Nearly a third of children aged 2-15 are overweight or obese. Take some time for that statement to soak in. Our Olympic athletes might have been second on the medal table in Rio, but according to the government’s Childhood Obesity: a plan for action report, the only table most children will be on will contain fast food and copious amounts of sugar and salt.

The report, published in August, contains plenty more depressing news within its 13 pages (bit.ly/ObesityPlan). For example, obesity rates are highest among children from the most deprived areas. Children aged 5 from the poorest income groups are twice as likely to be obese compared with their most well-off counterparts; by age 11, they are three times as likely. As a teacher in Blackpool, I see this first-hand in school.

The report also highlights that a single can of soft drink can take a child above their recommended daily intake of sugar and that food regularly aimed at children needs to undergo major sugar reduction. So what does it suggest teachers should do about all this? Several of the proposals target schools:

• We should be required to deliver 30 minutes of physical activity per day for students.
• There will be a new voluntary “healthy rating scheme” for primaries, recognising schools for work that tackles obesity and promotes healthy lifestyles.
• Early years food will be subject to new voluntary nutritional guidelines.

While I welcome the report, I don’t think it does enough to get behind the motivations of young people consuming unhealthy food and drink. Why do children and teenagers choose to have an energy drink, containing up to 20 teaspoons of sugar, on their way to school? Why do they eat sweets instead of fruit?

They are impressionable and aspire to be like the cool kids or the celebrities they see on television. Haribo adverts are fun, but there’s not one obese adult or child in sight. Footballers drink Lucozade. Gary Lineker advertises Walkers crisps.

Slim pickings

We have to give children a chance and take these temptations away from them: hit advertising of high-sugar, high-fat foods hard. Put a lower age limit on energy drinks. Stop special offers in supermarkets.

Another solution would be to celebrate and give prominence to the foods that can improve children’s lives. If pupils in my class were to see adverts where Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal and posed with his rippling muscles while eating his five-a-day, or Taylor Swift discussed how drinking water helped her voice when she sang, then eventually this is what they would choose to eat and drink.

We can also harness the power of the Olympic movement by asking athletes to tell children what they actually eat and not what they’re paid to endorse.

As for the reason that obesity affects the most deprived areas, it comes down to two factors: lack of healthy lifestyle education and lack of opportunity to play sports. Here, the ratings scheme and call for 30 minutes of physical activity should be embraced.

Anyone who works in primary schools knows that the children idolise their teachers; they copy what we do. We try to demonstrate good habits that we want them to have. But sadly, they also pick up the negative ones.

Now, honestly, how many of us model an active and healthy lifestyle? Do the kids see us drinking Coke and having cake at break time or do they see us eating a banana and regularly sipping water?

Nobody expects us to be perfect - I have plenty of bad habits that I must keep in check - but we can’t deny the effect we have on our pupils.

How many of us enjoy teaching PE? How many cancel it because it might rain or go through the motions while wearing a suit, not wanting to get sweaty or dirty?

Top 10 tips for getting active

Yes, packing 30 minutes of exercise into an already oversubscribed day is tough, but here are 10 creative ways to get children active:

1. Start with a walk/cycle/scoot to school; introduce initiatives and incentives.
2.  Class-based Wii dance is another fantastic exercise to start the day.
3. Break up long pieces of writing with a quick 10-minute run around outside.
4.  Get games equipment out at break times to enable them to be active (balls, skipping ropes, scooters, chalk for hopscotch).
5. Show them playground games.
6. Recording data in maths? Get outside and measure jumps and throws or time runs.
7. Try tai chi to relax after a frantic lunchtime.
8. What about five-minute kung fu punctuation? My class loves this.
9. Develop partnerships with local cricket, dance, Zumba, archery, boxing or basketball clubs to offer opportunities for children to try a variety of sports. You never know, the next Olympic medal-winner could be right under your nose.
10. Finally, enthusiastically celebrate out-of-school sporting achievements in your class, assemblies and displays - highlight influential role models within peer groups.

As PE leader, I will be trying lots of ways to engage and educate families alongside their children. The aim will be to allow parents to fully understand the concepts of healthy eating, including what good and bad fats are, how labels marked “diet” don’t necessarily indicate a healthy food choice and the consequences of high-sugar, high-fat diets.

I will also give them information about local sports clubs and ideas on how to exercise in fun ways as a family.

I’m not a fantasist. I know there will be barriers and initial numbers may be low, but reaching a few people will provide the marginal gains that everything must start with to build momentum. Teachers are a caring, creative and innovative bunch. And, rightly or wrongly, it will be down to us to make the difference.

Ben Burgess is a primary school teacher, and former footballer for Hull City and Blackpool @benkburgess