Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke (NICHS) is delighted to be launching its new primary school programme, Chester’s Active Breaks, which is a fun and engaging 7-week course, designed to get children moving more throughout their school day.
Speaking about the launch Jessica Perry, NICHS Schools Health Promotion Manager, says: “At Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke we believe that prevention is key, which is why we are launching Chester’s Active Breaks on Monday 8th September. The programme will help to support pupil health and aid classroom focus. This is especially important as shockingly, only 20% of UK primary school children meet the current physical activity guideline of 60 minutes of physical activity every day¹. Lack of physical activity, sitting too much, weak muscles, and poor heart and lung fitness can all lead to chronic diseases, which can start as early as childhood². We want to do what we can to prevent this.”
Jessica continues; “Chester’s Active Breaks brings structured, manageable movement into the classroom in a way that is fun, flexible and rewarding. With easy-to-use resources and flexible scheduling, schools can integrate the programme without disrupting the curriculum. It’s all about keeping children active, healthy, and ready to learn.”
“The programme encourages teachers and pupils to complete 2 to 3 short active breaks each day. These breaks range from quick energisers to 10-minute movement breaks, all built around our exciting themes- Lively Lessons, Chill with Chester, Brain Breaks, Cardio Boosters and Monkey Madness. Classes within the school compete to become the Active Class of the Week.”
“All schools that complete Chester’s Active Breaks will contend with each other to become the Most Active School. The winner and runner up will win vouchers from our programme sponsor, Podium4Sport. Podium4Sport are proud to support local efforts to put wellbeing at the heart of education and we are delighted to be collaborating with them.”
Chester’s Active Breaks starts on Monday 8th September and runs until Friday 24th October 2025. To take part, sign your school up by visiting https://nichs.org.uk/prevention-services/schools-and-communities/schools/primary-schools/chesters-active-breaks
