Staff at Henbury School introduced the Movement Programme for year 7 pupils last September.
For three months the 120-strong cohort gathered in the school hall every morning for 25 minutes of exercises, some of them similar to t’ai chi, the Chinese martial art.
The activities, which included hand massages, eye strengthening, balance and co-ordination routines and marching to a rhythm, were followed each day by 35 minutes of literacy.
The aim was to help the pupils develop their self-confidence, writing speeds, co-ordination and concentration in class as well as improve their literacy skills.
When the pupils’ progress was analysed the school found that more than 40 per cent of the year group had made more progress in reading than expected. Of those who made progress, their reading age had increased by an average of a year.
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