CHINESE style group exercise is being used in Enfield schools to give children more exercise.

A form of Tai Chi is being taught to groups of pupils first thing in the morning to help wake up their minds and bodies before lessons begin.

The ten minute exercise classes have been introduced to help Enfield Council hit the Government-set target of 94 per cent of schools offering two hours of exercise or more each week.

So far all primary schools in the borough offer children two hours a week while in secondary schools the level is at 50 per cent.

The person in charge of managing sports development in schools, Jan Hickman, said Enfield was doing better than many other London boroughs.

But she added that the council was let down by many schools operating 50 minute lessons, which gives children time to move between classrooms but might mean only one hour and 40 minutes of exercise is taught per week.

The ten minute warm ups get round this.

Ms Hickman added that targets were not the only thing 21st century PE was about.

“We can’t afford to be delivering physical activity that in the past turned young people off,” she said.

“We can’t afford to have them running around muddy hockey pitches, instead we offer things like pilates and yoga, even ice skating.”

The aim is to encourage youngsters to find an activity they like so they are more likely to stick with it throughout their lives.

She is also arranging for volunteers to go into schools to teach more unusual kinds of exercise, such as bowls, and working with local sports clubs to use their facilities.

What do you think? Is it a good idea to provide a wider variety of exercise for children or should schools stick with traditional school sports like football, netball and hockey? Tell us your views in the comment box below,