It's a question of balance for pupils

THE BALANCING skills of

schoolchildren in the Royston

area have been put to the test

over the last month.

Two hundred youngsters from

nine schools, including The

Meridian School in Royston and

Reed First School, have taken

classes on vew-do boards,

which give children first hand

experience of how it feels to

ride a skate board or snowboard.

The project was set up by the

Royston Extended Schools initiative.

A spokesman for Extended

Schools said: "The vew-do balance

board class was developed

with fun as its main goal.

"It challenges the balance system,

forcing the body to adapt

quickly to the smallest change

in body position.

"It is a great way to teach

pupils about the various functions

of the body," he said.

Ollie Halliday, who led the

classes, said: "They have been

received with great enthusiasm

and positivity.

"All the schools involved have

been a pleasure to teach.

"They have impressed me very

much in their character, commitment

and kindness.

"Once the pupils were on the

boards it was difficult to get

them off."

The pupils worked together in

pairs, completing progressive

exercises until they developed

enough skill and courage to

move on to more extreme

moves.

Russell Franklin, head of boys

PE at Meridian, said, "The session

was expertly led and the

students really enjoyed it.

"They had to work really hard

throughout, and some of them

found it a real challenge.