New fitness regime for Qld schools
January 29, 2008 by planetultramarathon
New fitness regime for Qld schools
Education Queensland says there will be a special focus on increasing physical activity at school this year.
More than 700,000 students are starting at Queensland schools today.
The executive director of schools in the central west, Rowena Arthur, says a new Smart Moves policy will be introduced in an effort to combat childhood obesity.
She says the latest figures list one child in five as overweight or obese, and the new strategy will involve exercise for both primary and secondary students.
“That’s going to introduce into schools this year, for primary aged children, 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day,” she said.
“We want our students to increase their heart rate, so it’s not just a casual walk, it’s a physical activity that gets your heart rate up, and our children get just to the point perhaps where you start to sweat.”
Doctors say parents should combat obesity by making the time to prepare healthy school lunches.
Doctor Kirsten Price from the Queensland branch of the Australian Medical Association says students who eat well also do better in class.
“By packing a healthy lunch box you’re actually enhancing your children’s chances of performing better at school and certainly the teachers love it because the concentration level is better,” she said.
Consistent curriculum
Meanwhile State Education Minister Rod Welford says 480,000 state school students will be returning to school from today, including the first 54,000 prep students set to attend a full year.
Mr Welford says the full year of prep will accelerate students’ development through a play-based program created to improve numeracy and literacy.
He says the State Government’s new essential learning package will also make a difference in public schools.
“The new essential learning package being rolled out in every school this year will ensure a more consistent curriculum across the state,” he said.
“No matter where a student is going to school, they can be guaranteed if they have to shift schools the same curriculum will be taught in every school.
“It’s a guarantee that all students will be taught the essential things they need to learn every year.”
Not only are schools in Europe doing this now, it’s also the norm in most Asian countries and in the Americas. Physical fitness curriculum in educational institutions is becoming very common ever since global epidemics rocked the world.
parents should combat obesity by making the time to prepare healthy school lunches.