This sporting life

Parents, carers and children should try and find ways of being active together, at home, at school and at play.

Dr Ian Campbell

With 10 per cent of boys expected to be clinically obese by 2015 and a proven link between sports and good grades; there is mounting pressure on schools to offer more activities to its pupils.

Research commissioned by Independent Schools Council (ISC) shows that schools offering 30 or more activities are more likely to have nearly 100 per cent of pupils achieving a Grade B or above at GCSE; which is in stark comparison to 30 per less for those with 20 activities.

Larner Bernard, head of the ISC’s research, stresses that such a correlation does not depend on the school being selective: "It's a statistically significant relationship in all school types, but it's stronger for boys and that fits with the academic literature."    

The benefits are shown to be greater for boys who are motivated by doing sports and found it to be a key driver in their achievements. Such participation also finds pupils’ self esteem to be raised, which in turn reduces the number of cases of depression.

The more activities offered by the school, the more likely it will be for a pupil to find a sport in which they excel, boosting the student’s confidence.

Rise in childhood obesity

According to data gathered by the government-funded Health Survey for England, currently 6.9 per cent of boys and 7.4 per cent of girls are obese; with a prediction of rates soaring in 2015 to as much as 10 per cent for boys and 8.9 per cent for girls.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health emphasised that obesity levels are still too high, and that everyone (government, families and industry) needs to play their part.   

With great focus given to the steady increase of childhood obesity, schools now carefully monitor lunchtime menus. In one initiative, Kingswood school in Bath has introduced ‘green Mondays’, encouraging students to eat plenty of vegetables.

Exercise twinned with a balanced diet is proven to lead to a greater standard of concentration and subsequently produce better grades and a lasting effect on the body. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) argues that parents have big misconceptions about the amount of exercise their children do; claiming a whopping 71 per cent of parents polled believe their children are “active enough”.

Dr Ian Campbell, from the National Obesity Forum, states: “parents, carers and children should try and find ways of being active together, at home, at school and at play.”

In a report by the BHF, ‘Couch Kids’ is calling for urgent action to ensure that children can get fit and active easily by putting pressure on schools to maximise the opportunities for physical activity.

Fun sports

Nick Gibb, Conservative schools spokesman, argues that the figure of less than a third of pupils now playing competitive sports is “disappointingly low”, especially with the London 2012 Olympics approaching.

A remedy to these figures might lay in the conscious decision to move away from the more traditional school sports, such as football, hockey and rugby, and look to explore different, less conventional pursuits. Activities that offer exercise, but do not follow the traditional path; so, no more cross-country running or rugby played on frozen pitches.

There is evidence of a new wave of school activities and sports becoming popular. Proof of this lies in a recent survey commissioned by the Department for Children Schools and Families, which illustrates that 58 per cent of secondary schools are now offering cheerleading as a sport, with over 20 per cent of them offering trampolining with a further 21 per cent offering yoga.

Whatever the activity it is undeniable that it is important for pupils to be submitted to as wide a range of sports and extra-curricular activities as their young bodies can muster.