Junior gyms could be created in Bradford schools to combat obesity in children.

Bradford Council will be asked to support plans for the new purpose-built gyms designed for youngsters between eight and 15-year-olds.

The idea has been developed by Councillor Michael McCabe (Con, Thornton and Allerton) to tackle obesity in children.

His proposals will be considered next week by the Bradford Council committee which scrutinises education.

And the plan has already been welcomed by the joint head of the Bradford primary school head teachers' association.

Fran Warden, who is head teacher at Springwood Community School in Manningham, said she hoped the plans would help uncover Olympic stars of the future. Her school already runs a series of after-school activities including football and martial arts and during half-term holidays its pupils take part in tag rugby, rounders, cricket and ice skating.

Miss Warden said: "The primary head teachers' association has asked Bradford Council what its pre-Olympic strategy will be. We want to promote physical education for all children so that the stars of the future have the chance to be discovered and I am pleased that councillors are asking the Council the same questions."

Coun McCabe's report has said the new facilities could be built in new school developments.

All of Bradford's secondary schools are set to be either rebuilt or replaced as part of the £400 million Building Schools for the Future programme over the next ten years. Buttershaw High, Tong School in Westgate Hill Street and Salt Grammar School in Baildon are being knocked down and replaced in the first phase.

And Coun McCabe is calling for new junior gyms to be created as part of this rebuilding programme. He said: "More and more children are sitting in front of TVs, or playing on PlayStations. We can't force children to exercise but we can find new ways of getting them to do it."

The report also suggests a mobile gym could be created to tour schools or the Council could look at setting up junior gyms alongside commercial adult gyms to allow children to exercise in a safe environment. It will be presented to Bradford Council's Young People and Education Improvement Committee at its meeting next Wednesday.

The committee will be asked to recommend the full Council lobby Government for funding to help develop junior gyms in Bradford and that the creation of junior gyms be incorporated into the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Committee's chairman Councillor Phil Thornton (Lab, Windhill and Wrose) said: "This is an excellent idea. It is addressing the issue that children do not get enough exercise."

National figures from the Department of Health show 27.7 per cent of children are overweight.