Healthy Weight
The healthy weight priority is centred around Healthy Eating and Physical Activity. Under this umbrella there are many projects that schools can engage in. Although they have been grouped for convenience, they do not have to be run in isolation. Please also note the MEND pages detailing targeted work with children and families.
As much as 60% of the population could be obese by 2050, so we must start making changes in attitude and lifestyle if we want to avoid this!
Schools have an important role in defining and encouraging young children to make positive life choices. Research shows that obesity rates double in primary school years and increase further in secondary schools. Therefore schools need to equip young children to eat healthy and be physically active. Regular physical activity not only helps in reducing obesity but it also supports improved mental wellbeing and improved academic attainment.
Schools can encourage young people to be active in a variety of ways:
1. Provision of the daily 60 minutes of physical activity recommended daily.
2. Encourage active travel to school, through walk to school project, bikeability scheme.
3. Include the Daily Mile in the school curriculum.
4. Promote local park runs ( junior park runs) to parents for family engagement.
5. Encourage parents and pupils to participate in our funded projects such as Beat the Streets