Key Stage 2 pupils at Cliftonville Primary and Pre-School have relished the chance to take part in the new Mile A Day initiative.
For the last part of their lunchtime, the children can choose whether to run, jog or walk at their own pace around a clearly marked track in the school playground or field for up to 15 minutes or 10 laps of the track. This is the equivalent of a mile.
On the first day of the initiative, 50 children signed up. This has now quadrupled over the space of two weeks with more than 200 children taking part on a daily basis.
Deputy head teacher Louise Wilson said: “The Daily Mile is proving so popular with our Key Stage 2 children. It is a brilliant opportunity to take part in physical activity in a social setting. We have already started to see a positive impact on the children’s physical, social and emotional health and they are concentrating better in class too.
“Although this isn’t competitive, the children often try to see if they can run or walk an extra lap or if they can beat their time from the previous day.”
The initiative isn’t just open to the children – members of staff can also be seen lapping the playground or field with their classes.
Since 2015, The Daily Mile has been adopted by almost 3000 schools in the UK.