A pioneering weekly fitness programme at a Highgate school involving staff, students and parents has been given the seal of approval by a Great British Olympic athlete.

Multi-generational fitness-to-music sessions called ‘Get up and Go’ have been taking Highgate Primary School by storm over the past few months, so much so that 200m sprinter Bianca Williams popped down to try a session for herself.

The sporting project – set up by the school’s sport coach John Sukhdeo – sees participants taking part in a variety of free running, ball control and partner-based activities between 8.25am and 9am a few times a week.

Bianca, a winner of bronze medals in the 200m and 4 x 100m relay at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, visited the school to hand out medals to kids who had taken part in the sporting project.

Headteacher William Dean said: “We are ambitious for every child at Highgate Primary and we want our school to be a healthy place for our minds and our bodies.

“I am thrilled by the popularity of the ‘Get Up and Go!’ initiative, which kicks the day off with a positive start for the whole school community.

“When I look around at our ‘Get Up and Goers’, I am delighted to see so many people, representing so many groups, taking part and getting their heart pumping before the start of school.”

Initially the project – funded by the Free Sport grant from the Mayor of London – was trialled for a month, but thanks to the huge popularity of the sessions, ‘Get Up and Go!’ will continue into the future at the North Hill school.

The sessions are also used by children from its partnership school, the Blanche Nevile School for Deaf Children.

Away from the playground, Highgate Primary has also been awarded a Unilever bright Future grant of £1,000 to establish a project to connect the younger and older generations through their love of stories, .

A team of students, representing the green council and debating club, had visited City Hall to successfully pitch their ideas.