Our Children’s Fitness Rig is a smaller version of the our popular Big Rig, but designed especially for children and is a very popular solution for schools.
6th February 2024
A recent report has indicated that tens of thousands of children who became overweight or obese during the Covid-19 pandemic could be facing ‘lifelong consequences’ for their health as they become overweight adults and potentially run a greater risk of conditions from diabetes to strokes. What’s more, researchers have warned that the problem could end up costing the UK as much as £8bn.
Obesity rates among pupils finishing primary school (i.e. aged 10 and 11) climbed steeply during the public health crisis, and have not yet reverted to pre-pandemic levels. Equally, researchers have warned that measures are needed to combat obesity in kids who are not yet five, although weight gain among Reception pupils aged four and five has now returned pre-pandemic levels.
Between 2019-20 and 2020-21, the proportion of Year 6 primary school pupils who were obese or overweight and aged 10 or 11 rose from just over a third (35.2%) to 40.9%, or slightly more than two-fifths. And while these numbers did come down the next year, they remained higher than before the pandemic’s lockdowns.
The research was carried out at the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre and Southampton University, and its authors stressed the need for early intervention. Lead researcher Prof Keith Godfrey also told the BBC that children from less advantaged communities had fewer opportunities to engage in physical activity.
Fresh Air Fitness is an award-winning provider of outdoor gym equipment UK-wide. 2016 saw the launch of our ever-popular UK-designed and made Big Rig. Seeing the incredible results it provides, we Fresh Air Fitness wanted to offer children the same opportunity: The Children’s Fitness Rig. Suitable for up to six children to use at the same time, provides outstanding value for money and allows for a range of physically demanding activities across a broad spectrum of ability, including youngsters with special needs. Strength, stamina, balance, flexibility and coordination all improve with this clever piece of kit, not to mention kids’ confidence. It’s essentially an entire gym in a single piece of equipment!
This solution has already been a huge hit with many Primary schools who have installed the Fitness Rig. ‘We instantly saw its popularity, with pupils queuing up to use the equipment during breaktimes. Teaching staff tell us that it has enriched PE lessons especially as it is an inclusive and fun introduction to exercise for pupils with all different levels of fitness.’ Pauline McVay, School Business Manager, Shelley Primary School
The five unique fitness stations on our Children’s Fitness Rig are:
Use at break or lunch times, after and just before school as well as during PE classes, to boost activity and keep children engaged and focused throughout the day, while increasing what we like to call ‘physical literacy’.
You can also use it for individuals, in groups or in lesson settings and to raise PE’s profile across your school. What’s more, it’s swift to set up, with a six-to-eight week installation time, and can be fitted on a number of different surfaces.
We provide clear guidance labels about safe use of the Children’s Fitness Rig.
And, like everything we make, it’s produced to ISO9001 quality standards, and UK safety standards EN1176 & EN16630.
Finally, the Children’s Fitness Rig is built to last, with warranties as follows:
Give us a call on (01483) 926590 or fill in the enquiry form here to learn more about what our ‘little’ Big Rig could do for your primary school, as a strong contribution to tackling the growing problem of childhood obesity.
We’ll also help by discussing options for funding for your outdoor gym, such as the PE and Sport Premium, to ensure you’re maximising all available opportunities.
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