EXERCISING by Grace Academy pupils can be done at lunchtime after an outdoor gym has been installed.
The gym forms part of a wider investment in the outdoor area of the Academy totalling £30,000 this year, including new basketball hoops, an outdoor canopied seating area and potted plants.
Year 7 pupil Lee Harris, aged 13, who has been on the gym everyday since it arrived, said: “It’s really enjoyable because it’s fun and you get to exercise every lunchtime.
“Before we got the gym I was on the football pitch, but I’m really glad we’ve got it now.”
The £14,000 gym equipment on offer for students includes side surfers, riders, air skiers and a seat chest and pull down.
Principal, Darren Gelder, said the gym and other outdoor improvements are helping to give students a sense of pride in their environment.
He added: “We want to encourage all our students to develop a healthy lifestyle.
“Year 7 students were all over the gym from the first day it arrived, mixing, talking and chatting, and it’s a way the students can be involved in some activity who might not otherwise exercise at all at lunch and break times.
“The gym also has some activities that are purpose-built for disabled students so it is as inclusive as possible.
“Exercise and brain functions have been closely linked for a long time and it’s good for students to have the opportunity to work hard in class and then run off steam in a purposeful manner outside.”
