Dewsbury school invests in initiative to improve children's health

St Josephs School Mile Track, Dewsbury, England - Doug Baker of Arcadia Landscapes, with Lindsey Higgins, Shania Boom, Lorraine Haighhurst & Head Rob Barraclou

To tackle childhood fatigue, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, on Healds Road, is getting its children to get out of the classroom for at least 15 minutues a day to run or jog at their own pace.

Headteacher, Rob Barraclough, was looking for a way that he could introduce a Daily Mile Challenge into school to make each child fitter, healthier and more able to concentrate in the classroom.

However, the school field unfortunately gets water-logged at this time of year so his vision was to create a pathway around the perimeter of the field, which could be used for the Daily Mile all year round.

A spokesperson from the school said: "With the help the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) events this year (including a Sponsored Walk which every child took part in) sufficient funds were raised to create the much needed pathway.

"A big thank you to Doug Baker from Arcadia Landscapes who designed and created the pathway using natural materials to blend with our school outdoor environment.

"We were very grateful to Shania Boom, the Daily Mile Development Officer for Yorkshire Sport, who helped to launch the activity with a motivational assembly and working with each class to promote the advantages of keeping fit together."