§ Lord Pendryasked Her Majesty's Government:
What consideration they have given to providing free pedometers to schools as a means of raising awareness at an early age of the importance of physical activity and the energy consumption: output equation. [HL2397]
47WA
§ Baroness Ashton of UphollandNo formal consideration has yet been given to the provision of free pedometers to schools. Knowledge and understanding of fitness and health is one of four key strands running through the PE national curriculum. Schools can choose to use pedometers as part of this element of their PE lessons to help to teach pupils the importance of physical activity to health and wellbeing.
The Government have put in place a range of measures to increase the take-up of opportunities in physical education and school sport and to raise awareness of the importance of physical activity among our young people. We are keen to consider any further measures to ensure that the proportion of five to 16 year-olds receiving at least two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport is increased to at least 75 per cent by 2006. The Government are investing over £1 billion to help to deliver this.