A Danish athlete and PE instructor developed a very different type of school in a bid to stem the rise of obesity, writes Philip McNamara
A unique project is being undertaken in Ballerup, a district of Copenhagen. Per Kolle, a former Danish athletics champion, is leading a project that aims to help young children to excel in school by giving them nutrition and exercise education from an early age.
I recently took a group of health policy experts from Britain to learn about sports education, obesity prevention and nutrition policy. This school, Ballerup Public Primary School, and 10 others like it, combine political co-operation and a desire for life-long health, and are promoted by a few key individuals in the community.
Large air-filled mattresses fill a room in a large gym in one of the local schools where children are playing and jumping across the room. Per Kolle has created these mattresses and special rolling balls, because he believes the best way to train the body is when all of it is in the air. Groups of children demonstrate how the system works, performing back flips, jumps and twists. This is no ordinary gymnastics class, however, as children as young as six are taking part.
It is not seen as a gymnastics class, but as a fun way to learn about "body mechanics". The goal here is not to train future Olympians, but children who will be free from diabetes, who will have good self-esteem, and who will work well in school.
In this school a pioneering class is also under way. It is based on the theories of Dr Howard Gardner, who created a theory of multiple intelligences. He argued that school systems often focus on a narrow range of intelligence which primarily involves verbal/linguistic and logical/ mathematical skills. Multiple intelligences include visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, naturalist and intrapersonal intelligence.
There is a special classroom with lots of large chairs, special seating areas and even tents. This classroom is devoted to helping children with reading difficulties and ADHD. Exercise, movement and a focus on the strengths of the children are being used to rapidly advance their reading skills.
"It has been an enormous success," says Susanna Aabrandt, head of a new programme that helps children who have difficulty learning in traditional classroom environments. "We take children who are 14 and 15 years old, who have the reading skills of a six year old, and in seven weeks they have improved their proficiency in reading by seven years - to that of a 13 year old.
"Many students have difficulty sitting still or learning in a traditional classroom setting. What we have done is create a classroom where children are free to move around as they learn."
According to Aabrandt, this new system has had dramatic effects, and children are now learning as much as their peers because of the freedom they have to learn in a way that is suitable for them.
Aabrandt shows us a specially designed classroom where children are encouraged to move as they learn. "Here they can easily move around - they need to go around and pick up stuff, and put things back, so I built it into the course of the day that they can move around the classroom. And when you do that, they do it naturally and quietly."
The children are also encouraged to take breaks, go out to play, and take part in exercise sessions. "This de-stresses them, and it makes it a lot easier for them to learn," says Aabrandt. Many students have been sent from other schools in the Copenhagen region to take part in classes here, with great results.
The idea for a different type of school, and a different type of community took shape about 20 years ago in Ballerup.
Per Koelle, an accomplished athlete and physical education instructor, wanted to share his knowledge of sports and exercise because of what he calls "an epidemic of obesity" due to the rise of technology and the demise of play. He began to work with national and local authorities to develop a programme to involve sports in the school curriculum. He also wanted to overhaul the way PE teachers were taught, so that they could give better instruction to children.
To make it work, the school went to the children, parents and local community to find out about what it meant to have a quality childhood. Children were asked in the study what a good life was. Among the factors they listed were: a good family; friends; an adult to play with them and tell them stories; fun playgrounds or water.
This study, along with other research, formed the basis of Ballerup's child policy.
The policy means there is a new level of co-operation between the schools and parents regarding the children's physical and mental competences. The plan, which was adopted unanimously by the county council, called for a much larger investment in sports facilities and health education in local schools. This means the local council have provided after-school sports clubs, a new "body laboratory" for conducting tests, new playgrounds and training fields with challenging installations at the school, and special areas for play and training for all ages. Canteens serving healthy food have been set up with cooks being taught to cook only healthy food with a focus on vegetables and local produce. There are only 20 vending machines in schools in Denmark - all the others have been removed. These are blocked during the day and are used by adults during evening courses.
According to Kolle, children nowadays have less experience of movement than they had in previous generations, and this is affecting body consciousness, self-confidence and self-esteem. "Many children do not like sport, because they are not 'body competent'," says Kolle. "Children are not breathless in their everyday life, and with that their physical condition is reduced."
Ove Daalsgard, mayor of Ballerup, believes Ireland could learn much from Denmark. His local authority spends about €500,000 on bike lanes every year and despite having some of the best sports facilities in the country, sports account for less than 1 per cent of his annual budget.
"I cycle to work every day," he says. "Perhaps a few of your leaders should come over here and they could learn from us."
Philip McNamara is founder and managing director of Inspire Nation, a best practice consultancy based in Galway. The company takes executives around the world to learn what other countries are doing better. www.inspire-nation.com