A HAMPSHIRE school is trailblazing a new approach to lunchtimes to improve behaviour and learning opportunities for pupils.

Staff at Cherbourg primary school in Eastleigh noticed that some youngsters' behaviour was deteriorating during the lunch break and as a result PE leader Andy Crossley implemented a new regime to give the 380 pupils a more structured play experience at lunchtime.

Now instead of simply running around the compact site the pupils have the opportunity to use one of several new play areas that have been created.

Each day a raft of activities are organised from which youngsters can choose what to do.

A kick-a-bout area regularly hosts a range of sports, including tennis and football, whilst a grass amphitheatre has also been created which is used for storytelling, arts and craft activities.

The £27,000 budget has also been spent on redesigning a play area, treehouse, wet play, construction and training lunchtime supervisors using money received as part of their pupil premium – funding available for disadvantaged pupils.

Mr Crossley said: "We recognised that for twenty per cent of their day children are outside with no real learning going on.

"In conjunction with that we were also noticing that behaviour was deteriorating and some pupils were coming back into school in the afternoon not ready to learn, having fallen out with their friends or just not in the right frame of mind.

“We came up with the idea of actually giving them something structured that would occupy them but also give them learning opportunities but still with play involved.

“It is not just physical play but also imaginative, creative and social play that they are being given the opportunity to do.”

The school invested in a raft of equipment and lunchtime staff were also trained to promote play.

The year groups have a staggered lunch hour, meaning all 380 pupils use the facilities, including the youngsters who attend the resourced provision based in the school for children with extra needs.

Mr Crossley said: “We don’t have the biggest site and that was part of the problem but we have made the most of it by dividing it up into different areas. as a result they can move between the activities and develop different skills between them. Pupil Millie Woodford said: “I think lunchtimes are really interesting now."

Lilly Gregory, a year six pupil, added: "They get the right kind of stuff that we like to play with."

Staff have noticed a real improvement in the children’s behaviour.

Disruption after lunchtime has now dramatically reduced, staff have more than halved the number of ‘red cards’ they give out for when children break school rules, and the loss of ‘golden time’ has nearly halved.

Mr Crossley said: “We are really proud of the impact this has head, more importantly though it is the children that are benefitting from it.”