15 minutes of exercise 'boosts childrens' concentration'

Meanwhile, to measure concentration in a realistic classroom environment, the researchers came up with a series of mental tests that were recorded onto CD and played to the children at the end of the school day while they were still at their desks

It instructed the children to do tasks such as adding up numbers; recalling numbers in reverse order; judging whether statements were true or false and remembering the last word in a sentence, and putting a series of items in order of their size eg pencil, table, whale

The children did the physical exercises behind their desks around 30 minutes after lunch and the mental tests at the end of the school day - suggesting that the effects of the exercise on concentration lasted several hours

PhD student Liam Hill, who ran the study, said: "Our study showed that physical exercise benefits cognitive performance within the classroom and the degree of benefit depends on circumstances

"Most people have found that a brisk walk helps when sustained concentration is required. Children spend a lot of time sitting within a classroom so perhaps it is not surprising that they benefit from a burst of vigorous exercise."

Dr Justin Williams, Senior Lecturer in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Aberdeen said: "This is the first and largest study of its kind and our results show that 15 minutes of exercise in the classroom improved performance on cognitive tests conducted later in the day

"While further research is required, this could change the way we think about exercise in schools. As well as being important in tackling obesity and promoting a healthy lifestyle, exercise can help with learning

"It also raises the question of how much the often-reported decline in children's attention span in modern day life stems from a lack of physical exercise."

Professor Mark Mon-Williams, formerly of the University of Aberdeen and now at the University of Leeds, said: "Lots of research in elderly participants has shown that exercise helps the brain to function. This study is the first to show that exercise has similar benefits in children. Want to know more about children's physical activity ?

"How exercise helps children to concentrate is not yet clear and future research is needed to determine the brain mechanisms involved. But however exercise works, this research is important because it suggests that exercise in schools might actually help academic learning."

A Scottish government spokesman said that participation in physical education, physical activity and sport were important aspects of developing healthier and more fulfilling lifestyles for young Scots. “That's why the Scottish Government, in partnership with local authorities, is committed to pupils throughout Scotland receiving two hours of quality PE every week,” he said

“More widely than PE, we are also encouraging young people to take up to one hour of moderate activity at least five days a week. The Active Schools programme - funded by the Scottish government and involving some 2,500 schools - has been highly successful in providing more opportunities for young people to experience and increase participation in physical activity and sport."