Almost 40% of children in year six are overweight or obese with higher levels being more prevalent in deprived areas.
London’s Independent Child Obesity Taskforce, a group of ‘experts’ who look to develop ideas to reduce levels of obesity and close the health inequality gap, created the ‘water only’ policy.
The policy has been taken on by Southwark primary schools; this means the schools will only allow water or low fat milk as drinks for students.
Khan, said: “It’s high time we faced up to the reality that our city has a child obesity problem and I’m clear that we all have a role to play in helping Londoners make healthy choices.
“Making water freely available and introducing measures like ‘water-only’ in schools are just some of the simple things we can do to not only tackle childhood obesity, but also improve pupil behaviour and learning.
“I’m urging all schools in London to follow Southwark’s example and adopt the policy to help improve the life chances of all young Londoners.”
Khan aims to prevent new fast food outlets being built within 400m of schools as the government hope to halve the rate of childhood obesity by 2030.
A ‘water only schools toolkit’ was developed in partnership with Public Health England, to help schools with the change.
Kate Wooder, executive head at Bridges Federation, added: “Children’s health and wellbeing are a top priority for us at Tower Bridge Primary School and the Bridges Federation, we are delighted to be leading the field by implementing the water only policy.
“The toolkit was an invaluable resource for the school and with support from our staff and parents; it was an easy transition to make. We have already seen some great results with improved concentration, behaviour and learning amongst our children. I hope we can inspire schools across London to go water free too.”