News Archive
'No hands' decision lasts a day
A CONTROVERSIAL decision to ban contact sports in a school has been overruled by the council after just one day, Future Fitness can reveal.
Headteacher Colin McLean enforced a strict "no hands rule" on all children at Kellands Primary School in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, which included a ban on playground sports such as football and rugby.
The ban - that lasted a day - was in reaction to a violent fight between two 11 year old boys during a game of playground football.
In a letter sent out to all parents, he wrote: "Children will be told they are not allowed to touch each other in the playground.
"This will be called the No Hands Rule. If a child reports physical contact as a concern it will be treated as a breach of school rules."
Education officials questioned the merits of the ban and it was overruled within a day.
A spokesman for Aberdeenshire Council said: “There had been a few incidents and as a result a pupil forum and the parent council has been involved with the school looking at playground behaviour and this ban was put into place until the outcome of that was decided.
“We want our kids to be healthy like any other local authority does that’s why we put money into local fitness facilities.
“The headmaster didn’t want to eradicate fitness at the school - it was just a temporary solution.”
Judith Gillespie, of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, said: “The Authority does not have a ruling banning football or contact sports (indeed it encourages sport of all types) and in introducing such a ruling at his school, the headteacher over-stepped the mark.”
A CONTROVERSIAL decision to ban contact sports in a school has been overruled by the council after just one day, Future Fitness can reveal.
Headteacher Colin McLean enforced a strict "no hands rule" on all children at Kellands Primary School in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, which included a ban on playground sports such as football and rugby.
The ban - that lasted a day - was in reaction to a violent fight between two 11 year old boys during a game of playground football.
In a letter sent out to all parents, he wrote: "Children will be told they are not allowed to touch each other in the playground.
"This will be called the No Hands Rule. If a child reports physical contact as a concern it will be treated as a breach of school rules."
Education officials questioned the merits of the ban and it was overruled within a day.
A spokesman for Aberdeenshire Council said: “There had been a few incidents and as a result a pupil forum and the parent council has been involved with the school looking at playground behaviour and this ban was put into place until the outcome of that was decided.
“We want our kids to be healthy like any other local authority does that’s why we put money into local fitness facilities.
“The headmaster didn’t want to eradicate fitness at the school - it was just a temporary solution.”
Judith Gillespie, of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, said: “The Authority does not have a ruling banning football or contact sports (indeed it encourages sport of all types) and in introducing such a ruling at his school, the headteacher over-stepped the mark.”
Football legend opens two new playgrounds
FOOTBALLING legend Gary Lineker has opened two state of the art playgrounds donated to Leicester and Reading councils by Walkers.
Designed to help children engage in physical activity the two £100,000 playgrounds blend traditional play equipment with electronic playground system to make exercise fun for children who might normally find playing with a games console more fun than sport.
In an exclusive interview Gary Lineker told Future Fitness that he believes the interactive route is a path the nation now needs to go down.
He said: “It’s what kids are used to now. There are so many distractions that it can be difficult to get kids off their backsides. I think something like this will help.”
The former England ace said that although obesity issue are well covered in this country that he doesn’t think diet is particularly any different to what it has always been.
He said: “The fundamental difference is that now it is harder to get kids out on the street. So something like this, in a nice safe environment will hopefully get kids out moving.
“We’ve got a little football pitch and a basketball net so it’s not just your regular park stuff like swing and a seesaw it’s also encouraging them to play sport as well.”
As an employer in the Reading and Leicester areas, Walkers say they are to pu something back into the local community in which it operates.
Neil Campbell, general manager, Walkers, said: “We’ve spent months planning the design which we hope will encourage children to have fun whilst exercising. I hope it will prove really popular with local Leicester families.”
FOOTBALLING legend Gary Lineker has opened two state of the art playgrounds donated to Leicester and Reading councils by Walkers.
Designed to help children engage in physical activity the two £100,000 playgrounds blend traditional play equipment with electronic playground system to make exercise fun for children who might normally find playing with a games console more fun than sport.
In an exclusive interview Gary Lineker told Future Fitness that he believes the interactive route is a path the nation now needs to go down.
He said: “It’s what kids are used to now. There are so many distractions that it can be difficult to get kids off their backsides. I think something like this will help.”
The former England ace said that although obesity issue are well covered in this country that he doesn’t think diet is particularly any different to what it has always been.
He said: “The fundamental difference is that now it is harder to get kids out on the street. So something like this, in a nice safe environment will hopefully get kids out moving.
“We’ve got a little football pitch and a basketball net so it’s not just your regular park stuff like swing and a seesaw it’s also encouraging them to play sport as well.”
As an employer in the Reading and Leicester areas, Walkers say they are to pu something back into the local community in which it operates.
Neil Campbell, general manager, Walkers, said: “We’ve spent months planning the design which we hope will encourage children to have fun whilst exercising. I hope it will prove really popular with local Leicester families.”
Norfolk smashes schools' target
NORFOLK schools have smashed a national target to increase the amount of PE in schools - a year ahead of schedule.
The government target around PE and sport recommends that, by the end of next year, 85 per cent of schoolchildren should participate in two hours of PE and sport a week.
But, latest figures reveal that 86 per of children are already take part in the recommended amount. In the West Norwich and Dereham School Sport Partnership 97 per cent are getting the recommend amount of physical activity.
Norfolk County Council's head of PE, sport and physical development, Martin Radmore, said:
“Physical activity also improves well-being, behaviour, attendance and attitude. This is not just about tackling obesity it is about improving participation, communication and confidence.
“We want physical activity to be an everyday part of the lives of everyone in Norfolk and where better to start than with our children.”
Norfolk County Council's sport and physical development team has been working with schools to try to increase physical activity.
The latest initiative is The Youth Sport Trust's Get Moving Get Learning programme. The programme uses physical activity to support the teaching of literacy, numeracy, science, history, geography, art and design, citizenship and RE at Key Stage One.
Cabinet member for children's services, Rosalie Monbiot, said: “Sport provides young people with so many skills, particularly around team building and communication, and it is vital for their physical development.”
It is hoped by increasing the amount of PE and sport in schools, children will be encouraged to pursue extra-curricular activities and join clubs and teams outside of school.
NORFOLK schools have smashed a national target to increase the amount of PE in schools - a year ahead of schedule.
The government target around PE and sport recommends that, by the end of next year, 85 per cent of schoolchildren should participate in two hours of PE and sport a week.
But, latest figures reveal that 86 per of children are already take part in the recommended amount. In the West Norwich and Dereham School Sport Partnership 97 per cent are getting the recommend amount of physical activity.
Norfolk County Council's head of PE, sport and physical development, Martin Radmore, said:
“Physical activity also improves well-being, behaviour, attendance and attitude. This is not just about tackling obesity it is about improving participation, communication and confidence.
“We want physical activity to be an everyday part of the lives of everyone in Norfolk and where better to start than with our children.”
Norfolk County Council's sport and physical development team has been working with schools to try to increase physical activity.
The latest initiative is The Youth Sport Trust's Get Moving Get Learning programme. The programme uses physical activity to support the teaching of literacy, numeracy, science, history, geography, art and design, citizenship and RE at Key Stage One.
Cabinet member for children's services, Rosalie Monbiot, said: “Sport provides young people with so many skills, particularly around team building and communication, and it is vital for their physical development.”
It is hoped by increasing the amount of PE and sport in schools, children will be encouraged to pursue extra-curricular activities and join clubs and teams outside of school.
More school nurses are needed
500 more school nurses need to be employed immediately to fight the obesity time bomb, an health professional has warned.
School Health Officer Ros Godson told Future Fitness that school nurses are ideally placed to offer advice and counseling to young people on diet and nutritional issues – but stressed that at the moment there are just too few to deal with the growing obesity crisis.
She revealed that government guidelines suggests that by 2010 there should be one full-time school nurse in every secondary school in England but that there are currently 3,367 secondary schools and only 856 school nurses.
She said: “At the current rate of training the government’s target may not be achieved until 2023.”
She warned that money earmarked for the school nurse service is not ‘ring fenced’ and therefore vulnerable to being diverted into meeting the budget deficits of Primary Care Trusts.
She said: “The reason why there is such a gap is because PCT’s spend their money on other things.Children's public health is not their priority. School nurses can’t prove a negative, and preventative work is just that. They are more interested in the cure rather than the prevention.”
Ros is planning to meet with the health minister to call for every schools to have it own equipment to weigh and measure children.
She said: “Getting weighed should be a normal part of growing up not just a one off occurrence in year’s one and six.”
500 more school nurses need to be employed immediately to fight the obesity time bomb, an health professional has warned.
School Health Officer Ros Godson told Future Fitness that school nurses are ideally placed to offer advice and counseling to young people on diet and nutritional issues – but stressed that at the moment there are just too few to deal with the growing obesity crisis.
She revealed that government guidelines suggests that by 2010 there should be one full-time school nurse in every secondary school in England but that there are currently 3,367 secondary schools and only 856 school nurses.
She said: “At the current rate of training the government’s target may not be achieved until 2023.”
She warned that money earmarked for the school nurse service is not ‘ring fenced’ and therefore vulnerable to being diverted into meeting the budget deficits of Primary Care Trusts.
She said: “The reason why there is such a gap is because PCT’s spend their money on other things.Children's public health is not their priority. School nurses can’t prove a negative, and preventative work is just that. They are more interested in the cure rather than the prevention.”
Ros is planning to meet with the health minister to call for every schools to have it own equipment to weigh and measure children.
She said: “Getting weighed should be a normal part of growing up not just a one off occurrence in year’s one and six.”
