Pupils at a Stoke-on-Trent primary school could be getting their own outdoor gym to encourage them to do more exercise.

A rowing machine, exercise bike and step machine all specially designed for children are among the affordable fitness equipment Sneyd Green Primary is hoping to buy, according to local newspaper the Sentinel.

The idea is part of a series of measures to tackle childhood obesity at the school, which has made a bid for £5,000 from the Barclays' Class Act to fund the scheme.

Sneyd Green Primary was recently identified as one of the worst schools in Stoke-on-Trent for obesity levels, with 25 per cent of children classed as obese in one year group alone.

PE co-ordinator Sue Hurst said the school was trying to keep exercise fun so the children would want to carry on with it when they were older.

"We're looking at lots of different ways to exercise," she added.

Rowing machines are particularly effective for weight loss as they enable users to burn a lot of calories fairly quickly.