Date: 22 June 2020 Author: Energise Me
Niton Primary school wanted pupils to be active in an enjoyable and relaxed way. Teachers saw The Golden Mile as a good way to improve the general health and fitness of its pupils. It was a simple way of getting children running, skipping or jogging during the school day. It also offered a way of tracking progress.
KS1 and Reception introduced The Golden Mile in PE lessons. Meanwhile, KS2 used it as a PE warm-up while the teacher set up the equipment for the lesson. Once they knew what they were doing, children started doing laps in break and lunchtimes.
The school has a notice board for the Golden Mile to display pupils’ achievements. The children are competitive, not just against each other but in setting their own personal targets as well.
Staff members or pupils who were unable to take part, due to illness or injury, tallied the laps for each pupil. Each class had a list of first names in alphabetical order, which were split into columns for boys and girls to make it easier.
All pupils participated as they could go at their own speed. There was no pressure on the children so they were all happy to take part. Children would run, sprint, skip, crawl, cartwheel, sidestep, run backwards or walk around.
The school has seen an incredible difference in the fitness levels of all pupils, even those who just jogged around slowly. Pupils’ concentration and behaviour have vastly improved and physical activity has made a real difference to their learning.
The Golden Mile was fab. It really encouraged the pupils to build on their stamina and we saw a great improvement especially in the less physical pupils.
Year 2 Teacher
One pupil produced an astounding piece of work at a much higher level than he had all year after running. He also held a very engaging conversation when he was reading to a member of staff. Before, he would have just read the book and not been able to discuss it.
Year 4 Teacher
It is hugely beneficial to any school to sign up and see the benefits it has for their pupils’ health, fitness and general behaviour.
The Golden Mile is a safe, simple and measurable health and physical activity initiative run by Premier. There are free and premium services available.
Hop over to Premier’s website to find out more
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This case study was originally published in our Primary Inside School Sport magazine in September 2017.
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