Schools to open sports halls in summer to curb obesity

SCHOOLS are to receive Government money to keep sports halls and playing fields open during the holidays to fight child obesity.

The Department for Education is giving £2.4million as part of a national drive to encourage youngsters to do 60 minutes of physical activity per day.

It comes amid growing concern about the lack of interest in exercise among young people. Obesity among 10-yearolds has reached a record high, with the percentage who are severely obese rising by more than a third in 12 years.

The figures published last year showed that 4.4 per cent of children leaving primary school are severely obese, up from 3.2 per cent in 2006-07.

Mr Williamson said: “Getting children active from a young age helps them build confidence and learn skills they will use in later life. Many schools already open up their facilities so their communities can benefit and I want to encourage even more to do so.”

Research has shown that today’s children are far less active during summer holidays than term-time, with fitness gains achieved during the school year wiped out in just six weeks.

A study from 2016 on more than 400 children in 14 schools found that during the academic year, pupils made steady improvements in their fitness levels. But progress was reversed in summer holidays, in which PE lessons and walks to school were replaced with long days hunched over gadgets.

The study, the first of its kind to measure fitness levels before and after the summer holidays, showed that, left to their own devices, children are slumping into inactivity.

The £2.4million fund is from the

Government’s School Sport and Activity Action Plan, which was launched last year as a way to tackle the rising numbers of overweight children.

It includes a £500,000 fund to test out new ways to engage the least active pupils and develop the skills of PE teachers. Ministers said that schools that lease their sports facilities will also generate additional income.