A TOP professor is calling for greater use of health mentors in schools following the success of a Keighley scheme.

Jim McKenna, a professor of physical activity and health at Leeds Beckett University, said the Project HE:RO initiative was improving pupils' performance in the classroom.

Staff from Evolve – which delivers the groundbreaking project – were shadowed by a researcher as they mentored children in four Keighley-district primary schools, using increased physical activity and one-to-one help with learning.

The study, commissioned by Bradford Public Health, also found that the scheme was having a "powerful effect" on changing the emotional wellbeing and behaviour of pupils.

"The project builds positive relationships and works better than anything like it that we've seen brought into schools," said Prof McKenna.

"The work of the health mentors is having a profound effect on the whole school environment.

"Although the mentors tend to work with disruptive children, that impact extends to all pupils. If a teacher has a class of smiling children, this helps the behaviour of everyone.

"I would like to see the health mentoring scaled-up into more schools. That would see a notch-up in children's performance by displacing a lot of anti-social behaviour.

"Recent reports suggest that Bradford education is not doing as well as it might. If more investment was made in primary schools, they could see a huge improvement in educational excellence.

"It would be a great news story for Bradford if more health mentors were brought in. They are doing something good in the world."

He said that by improving children's physical activity and health and promoting positive behaviour, the youngsters learned self-control which would benefit them for the rest of their lives.

"The mentors are having a powerful effect in unlocking success and supporting the oasis of learning that teachers are working so hard to create," added Prof McKenna.

Researcher Stephen Zwolinsky observed the mentors, interviewed teachers about their experiences and studied the impact.

"The teachers and headteachers I spoke to were all fulsome in their praise for the positive addition to the staffing and the importance of the mentors' contribution," he said.

"It was fantastic to see how the inspiring role models built relationships with the pupils and made such a difference.

"I wasn't expecting to see such amazing changes in behaviour, self confidence and academic achievement."

Graham Morgan – director of Evolve, based at Central Hall in Alice Street – said he was delighted with the findings and hoped the study would be taken seriously by the local education authority.

"Bradford could take the national lead in bringing children's health and education together," he said.

"While we set out to combat inactivity and obesity through active learning, we were not surprised that we are improving basic numeracy and literacy.

"Through the research we now discover one of our biggest assets is improving the emotional wellbeing of pupils too."

Project HE:RO, which has been running since 2007, works with 120 primary schools.

Schools involved in the study were St Joseph's, Nessfield, Oxenhope and Eastburn Junior and Infant.