Pilot project shows way on PE

At Stanmore Bay Primary School, children dart out of a maths lesson and spend 10 minutes in the playground creating shapes with their bodies to solve geometry problems.

At lunchtime, older children - sports mentors - organise games for younger pupils. Many students have joined the walking bus to get to school, and some go to the new badminton club after school.

The Whangaparaoa Peninsula school is one of a handful that took part in a pilot project to boost physical activity among primary-age children.

That pilot is now being introduced to other primary schools, with almost 30 regional advisers to help implement changes.

The Herald reported yesterday that the plans have been criticised by Pat Newman, head of the Principals Federation, who said it was "pie in the sky" to add more PE to an already crowded curriculum.

But Stanmore principal Dave Fletcher said it was not physical education lessons as much as integrating activity and movement into the curriculum and during the school day.

He said schools should not be afraid of aiming for one hour's exercise a day, which Sport and Recreation New Zealand (Sparc) says is the international daily recommendation for children.

Lawrie Stewart, senior education adviser for Sparc, said yesterday that the organisation was not dictating to schools, and it was the responsibility of everyone to improve children's health. But he reiterated that an hour a day was the ideal level.

"It's quite clear that that's what children need," he said.

Mr Fletcher said: "It's a whole paradigm shift. We are asking principals, teachers and parents to step outside their comfort zone and that's pretty daunting.

"Schools will say they cannot do one hour a day of physical education and they can't - but what they can do is disperse physical activities throughout the day."

That meant creative lessons as well as pre- and after-school activities - things that would only work with the support of the community, he said.

Schools will take the lead in the project, but Mr Fletcher said getting parents and the community involved was just as important.

"Education is a 24-hour thing and so is activity."

Stanmore had hosted evening sessions for parents to learn about nutrition, behaviour management and use of pedometers, he said.

As schools reopen over the next week, there will be 17 regional advisers in place - called active schools facilitators - and by July that number will rise to 29.

They will work closely with schools to develop programmes and opportunities for more "moderate to vigorous" exercise each day. It is part of a wider health plan to arrest the obesity epidemic and tempt children away from television and computer games.

Education Minister Steve Maharey said the pilot project had given schools a better understanding of how to teach skills and attitudes that encouraged children to be physically active throughout their lives.

Although health and physical education were compulsory in the curriculum, there was evidence of declining physical activity among children.

"Schools, along with parents and communities, have a responsibility to ensure kids are gaining the skills and habits they need for a healthy life," he said.

The two-year pilot focused on creating more opportunities for physical education at school and on improving teacher knowledge of the health and physical education curriculum.

Findings included increased participation among children and improved motor skills and teaching quality.