A MORAY SCHOOLS initiative following a national trend that promotes the fitness and children by encouraging them to walk or run a mile each day has been officially launched this week.
First revealed by insideMoray back in February when the initiative was embraced by Applegrove Primary where a video was released of their taking part in the ‘Daily Mile’, schools are now signing up from around the region for the 15 to 20 minutes of daily physical activity.
It is hoped that by officially launching the initiative Moray-wide, more young people will be kept fit and healthy through the daily outdoor activity.
Research has shown that regular exercise is not only good for a child’s health and wellbeing, it can also result in improved behaviour and attainment in the classroom.
Moray Mile is being launched in response to the success of a similar programme introduced at a primary school in Stirling several years ago and which has been hailed as an example of best practice in terms of the benefits to children’s health and fitness.
Moray Council’s physical education lead officer, Derek Shepherd, said: “Evidence tells us that pupils who take part in daily physical exercise perform much better in school than those who do not.
“What better way can there be to raise attainment than by enjoying fresh air and exercise at the same time.
“Many of our primary schools in Moray already have daily exercise sessions but we hope that all will adopt a routine of giving pupils 15 to 20 minutes of outdoor activity every day of the school year.”