An Invercargill school is taking a proactive approach to getting its pupils engaged with physical activity by changing how it runs its cross country.

When staff from Ascot Community School noticed pupils absent on cross country days, or simply not enjoying the long run, it sparked a conversation about how they could approach the event differently.

Teacher Marcia Ferguson said traditionally on cross country day attendance tended to be down, or there were pupils who found the event stressful because they didn’t enjoy running.

So, after conversations involving Sport Southland’s Made To Move team, the school decided to try a different approach to get the pupils having fun while being physically active.

The result was an afternoon fun run obstacle course. The course was designed by one of the Year 7/8 classes at the school. Having the kids help with the planning and preparation had given them a vested interest in taking part in the activity, Marcia said.

“It’s about having fun, it’s about team work, it’s about getting involved, it’s about participating, it’s about the kids supporting each other and actually having a go.”

Pupils that enjoyed the traditional cross country event had the opportunity to take part in a run at Seaward Bush in the morning, which would allow them to qualify for zone finals. Those pupils also had the opportunity to take part in the obstacle course fun run later that day.

Made To Move school facilitator Ricky Bakker said Made To Move aimed to increase awareness of the value physical activity has in people’s lives, especially during primary school years, and the Sport Southland team were working with schools on ways of thinking outside the square when it came to physical activity opportunities within the school environment.

“To have schools like Ascot Community School thinking about ways they can engage their whole school, rather than a select group, on activities such as cross country days, is absolutely fantastic. Taking a slightly different approach, particularly one which is led or at least fed into by the kids, means you can potentially have a much larger group engaged, having fun, and realising that being physically active is a great thing.”

Article added: Monday 27 May 2019