Published: 10 November 2005
Counting to Health
Thousands of children across England have been issued with pedometers as action to tackle childhood obesity took another step forward with the official launch of the Schools on the Move pilot scheme.
Public Health Minister Caroline Flint and Steve Grainger, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust met with teachers and pupils from Barking Abbey Sports College who have been using the pedometers to get active and as part of their everyday lessons for the last month.
Nearly 9,000 pedometers have been issued to pupils aged nine to 14 years in around 50 schools across England involved in the Scheme, which is funded by the DH and DfES and managed by the Youth Sport Trust.
The scheme is one of the actions set out in the government's Choosing Health white paper to tackle childhood obesity & increase physical activity.
Launching the Scheme Public Health Minister Caroline Flint said:
"Pedometers are effective in motivating people to become more active.
Schools on the Move takes this further by incorporating the information children gain from pedometers into lessons like maths, science, art and geography, making the distance they walk and the number of steps they take relevant across the school curriculum not just in PE and school sports.
Every little bit of extra physical activity we incorporate into our lives can make a huge difference in terms of health improvement.
By raising awareness of the importance of physical activity amongst teachers and pupils and by encouraging children to become more active, we hope to make big strides in reducing childhood obesity."
Schools on the Move is supported by resource material developed in conjunction with the British Heart Foundation National Centre for Physical Activity including an interactive website for pupils, teachers and the public and a teacher handbook, providing information, lesson plans, ideas, challenges and games on getting active and being healthy.
Further information
Youth Sport Trust
Choosing Health white paper
British Heart Foundation National Centre for Physical Activity
School Sport Partnership
Teachernet – Physical education and School sport
Promoting Walking to School - A Guide for Primary Schools
Walk to school website
Obesity & young children
The schools involved in the scheme are:
(LEA School Postcode)
Barking & Dagenham Barking Abbey Sports College IG11 9AG
Barking & Dagenham Eastbrook Comprehensive School RM10 7UR
Barking & Dagenham Robert Clack School RM8 1JU
Barking & Dagenham Rush Green Primacy / Junior School RM7 0RL
Barking & Dagenham St Peter's Catholic Primary School RM9 6UU
Bradford Thornton Grammar Sports College BD13 3BH
Devon St Luke's CoE High Sports College EX1 3EG
Devon Whipton & Barton
Devon St Michael's Church of England EX1 2SN Middle School
Devon Pinhoe Church of England Combined EX4 8PE School
Devon ISCA College
Leicester The Lancaster School Sports College LE2 6FU
Leicester St Jonathan North Community College LE2 6FU
Leicester Ellesmere College LE3 1BE
Leicester Overdale Junior School LE2 3YA
Leicester Granby Primary School LE2 8LP
North Tyneside Monkhouse Primary School NE30 3SH
North Tyneside Fordley Community Primary School NE23 7AL
North Tyneside Western Community Primary School NE28 8QL
North Tyneside Preston Grange Primary School NE29 9QL
North Tyneside New York Primary School NE29 8DP
North Tyneside Priory Primary School NE30 4LS
North Tyneside George Stephenson Community High NE12 6SA School
Nottinghamshire The Manor School Sports College NG19 8QA
Nottinghamshire St Edmund's Primary School NG19 9JV
Nottinghamshire Leas Park Junior School NG19
Nottinghamshire Garibaldi School NG19 0JX
Oldham Failsworth School M35 9HA
Oldham The Radclyffe School OL9 9QZ
Oldham South Failsworth Community Primary ME5 0NY School
Oldham St Lukes' CofE Primary School OL9 9HT
Suffolk Copleston High School Sports College IP4 5HD
West Sussex The Angmering Sports College BN16 4HH
West Sussex Oak Grove College BN13
West Sussex Clapham & Patching BN13 3UU
West Sussex Davidson Girls High School BN11 2JX
West Sussex Ferring C.E. Primary School BN12 5DU
Wolverhampton Westcroft School & Sports College WV10 8NZ
Wolverhampton Aldersley High School WV8 1RT
Wolverhampton Northicote School WV10 8EP
Wolverhampton Pendeford High School WV10 6SE
Wolverhampton St Paul's C of E Primary School WV9 5NR
Ipswich Northgate High School IP4 3DL
Ipswich St Helen's Primary School IP2 2LT
Ipswich St Margaret's C of E Primary School IP4 2BT
Ipswich Britannia Primary School IP4 5HE
Bradford Allerton Primay School BD15 7HB
Bradford St Philips C of E Primary School BD15 7HB
Bradford Iqra Primary School BD8 8DA
Bradford Stocks Lane Primary School BD13 2RH
Bradford Thornton Primary School BD13 3NN
Bradford Ley Top Primary School BD15 7HB
Bradford Brakenhill Primary School BD7 4HA
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