Almost half of schools in Sussex have yet to achieve healthy schools status.

Last year the Government launched its National Healthy Schools Programme to guarantee children get enough healthy food, physical exercise and personal and social education.

While the education authorities in Sussex are performing well in comparison to the rest of the country, 45 per cent of schools in East Sussex, 44 per cent in West Sussex and 40 per cent in Brighton and Hove have not completed the Government programme.

The latest obesity figures for children from the Department of Health show 13.4 per cent of two to ten-year-olds are obese in the South East fuelling fears over the health of the next generation.

Pat Hawkes, Brighton and Hove City Council's education spokeswoman, said: "We are doing better than other places but there is a lot of work still to be done to get other schools achieving the status.

"Meals are better now than they were before with more vegetables and more variety."

Chris Owen, the city's healthy schools co-ordinator, said 49 out of 72 schools had the healthy schools silver award.

Darren Kirkham, a senior consultant for investors in health in West Sussex, said: "Schools have to meet about 50 criteria to achieve the award. It's quite a rigorous process. All schools are doing something towards becoming healthier but not all have necessarily started the process towards the award."

He said national criteria were laid down in September 2005. Before that schools could achieve healthy school status but criteria varied between education authorities.

He said West Sussex hoped to have 75 per cent of schools awarded the new National Healthy Schools Award by December 2009.

An East Sussex County Council spokeswoman said: "Last year we doubled the number of schools taking part in the healthy schools programme with 88 per cent now participating in the scheme."

Each education authority has a recruitment plan to encourage more schools to take part.

To gain the award, schools must meet certain criteria in healthy eating and drinking, personal, social and health education, physical activity and emotional health and well-being.