Open Coding of Data

Line by line coding revealed that the data could be grouped together into a number of categories. Several processes emerged from the data as integral to the health behaviours of the school pupils. Health was viewed as being free of illness and disease, and healthy eating was a central theme which featured in each focus group amongst participants of all age ranges. When asked whether the school promoted a healthy lifestyle, the children viewed the school as an important provider of healthy food. The children demonstrated their understanding of food and health, with the

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both older and younger participants demonstrating an understanding of the healthy types of food choices.

Interviewer: Do you think your school promotes a healthy lifestyle? J: Well we have healthy dinners, where we have fruit and carrots and peas and we have a tuck break where we get fruit

T: And we have to have fruit, we get a fruit break as well J: Oh yeah in the afternoon we have a fruit break

I: Do you think that promotes a healthy lifestyle? S: Yes because we don‘t have chips every day

Yr 6 Pupils

Physical activity was also viewed as important to health, with many of the participants discussing PE lessons and exercise during the focus group interviews. The older children showed an understanding of the importance of physical activity in relation to the prevention of disease.

R: It‘s about so you keep doing PE and not having as many chips

M: Oh yeah we done it in the class and it said we have to do PE and sport and it helps us stay strong and then we have to eat less chips and eat greens

Yr 2 Pupils

Interviewer: Do you think your school promotes a healthy lifestyle? C: We do that a lot, like rounders and stuff like that in PE

I: So why do you think it‘s important that you are healthy? B: So you can keep fit and erm help you have a better lifestyle

Yr 6 Pupils

C: We do about the heart and the lungs H: And how to keep healthy

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A: Yeah we did about disease and what causes illness and how to try and not to get ill

Yr 5 Pupils

The playground environment was viewed as a fun space and a time to play games. Participants named the different types of activities that they do during playtime, such as football, skipping, handstands, and playing with hoops, balls and parachutes. The older girls (in Year 5) preferred to sit and chat rather than get involved with games, as these were seen as something that the boys or the younger children would do.

A: We go to the chat zone most of the time……

S:…..We could have like monkey bars and a big slide or stuff to climb on

H: But I reckon we‘d still stay in the chat zone and the boy‘s be on the stuff all the time.

Yr 5 Pupils

The older boys (aged between nine and eleven) tended to play football, and it seemed apparent that there may be a gap for a playground initiative that appealed to all children, but specifically to the older girls aged between nine and eleven. Few participants mentioned playtime as a time for exercise and physical activity, rather play or social activity were discussed. The older girls liked to sit and talk with their friends because that‘s what they felt that break time was for, rather than be active and play games.

Enjoyment of PE and physical activities in school differed by age and gender and were determined largely by gender and social support. Availability, choice and type of playground equipment and apparatus were of fundamental importance for playtime activities. Playground Leaders and the Smile Squad (another pupil led playground initiatives) were seen as positive, supplying pupils with games and equipment rather than being viewed as encouraging pupils to be active). However

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one focus group did speak of Playground Leaders and the difference they make to the games that they play.

I: Do you think they (the Playground Leaders) make a difference to the sorts of games that you play?

H: Yeah

B: It‘d make you more active and keep fitter.

Yr 6 Pupils

Weather was also an important factor where enjoyment of playtime activities was concerned. All focus group participants demonstrated a dislike of wet play time, and discussed the activities they would like to do.

H: Well outside we play better games than wet play R: We had wet play yesterday it‘s boring

H: We had to do craft but we wanted balls and that

Yr 2 Pupils

The participants had positive views about PE lessons, and enjoyed PE more than other lessons. It was apparent that choice was important to the pupils, and that if they couldn‘t choose the activities for their PE lessons, they would like to be consulted about this:

I: Would you change anything about your PE lessons? A: I think if we could choose what we could do

C: Yeah we could have a choice and we choose what we do!

Yr 5 Pupils

It was also evident that children did not like being placed into groups during PE lessons, but would prefer to choose their own.

C: I like it but not when we go in groups cos we can never choose who

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Appropriateness of PE activities, determined largely by age, emerged as integral to the pupil enjoyment of PE lessons. The younger children tended to enjoy the activities where the emphasis was on fun, rather than technical ability. Gymnastics was one activity which was regarded more negatively.

―Gymnastics is hard‖, Yr 2 Pupil ―I‘m scared of heights‖, Yr 6 Pupil

The participants viewed the school staff as important providers of good school food and PE. The role of the teachers was also viewed as important for teaching the children about health and disease.

T: They teach us stuff

L: We learn about being healthy

Yr 6 Pupils

Participants also felt that teachers encouraged participation in sports and extra- curricular activities.

A: Yeah the teachers do loads of clubs and get us to go along and get involved and it‘s good

H: I think cos they set up the clubs they want us to take part and its about being fun

Yr 5 Pupils Friends and siblings were viewed by participants as people to play games with and to be active with.

―My brother plays with me outside and we do football and tennis‖, Yr 2 Pupil

School food was deemed to be healthy, with adequate choice on offer. The school dinners and tuck were viewed as positive, as were the environments. One focus

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group discussed the environment of their eating environments, and the display of pupils work on the walls.

Interviewer: Is it a nice space?

H: Yeah we got posters that we done they‘re up on the walls

Yr 2 Pupils

Most of the children discussed their parents, with many parents making the choice of whether participants took sandwiches from home, or ate school dinners.

―I have sandwiches…….just what me Mum makes‖, Yr 6 Pupil.

―Me Mum says I have to have ‗em (school dinners) ‗cos she can‘t have time to make me a dinner every day‖, Yr 2 Pupil.

Other school staff members were also perceived as important factors. Participants made connections with the food they ate at dinner times and the dinner ladies who worked at the school. Children felt that the dinner ladies had a role to play in the food that they ate and in encouraging them to eat healthily.

R: If we don‘t eat ‗em (vegetables) they ask us why I: They ask you why haven‘t you eaten them? R: Yeah

I: Who asks?

R: The dinner ladies!... So they make us be a bit healthy cos of school dinners.

Yr 2 Pupil

The older pupils showed awareness of walking and cycling to school promotions. Although the information given was not specific, the participants demonstrated an understanding of why these initiatives had taken place, and the relationship with

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activity and health. The very young children were not aware of any travel initiatives within the school.

C: Didn‘t we have a walk to school day or week or something?

S: Yeah just to see how many people could start walking to school, that was a health thing as well Miss, get people walking and that.

Yr 5 Pupils

B: Yeah we have a Walk to School Week I: What is that?

S: Erm, it‘s a record of how active people are B: Yeah to get them to walk to school more I: Okay, is that often?

B: I don‘t know, like once a year or every term

Yr 6 Pupils

When discussing mode of travel to and from school the majority of participants travelled by car and none cycled to school. Only those participants who lived nearby walked into school.

In an effort to understand the circumstances in which the health behaviours and choices are made, the key concepts identified can be categorised into either whole school environmental facilitators of physical activity (i.e. enjoyment, choice, support from parents, siblings and peers, age appropriate activities, PE and playground facilities and resources, equipment, Playground Leaders and weather) or barriers (such as gender stereotyping, weather, competition, negative experiences of school environment and emphasis on team sports).