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Exercise those brains please!

Eve Dugdale
12/ 3/2008

BRAINS aren’t the only things exercised during exam times at St Phillip Howard school.

To get their minds in tip-top shape, pupils go through a healthy exercise regime designed to improve their exam performance.

And the results show it’s working.

Key Stage 3 results were released recently and showed pupils at the school have performed extremely well.

Headteacher Wendy Steciuk says there’s an Asian-inspired reason for pupils’ success.

"They do gentle stretching and breathing exercises before their exams," she said.

"We’re partnered with a school in China and over there all pupils do tai chi before they start lessons. Because we’re a specialist sports college it’s one of the things we’ve looked into and wanted to test out.

"What happens when they do SATS practice in February, they have a PE session followed by a hydration period and then they do their exam. Then when they do their SATS exam they do a PE session followed by a hydration period then I give them a motivational assembly on all sorts of things.

"During the hydration period we encourage them to drink water and get some fresh air.

"Over the past three years that they’ve been doing this, results have improved and we’ve been recognised as an improving school."

However, sprints round the schoolyard and circuit training are a strict a no-no.

"It’s not too over the top. As you know some children don’t like PE, it’s nothing to get them hot and sweaty. It just wakes them up. Because kids are very lethargic in the morning, doing gentle stretching and breathing exercises wakes them up."

Swapping sweets and fizzy drinks at the school’s tuck shop for water and fruit has also helped the school’s effort to improve pupil’s concentration levels.

"It’s been proven that plenty of water keeps you energised. We have water machines in school and the children can bring their own water bottles in and keep filling them up," added Mrs Steciuk.