If you have been in or around school in the last week you may well be wondering why some of the classes have been out walking, jogging or running many times around one of our playgrounds. The reason for this is that at Cairnshill the health and fitness of our pupils is of paramount importance and so as a school we have decided to become part of The Daily Mile initiative. This initiative began in Scotland due to a concern regarding physical inactivity and childhood obesity among primary school children. The idea is that without wasting any time to change into kit (except for trainers), the children go out each day or as many days as possible, into the fresh air to run, jog or walk for fifteen minutes around the school playground. It is fully inclusive and not competitive: most children will average a mile in that time, with some doing more and some doing less. It is not PE, sport or cross-country, but a physical activity which is aimed at improving the children’s physical, social, emotional and mental health and wellbeing. The Daily Mile has numerous benefits to children, whether they run, jog or walk. The 15 minute break from lessons is invigorating and leaves children (and teachers!) more focused, able to concentrate better and ready to learn. It also builds self-esteem and confidence, improving children’s perception of exercise for life. We do hope the children bring the benefits home, by eating and sleeping better and encouraging their families to get active together. So far we have introduced this initiative from P4-P7 and it has already proved extremely popular with both pupils and teachers alike. We couldn’t have started at a better time, as it has been most enjoyable getting out in this fantastic spell of weather…hopefully everyone will still be as enthusiastic in the cold, wet and windy months!