But one thing has changed here at Lady Royd Primary School, Bradford. Like every school in Britain, it is dealing with a crisis in childhood obesity. Recent modelling by the Royal Society of Public Health predicts that, in the next decade, 90 per cent of all 10 to 11-year-olds will be overweight or obese thanks to the increasing accessibility of cheap junk food, sedentary lifestyles and mental health problems.
It is just a short drive to the West Yorkshire moors and the rolling hills of the Dales, but a considerable portion of Bradford kids have never left the city. It is one of Britain’s most deprived cities – 29 per cent of children in the district live below the poverty line.
In the past three years, physical activity classed as “moderate to vigorous” increased by six minutes on weekdays, while “weekend inactivity” fell by about 22 minutes a day. Researchers believe this is the highest increase in physical activity ever recorded by an intervention scheme. The scheme interventions began in 2022, although there are currently no plans to roll it out nationwide.
PE teacher Emily Heckler-Biglin, a former Premier League footballer, says: ‘If we can be positive about physical activity, it will stick for the rest of their lives’ (Photo: Colin McPherson)The scheme is simple in its approach; there are no dietary overhauls or enforced sports. It targets children’s daily routines; their break times, their journeys to school; working with schools as well as madrasas in the area to encourage outside play across the city.
It’s a question that is always on head teacher Chris Tolson’s mind. “We started with three areas: PE and getting the kids in competitions, outdoor learning, and creating active playgroups and playtimes,” he tells me. “We employed Emily with that in mind; we wanted someone who could really push that agenda.”
Pupils have active lessons and often seem to be exercising without realising (Photo: Colin McPherson)
When I was a pupil at Lady Royd, it was a private school. In 2013, it closed down thanks to dwindling numbers and became an academy – meaning it still has expansive sporting facilities: from a football pitch-sized sports hall to several tennis courts. Still, I am struck by how many games the children have on offer and how readily they take them up.
Heckler-Biglin, or as the kids call her, Mrs H-B, is well-loved by the kids, who seem excited in her company. “A lot of our girls don’t engage in sport. That’s obviously something that we need to hit now,” she says. “If we can be positive about physical activity, and get all this information to them, it will stick for the rest of their lives.”
These badges, I learn, are the rewards for taking part in the walk-to-school initiative. Every day, the children go to the front of the class and tap an iPad if they walk from home. Once each child’s ring is completed, they are awarded a badge. The girls tell me their daily walk is around 30 minutes each way; not an easy feat for an 11-year-old. I ask if they track their steps. “I do, I do!” one of the boys excitedly offers. The most he has ever done is 15,000. As I walk back from the astroturf, I notice dozens of children running around the field. A teacher with a clipboard watches on. “That’s a science class,” I’m promptly informed.
Samina Hussain, the head chef at the school, has overhauled the lunch menu and banned UPFs (Photo: Colin McPherson)The chef who banned UPFs and makes fresh sandwiches and curries instead
On this week’s menu is chicken masala, tomorrow is fish fingers; breaded and baked in-house. For many kids, this might be the only meal they get, so she always allows seconds of bread rolls or beans to keep them full.
These fears are part of the problem. Heckler-Biglin spends a few hours a day with under-confident children, helping them build their self-esteem by showing them how to take risks on the playground. She introduces me to a four-year-old boy with an American accent – not because of any relatives, but from spending so much time on YouTube.
As I walk around the school, I notice boards dedicated to the school’s wheelchair basketball club. Despite the team being made up of able-bodied children, Lady Royd was the first school to introduce it in the UK. “I’m part of an adult club, and I thought it could help children with their self-esteem,” says Wood. “They might not be the most sporty, but wheelchair basketball requires different skills. When they can do it, they think to themselves: ‘I’m suddenly better than the sportiest kid!’ which is really good for their confidence.”
‘My daughter was shy and inactive – now she loves football, swimming and wheelchair basketball’
“It’s made her want to join more clubs,” says her mother, Faeeza. “I also think it’s helped her cope with all the pressures of school nowadays, like SATs exams and having to play catch-up since Covid.”
Parent Faeeza Jamal believes the school’s sports initiatives have helped her daughter Sofia become more confident (Photo: Colin McPherson)I join the children for their after-school clubs. When I was last here 20 years ago, we would sit in a classroom with a few biscuits and pens. But today, as they have been for most of the day, the kids are outside. Heckler-Biglin points me to a stick den under one of the chestnut trees. “It’s one of the projects we did last September after school,” she says.
Throughout the day, it’s impossible to ignore the stark reminder of the inequality the children are facing. Even though they have benefited from the facilities built when it was a private school, funding to maintain the facilities have dried up. Last year, the swimming pool was officially condemned and now sits empty and boarded.
“It’s really important that our children see themselves as being able to have aspirations,” she says. “I want them to know: in life, they will be able to do whatever they want to do.”
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