Frankie Dettori backs Racing to School for schoolchildren

Frankie Dettori has backed a scheme which sees schoolchildren switch their lessons from the classroom to the racecourse.

Dettori posed with pupils at Yarmouth racecourse, where they used their maths skills to tackle a range of tasks involving measurements and weights.

The Racing to School initiative aims to introduce youngsters to the sport of racing as well as providing a fun place to put their school subjects into a real world setting.

Frankie praised the Racing to School scheme for getting youngsters introduced to the sport at a tender age, saying: "I love it, because it is how I started - as a young boy going to the races with my father."

Nearly 50 Year 6 pupils from Caister Junior School donned racing silks while visiting:

• the weighing room to learn about "old fashioned" Imperial measures - and the strict weight limits for the riders.
• the track to find out about furlongs, how to convert them to metric and stood on the spot where photo finishes decide who has won by a nose.
• the parade ring to measure and work out how many horses can safely walk around it before a race.

Lead Racing to School education officer Ollie McPhail, a former jump jockey, said: "The main aim is to bring school subjects to life through a unique experience in an outdoor environment - and make children more aware of racing with a VIP visit going to places behind the scenes.

"We find that 70% of children, even in racing centres like Newmarket, have never been to the races before. With secondary schools we also show the kind of careers racing can offer."

To get involved in a Racing to School session visit www.bhest.co.uk