School PE lessons for many mean miserable memories.
Cross-country runs in the pouring rain, or a game of rounders in the playground on a bitterly-cold day, or ‘last pick’ for the soccer team on a muddy field.
But not for the youngsters of Highburton First School.
Their PE lessons are “wheely” good as they include the excitement of skateboarding.
They are hard at work polishing up on their 50:50 Grinds, their Olling and their Nosestalls.
Skating experts are working with dozens of the youngsters to teach them the skills and techniques to enjoy the sport.
It’s part of a scheme run by Kirklees Council who have an activities team able to work with schools throughout the district.
All the children in Years 4 and 5 at the 180-pupil school are getting the chance to brush up on a whole host of new skills during a six-week course.
And headteacher Gaynor Leadbeater is delighted – she says she’s even tempted to join in, “depending on which shoes I’m wearing”.
“It’s certainly a chance to have PE lessons with a difference.
“We are trying to make exercise more exciting and more enjoyable for everyone and this certainly works.
“The activities team offers all sorts of sports and pastimes, including climbing and canoeing, but those are not skills that the children can carry on out of school.
“Skateboarding certainly is as there are skate parks in Lepton and in Skelmanthorpe, as well as other ones at Holmfirth and Greenhead Park.
“It’s also a way of involving the girls who are keen to try something new. It is mainly a boy-thing at the skate parks but here at school the girls are very keen to get involved.
“The team brings along everything we need including all the necessary safety equipment and it has gone down really well”.
The first lessons involved teaching the youngsters aged between 8 and 10 the basis of boarding, but now they have progressed to learning a few tricks and getting the chance to jump on and off ramps.
The school is meeting the cost of hiring the experts from their budget.
