parents can be supported to look after their children’s oral health and to focus on rebuilding NHS dentistry.”