Stepping Forward – Keeping Fit at School

Abbey College Cambridge launches a new programme called ‘Stepping Forwards’, designed by our healthcare team and aimed to encourage physical activity and healthy choices in students who do not currently participate in school sports.

This customised programme of physical activity and healthy eating support with realistic goals set with the students is being led by Abbey College Cambridge House Matrons and is designed to be fit into bite-sized chunks during lunchtimes and free periods, in order to blend with the curriculum and make physical exercise a daily habit for students.

Programme Components:

Week One – House Matrons work with students one-on-one to agree a goal that the student would like to achieve, such as to walk half a mile each week, or to take part in a new physical activity e.g. yoga

Weeks Two to Four – Activities designed and arranged to support delivery of the goal

Weeks Five to Six – An extra stretch, e.g. could the student walk further, do another class of the activity?

Weeks Seven to Eight – Review of the original goal: what went well, what were the barriers faced etc and setting of next half-term’s goals – can the student manage at the extra stretch level?

Activity examples:

• 15-20 minutes table tennis, badminton or darts
• Half a mile walk to the Cambridge Botanical Gardens and back
• A traditional British game of croquet or boules
• Catch a taxi to Fitzwilliam Museum and walk back. Build up to walking there and back
• Walk to the shops for some shopping and back
• Indoor cricket or archery
• Small yoga classes
• Hire a bike for an hour from the station and cycle around town
• Set a step challenge (daily or weekly average)

This programme aims to ensure all students feel able to participate in physical exercise at their own level and in whatever way they feel most comfortable, in order to promote inclusivity, resilience and trying new things (some students have discovered new hobbies and passions through the programme that they never would have thought to try before!). It has been a great success so far, with everyone having fun, working towards their goals, and making healthy choices.