The inactivity
 crisis facing schools

Physical activity has always been considered a vital part of education – but the emphasis that schools, parents and policymakers need to place on it is becoming increasingly clear.

Over the last generation the physical activity and fitness levels of children has declined at an alarming rate. On average, it takes children 90 seconds longer to run a mile than their counterparts did 30 years ago and heart-related fitness has also declined by five per cent each decade since 1975, for children aged 9-17.
    
Most schools understand that they should be supporting children to develop a physical activity habit for life.
Aside from living longer with more chance of being free from illness, regular physical activity boosts mood and gives more energy.
    
Those who exercise regularly are more likely to be socially active and have higher self-esteem. Evidence shows that exercising just two times a week lowers an individual’s likelihood of experiencing depression, anger, stress or cynical distrust.
    
But the reality is that the approach we are currently taking isn’t working well enough and we are losing the battle against physical inactivity among children.

Guidelines for physical education
In 2011, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in England set out guidelines for children’s physical activity. It was recommended that children should undertake physical activity for at least 60 minutes and up to several hours every day; that vigorous intensity activity, including those that strengthen muscle and bone, should be incorporated at least three days a week; and that all children and young people should minimise the amount of time spent being sedentary (sitting) for extended periods.
    
Yet in 2012 only 51 per cent of boys aged four to ten met these recommendations and staggeringly just seven per cent of boys aged 11 to 15.
    
A similar pattern can be noted for girls, although they are on the whole less active. Among girls aged four to ten, 34 per cent had met the recommended levels compared to no girls aged 11 to 15.

Get back into action
How can we begin to turn the tide of inactivity in children? We need to be ambitious. We need  to be running creative and inclusive physical activity sessions throughout the school day and beyond. We need to be finding ways to motivate children to make active choices, reach their own targets and break their own records – not by being pushed into it, but supported and encouraged so that it is their own choice.

This should start from walk to school initiatives and before-school activity sessions and continue on to lunch-time and after-school clubs that supplement a strong and inclusive PE programme integrating activity and making it convenient for pupils, families and teachers.

I believe that a considerable barrier to this is that in most communities, parents, physical activity providers and schools don’t work closely enough.
    
Combating physical inactivity goes beyond the school gates. Staff, parents and leisure activity providers need to work together and embed children’s activity programmes at the centre of a community strategy. This requires offering a range of activity opportunities that interest each individual child whether it’s dance, gymnastics or team sport.
    
With huge pressures on the education system already, it’s vital that all other parties step in where possible to ensure that young people are encouraged to include activity in their lives in whichever format is most enjoyable for them.

A partnership approach
If we can develop an approach from all parties then we are more likely to be able to foster a positive attitude towards activity in young people that will aid them in later life.
    
A fine example of this partnership approach comes from The David Ross Education Trust (DRET) a cluster of academies across the North East Coast. The trust has a 10-year strategy for sporting participation and excellence and has developed a programme that enables students to realise any activity and sporting potential they may have.  
    
Their programme is built on the premise that children who have few activity and sporting opportunities in life are given the chance to try, learn and love activity, and therefore to encourage them to develop an activity and sports habit for life.   
    
When developing their strategy they took into account existing sports provision, identified barriers that were precluding sports participation and how to develop opportunities to encourage it.
     
The result is that they provide a consistent extra-curricular club programme which includes engagement with community clubs to develop a mutually beneficial partnership.
    
It also enables the provision of quality coaching; appropriate competitive opportunities and major events to stimulate and sustain interest in activity and sport as well as build teamwork and pride amongst the students.
    
Although this is an example from just one group of academies, the principle is one that can be applied by all schools. Every school should be running an inclusive PE programme that supports a broader physical activity strategy that stretches throughout the school day.

The role of activity providers
And this has to work both ways. I would like
to see a more integrated approach with leisure and activity providers making their facilities and expertise available to local schools.
    
Birmingham’s Be Active programme, for instance, offered free use of leisure centres during working hours and at weekends. If this model was used more widely the benefits for young people would be enormous and those achieving their recommended levels of physical activity would almost certainly increase.
    
We also need to be sharing knowledge of what works and what isn’t as effective. This will help diversify the activity opportunities in communities and therefore encourage wider participation.
    
Overall, it is clear that physical activity in schools is, and always will be, the cornerstone of any balanced curriculum. Unfortunately it is also clear that unless we do more to work together then the inactivity crisis will worsen. We have the opportunity to provide a complete and rounded offering to young people by joining up our approach and ensuring that physical activity is integrated throughout the school day.

Further information
www.ukactive.com