School pupils learn a healthy living lesson
Children at Sawley Junior School are proving they are top class when it comes to learning the lesson on healthy eating and lifestyles.
The school is setting the standard since it signed up to the successful PACE (Physically Active Children in Erewash) Project at the start of the academic year in September.
The pioneering PACE project is a partnership scheme which encourages children and their families to understand the importance of a lifelong commitment to eating healthily and taking exercise - as well as showing just how much fun fitness can be.
As part of PACE, Sawley Junior School has set up a thriving after school health club for pupils and their families, with the first half of each session concentrating on physical activity through low intensity games and basic sport skills.
Then the children, along with brothers, sisters and parents, all take part in a 45 -minute healthy eating interactive session.
Children from Sawley Junior School who complete the six PACE sessions are invited to continue with the PACE project by attending sessions at West Park Leisure Centre in Long Eaton.
The Leisure Centre club offers fun physical activities like trampolining, football, basketball and skipping, plus a healthy eating session within the programme on a six-week rota.
The partners in the PACE scheme are Erewash Borough Council, Groundwork Derby and Derbyshire, Derbyshire School Nurses and the Derbyshire County Primary Care Trust.
The project team delivers the club in school for the first six weeks before a nominated teaching assistant takes over and leads the sessions - enabling the PACE team to move on and launch a club in another school.
Councillor Mike Wallis, Erewash Borough Council's Lead Member for Culture and Leisure, said: "I congratulate pupils, staff and all the families connected with Sawley Junior School for really setting the standards and helping show just how good the PACE project is and how it can really help develop a life-long healthy approach to living.
"PACE is a relatively new scheme - but its future is looking very healthy indeed. I know Draycott Primary school will begin the PACE after school club at the end of January and I would encourage other schools to get involved."
Sawley Junior School's success with the PACE project is no surprise - some years ago the School Council voted to introduce a 'healthy eating all week' rule and changed the offering in the snack shop to exclusively healthy food.
About 18 months ago, the school was awarded £1,500 from the Jamie Oliver Fund, which has provided a salad bar in the dining room where pupils help themselves to as much as they can eat. Since then, the tuck shop has also developed and is manned by keen Year 6 children who sell a whole range of fruit and add smoothies to their menu in the summer.
Delighted staff and pupils can add the PACE health club to the school's other lifestyle achievements, which include 'Healthy School' status and a prestigious silver award for the Healthy School Kitchens.