Children at Upton Junior School in Broadstairs are enthusiastically competing in a range of fun games to help maintain fitness regimes during the current nationwide lockdown.
Boys and girls of all ages who are engaged in home learning plus those in school are taking part.
Points are awarded for the best performances with an ongoing competition involving individual class groups and also the four Houses across the school.
Sports coach Callum Noble is setting the standard and is asking pupils – ‘can you beat Mr Noble’s best performances?’. He is keeping a tally of the scores and is regularly updating a leaderboard so all participants can see the rankings as the competition hots up.
He said: “There are a range of challenges that the children will face over the coming weeks. They are good fun and the idea is to encourage them to exercise as part of their daily learning routines.”
Games include how many pairs of rolled up socks can you lob into a bin in one minute; toilet roll keepy-uppies; kneeling on the floor to a standing position while balancing a toilet roll on their head against the clock.
Other challenges are being created and Mr Noble said: “Feedback so far is encouraging. Pupils are enjoying the challenges and are keeping a close watch on how their class and house is progressing.”
One enthusiastic Year 4 pupil said: “Come on class 4Y – we have to win the 30 house points on the sports challenge. We’ve got this, come on we have this in the bag.”
Comments from parents include: “Our child has been trying this challenge for the last half an hour. She has a score of three and was hoping for a higher score so has kept trying. She enjoyed it and is already looking forward to tomorrows challenge.”
Another wrote: “I have to say this was really good fun and all of us have had a go at beating each other. It kept us active and giggling for 30 minutes. Thank you Mr Noble.”
Head of School Darci Arthur said: “Fun exercise is important for our children at home and in school particularly during the lockdown period.
“The games also encourage friendly competition and even though our boys and girls are apart this is something that is unifying them through a common goal. Team spirit at Upton is one of our proudest attributes and in one of our important core values.
“The latest challenges, coupled with our fitness videos and varied sports clubs, are inclusive and we are able to ensure no-one misses out via our online streaming system.”
Last autumn, Upton won a School Sport Award in the national Business Education Awards 2020 for its dedication and commitment throughout the first lockdown for providing children with the opportunity to stay fit and active with fitness classes and sporting challenges.