School forced to apologise after advertising 'bikini body' fitness class for pupils

Staff at The Ripley Academy said the contraversial fitness classes had been advertised without the school's permission

Parents of the Derbyshire school expressed concerns the class would cause children to worry about their appearances (Google Maps)

An East Midlands school has apologised for promoting a “bikini body” fitness class for designed for its pupils.

The proposed after-school classes at The Ripley Academy in Derbyshire were met with outrage from parents who expressed concerns that “sexualising” fitness would make children worry about their body image.

One parent, who did not want to be named, said: “Isn't it bad enough to have impressionable girls to already be worrying about the state of their bodies?

"I am all for healthy lifestyle but this is sexualising the fitness class. Surely this is not what the government had in mind for academy schools?"

The classes were cancelled after one of the school’s teachers contacted a local newspaper about posters they had seen advertising for pupils to attend and achieve “bikini bodies”.

The academy, which teaches pupils aged 11-18, said that the classes had been run by a supply teacher and held without school principal Carey Ayres’s permission.

A spokesman for The Ripley Academy said: ”As soon as we were made aware of these after-school classes they were cancelled as they did not reflect the values of the academy."

“We would like to sincerely apologise for any offence caused. They were organised by a supply teacher, who is covering a member of staff on maternity leave, without permission from the principal and this issue will be dealt with internally."

"At The Ripley Academy we do run a variety of extra-curricular activities aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle amongst all of our students and we would never condone any class, or after-school activity, that may put pressure on any young person in terms of their own body image."

Another parent said: "I feel sorry for the school. The classes had been advertised without much thought and had been done so without the school's blessings".