YOUNGSTERS in south Essex could unknowingly have changed the way the UK, and even the world, helps to tackle childhood obesity.

A groundbreaking scheme, piloted across Basildon and Thurrock, to diffuse the ticking timebomb of dangerously overweight children, has proven such an overwhelming success it is now on its way to America.

In October 2008, NHS South West Essex became the first health trust in the country to launch the 21st Playground Scheme, aimed at getting more children to be active during the school day.

The scheme saw 163 schools across Basildon, Wickord, Billericay and Thurrock receive specialist playground facilities, made up of climbing walls, multi skill and stage areas, tyre swings, assault course and problem solving equipment.

The trust ploughed £3million into the project – spending £17,000 on every primary and special school and £25,000 on every secondary school.

Now, a new independent report compiled by two of the country’s top health chiefs shows the playground scheme has seen astonishing results – with almost 15 per cent of pupils in total going from not doing any exercise in their school day to becoming extremely active.

This means in every class of 28 children, four youngsters who never broke a sweat during school hours have now been galvanised into action permenantly, with the majority of others also cranking up their activity levels in a big way.

Girls are also getting more active, with a 6.6 per cent rise in the number of girls using the play equipment during break times.

Teachers have also reported improvements in classroom behaviour, more sociability between pupils, better concentration levels and even children coming to school earlier just to use the equipment.

The scheme was the brainchild of Lancashire-based company ESP (Education and Special Projects Ltd).

As well as installing the equipment in every school, the firm also commissioned a study by Leeds Metropolitan and Roehampton Universities to assess the impact the investment had on the levels of children’s activity – and ultimately whether it has an impact of childhood obesity.

Andrew Wood, 27, managing director of ESP said: “Findings this positive are very rare. This was the first time we or anyone in the country, and the world as far a I am aware, has done anything like this.

“We not only installed and designed the equipment, we also trained teachers in every school how to get the best use out of it.

“We showed them how the equipment could not only be used during break times, before and after school, and during PE lessons, but also as part of the national curriculum.

“We gave them the skills to use the equipment as part of maths classes, as a fun way for pupils to take part in problem solving exercises etc.

“A lot of schools are stuck in the past with their playground equipment. They have a swing, a slide and a hopscotch area which only a handful of children use for a few minutes a day.

“But this equipment is like Krypton Factor for the outdoors! It’s so varied and can be used in so many different ways.”

Alison Waite, headteacher of Hilltop Junior School in Wickford, has been amazed by the results shown in her school.

She said: “Our pupils have benefited greatly from having the equipment and have thoroughly enjoyed using it within lessons, playtime, before and after school.

“Some pupils have even begun to invent their own games for the equipment.

“We are very pleased with the equipment, as we have no field.

“We have also seen a substantial difference in the quality of our PE and the participation on a daily basis in physical activity.

“We have also seen a difference in the classroom, especially in the afternoons, with the children being more alert and ready for work.”

With the primary care trust now facing a £53million deficit and making more than 200 staff redundancies as well as cuts to services, the £3million cost may seem high.

However father-of-three Andrew, stressed: “The PCT needed some convincing at first, but they decided they would be brave and lead the way to not just cure obesity but to do something to prevent it as a long term measure.

“There’s never going to be a right time to spend this amount of money on a preventative measure but what the PCT has done is helped to give youngsters in Basildon and Thurrock a shot at a much better quality of life.

“The findings speak for themselves by showing this was a groundbreaking idea. Since our findings were published, I’ve had calls from all over the country and even America, to take the scheme to them. It’s been phenomenal.

“I am shortly off to South Carolina, where they want to implement a playground scheme of their own off the back of this.”

Ian Wake, acting deputy director of public health at NHS South West Essex, said “We made the decision to invest in playground equipment based on evidence in the Government’s Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives strategy, which demonstrates this kind of creative, active play can help to reduce childhood obesity.

“There has been a 14.8 per cent increase in pupils engaging in high quality physical activity since the equipment was installed.

“We are hopeful that pupils will maintain their activity levels.”