10,000 pupils from 55 primary schools in the county have run, walked, hopped, skipped, jumped or jogged thousands of miles during the summer term as part of Active Gloucestershire’s Daily Mile initiative.
The initiative, which is a Sustainability and Transformation Partnership project supported by partners, is all about improving children’s health and wellbeing through regular activity and spending time and having fun in the fresh air every day.
Feedback from the schools which participated has been overwhelmingly positive, backing up the evidence which shows that a short exercise break from the classroom can bring many benefits to both pupils and teachers, helping children to be healthier, more productive and alert.
Schools have reported improved confidence and better focus in lessons whilst feedback from parents has also been consistently positive.
With childhood obesity rates rising, encouraging physical activity at an early age is important. Research has shown that children who are overweight in primary school are less likely to revert to a healthy weight in later life.