A PE teacher is rivalling famous YouTube personal trainers by running fitness classes online.

New Rickstones Academy's Dean Gilder is uploading three sessions a week for his students in an effort to keep them active during the coronavirus lockdown.

Mr Gilder uses everyday household items such as tins of foods, sofas and stairs in his workouts to show pupils being stuck indoors can actually work to their advantage.

He said: “I wanted to make sure our students are keeping as active as possible while the school is closed. While Joe Wicks is great, a lot of young people prefer to work with a person they know.

“The workouts are all based in and around the house, so they are ideal for everyone as you do not need weights or a yoga mat or any other gym equipment. I have used the stairs, a chair, the sofa and even tins of baked beans! I’m showing that it doesn’t matter if you have the equipment or not, you can do exercise with anything. I do the full workout and they can simply follow along."

Many school students across the country remain off from school due to the coronavirus pandemic.

New Rickstones Academy is setting work for its pupils online and is also holding virtual assemblies to create some normality for the youngsters.

But it's Mr Gilders' fitness videos which are proving the biggest hit with students, with one video having an estimated 1,000 views.

He says he is planning plenty more videso in the coming weeks and is looking for new ideas having already filmed fitness sessions in his kitchen and garden.

He added: "As long as children are staying home and staying active, I’m happy with that.

"Filming the workouts is also keeping me motivated and the students are definitely buying into it. They are getting active and that is a positive way to fill the boredom of being at home."