A mile a day keeps children at Fareham junior school happy and healthy as the Daily Mile challenge celebrates 10th anniversary

Staff at Wallisdean Junior School said that since the return to school after the pandemic, the number of children able to run for a full 15 minutes has leapt from 30 per cent of students to around 75 per cent.

Today, children donned bright pink T-shirts provided by the Daily Mile Foundation as the children’s wellbeing charity celebrates its first decade.

Children at Wallisdean Junior School were joining with other primaries and nurseries as they marked April 28 as the Daily Mile’s 10th anniversary.

Hannah Bowser, the school’s PE lead, said: ‘Today we are here to celebrate Daily Mile’s 10th birthday.

‘The Daily Mile is something we’ve been doing for the last couple of years, it provides our children with the opportunity to get outside every day and have 15 minutes of exercise.

‘Not only that, it gives them a break from their learning.

‘It can be in the middle of the day, it can be before a lesson, at the end of a lesson, just to give them the opportunity to have a break and refresh their brains.

‘We try to get out there no matter what.’

Around 200 children congregated on the school field just before midday to run for 15 minutes, or about a mile.

Even if they have to slow down to a walk, the children are encouraged to keep on moving for the full 15 minutes.

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Hannah added: ‘The children have to track their progress and they have to keep moving until the 15 minutes are up, so we encourage them to aim towards that.

‘As teachers we can see the progress, the amount of time they’re running.

‘We’ve noticed a big difference in what they can do.’

The teachers say that the children have benefited ‘massively’ from the daily exercise, and it has also helped with focus and engagement during lessons.

Hannah said: ‘It’s having a positive impact on the experience in the classroom - a mental break.’

Wallisdean Infant School also takes part in a reduced Daily Mile, and Hannah hopes to continue the event for years to come.