Wednesday, June 07, 2006 | 11:55
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| Pupils at Cherry Trees School practice yoga |
FOR most primary school teachers, getting youngsters to behave in a calm and laid-back manner is not always the easiest task.
Playtime can be a boisterous affair, and keeping the peace in a room full of four-year-olds is not a challenge for the faint-hearted.
But a group of teachers at one Suffolk school believe they have discovered the key to a quiet life by taking daily yoga sessions with their pupils.
The unusual approach to learning has been pioneered by the Cherry Trees School, in Risby, near Bury St Edmunds, which sent each of its staff members on a day-long course teaching them how to adapt simple yoga moves for use in the classroom.
And teachers believe there is method in their madness, claiming the daily sessions have improved the youngsters' ability to concentrate by relaxing them for the whole school day.
Headteacher Wendy Compson said the training course, which was developed by children's yoga expert June Rowland, uses songs for breathing techniques, rhymes to help the postures and various visualisation exercises to expand the idea of meditation.
“All the teachers are doing it with their classes, and the children are just so much calmer,” she added.
“It has not been given a place in the timetable, but we are trying to squeeze the sessions in during wet play times and at the beginning of the day, or whenever classes have a spare ten or 15 minutes.
“It sounds silly but all the teachers agreed they have felt inner-peace from doing the yoga, and it really is having a positive effect on learning and development.”
The training course, which cost £800, was funded by the school and with a grant from the Montessori Association.
The sessions have been taking place at the school since the start of term in January with Key Stage One children, who are aged from four to seven.
It is planned to introduce the classes across the age range, including nursery pupils, later in the year.
“We have always made sure the children take part in physical exercise every day anyway, so this is really just taking a different approach to what we already did,” said Mrs Compson.
“The yoga moves are very basic and are designed specifically for children, but they all seem to really enjoy it.
“The teachers have gained a lot from it, and if you have a calm class you can get more done during the day, so the sessions are proving very effective.”