An Enfield primary school teacher is inspiring her pupils to be more active after meeting an Olympic gold medallist at an event in London this week.

Isabelle Whitby, a teacher at Enfield Heights Academy joined slalom canoeist Joe Clarke at the teaching event.

Mr Clarke made history at the 2016 Rio Games by taking home team GB’s first gold medal in the canoe slalom men’s K1.

He shared his story and offered advice on how teachers can help pupils to get more active.

Fewer than one in four young children in the UK get the recommended amount of exercise, meaning that millions are missing out on the benefits of keeping active.

The event at Riversdale Primary School in Wandsworth was part of a training day of workshops and activities for teachers from across the UK in how to inspire kids to be more active before, during and after school.

Organised by Nike and Discovery Education, the event was part of Active Kids Do Better, a new programme to increase kids’ movement and play throughout the school day.

Joe Clarke said: “It’s a real privilege to be associated with a programme that will have such a positive impact on the lives of so many kids. Sport has given me so much and it’s enriched my life. If we can help and inspire teachers to help kids to get moving, it would be fantastic.”

Isabelle Whitby said “I enjoyed meeting Joe and people from other schools and sharing ideas. I think it’s important that kids stay active throughout the school day. It helps their brains, helps them to concentrate more in lessons, it builds friendships and makes them feel more confident as well.”

Active Kids Do Better will also give schools access to Marathon Kids, the nationwide running programme which encourages children to run laps with the goal of achieving four marathons over the course of a school year.