Test fitness at primary school, say health campaigners
BBC News | Education & Family | 16 June 2015
Children should be tested for fitness, as well as maths and English, to reduce inactivity, say health campaigners.
Campaign group ukactive says the UK faces a “ticking time bomb” of health problems due to lack of exercise.
Its report says only half of seven-year-olds in England are active for an hour a day, and says more activity should take place in the classroom.
The government says it has increased funding for PE, and that primary schools offer two hours of it per week.
Walking to school
In the “Generation Inactive” report, researchers argue that Body Mass Index (BMI), which measures weight and height, gives little indication of a child’s physical fitness and says a child can be slim but still unhealthy.
“We should focus on the health of our hearts, not just the size of our waists,” say the authors.
They argue that the way to improve a child’s fitness is to incorporate exercise throughout the school day. Walking to school and standing in lessons are ways in which a child’s inactivity can be improved.
