Has this teacher BEAT the childhood obesity crisis?
It’s no secret that there has been an increase in childhood obesity issues in Britain now more than ever.
Schools have now resorted to strict meal plans and lunch box inspections in a desperate bid to get things under control. This has caused outrage for parents who feel that teachers aren’t within their rights to go through their children’s lunch boxes, and understandably so!
However, one head teacher who has taken a very different approach to the issue is being praised for her ‘Daily Mile’ scheme. Here’s what she did.
The Mirror reports: ‘After hearing that children were exhausted by just the warm-up before their weekly PE lesson at St Ninian’s Primary, Teacher of the Year Elaine Wyllie decided to take action, starting with a fitness test.
Elaine, 59, took one class out to the field, and asked them to run around the path that borders it. Many could only manage one lap.
But Elaine was not put off, and decided to trial her new Daily Mile exercise regime for a month.’
Elaine says the children were transformed and so she decided to roll the scheme out throughout the school and nursery too. Now every child takes part in 15 minutes a day, they can run or walk, on top of their PE class and they absolutely love it!
The initiative has seen Elaine named Teacher of the Year at the Pride of Britain Awards.
Elaine told the Mirror: ‘All the kids go out every day. It is so simple – they don’t change, they put a jacket on if it is a bit cold. We have a school of 420 children aged three to 12 and they are as fit as they can possibly be. Wherever children are, you could do the Daily Mile. We all love it.’
I personally think The Daily Mile scheme is a great idea to keep the kids fit and healthy and has the potential to be a great success.
CLICK HERE to read new government rules issued for lunchbox inspections.
A bit of common sense. What is the point in monitoring packed lunches when a child could go home and eat what they like? It is inactivity which causes obesity and this idea is brilliant. Many children don’t even walk to school any more, mainly due to parents dropping them off on their way to work. They don’t play outside after school, preferring to sit in front of the telly. Trying to tell parents how and what to feed their children is the wrong approach.