The CSP Network is getting behind activities such as the 'Daily Mile', encouraging schools to incorporate regular daily activity as a part of their school day.
With the amount of time spent in school, it is essential that schools encourage children and young people to be active throughout the school day, contributing to the Chief Medical Officer’s Physical Activity Guidelines for Children and Young People.
The Daily Activity concept is gathering momentum across England with numerous approaches now emerging and growing interest from schools. A number of CSPs have taken a proactive approach and are effectively supporting schools to introduce this kind of activity. For example Active Cheshire have worked closely over the last year with Daily Mile founder Elaine Willey, St Ninians Primary School and Stirling Council to learn and understand the keys to success of 'The Daily Mile' initiative and embed this within schools across West Cheshire.
Meanwhile Active Surrey recently set up a ‘Run to Rio’ daily mile initiative, which was launched by Rt Hon MP Jeremy Hunt in April. The CSP are working with Premier Sport to support primary schools across Surrey to introduce a daily mile and collectively ‘Run to Rio’ by the start of the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
West Yorkshire Sport have piloted a ‘1K A Day’ concept across the county which has grown from strength to strength. The CSP have created a simple free resource, which schools can use to create and implement a 1km concept suited to their needs in their school.
London Sport worked with key partners and providers to produce an informative and simple ‘Regular Running in Primary Schools’ guide for schools. The guide outlines the benefits, equipment needed, costs and contact details of the main Daily Activity concepts available in London including the Golden Mile, Daily Mile and other London-based programmes.
There have been high levels of interest from local partners, especially health and wellbeing partners, in the introduction of a Daily Mile concept in schools with some investing in the development and implementation of a local programme. CSPs are finding that schools, partners and parents are recognising the health benefits of Daily Activity including improved cardiovascular health, maintenance of a healthy weight and improved self-confidence. The demand for initiatives and CSP support is growing.
CSP Network will continue to work collaboratively with partners at a national, regional and local level to support schools in introducing a high-quality, fit-for-purpose and accessible Daily Activity concept of their choice.
Further Details
Active Surrey
Active Surrey set up a ‘Run to Rio’ daily mile initiative, which was launched by Rt Hon MP Jeremy Hunt in April. The CSP are working with Premier Sport to support primary schools across Surrey to introduce a daily mile via their ‘Run to Rio’ campaign, developed to mark the start of the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. For 12 weeks during the summer term, all primary school children in Surrey will be challenged to run or walk one mile per day around their school and thus collectively run the 5700 miles from Surrey to Rio using the Golden Mile software. School nurses are actively encouraging schools to support the campaign and so far interest in the campaign has been fantastic with 40,000 children from over 200 primary schools signed up so far
Active Cheshire
Active Cheshire have worked closely over the last year with Daily Mile founder Elaine Willey, St Ninians Primary School and Stirling Council to learn and understand the keys to success of 'The Daily Mile' initiative. Understanding the need for increased physical activity in the school day, for every child, this sustained and successful initiative has been replicated and embedded within schools across West Cheshire, following the Stirling model.
Locally our initiative has been progressed as a tri-part with key stakeholders being engaged to ensure the greatest support and impact is achieved. Cheshire West & Cheshire Public Health, who have a remit around tackling childhood obesity along with West Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group who are innovatively looking to invest in upstream prevention activities, have added support and investment to help achieve this.
The initiative is already seeing improved benefits to both pupil and staff health and wellbeing, positive case studies of supporting the curriculum and wider benefits such as local GPs advocating the 15 minutes more activity a day across whole communities via their surgeries.
Yorkshire Sport Foundation / West Yorkshire Sport
West Yorkshire Sport piloted a ‘1K A Day’ concept across the county which has grown from strength to strength. The CSP have created a simple free resource, which schools can use to create and implement a 1km concept suited to their needs in their school. Based on the success of ‘1K A Day’, the CSP have secured £20,000 from Public Health partners to roll out the initiative across Bradford and are launching a themed ‘Run to Rio’ programme in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
London Sport
London Sport have identified that they are best placed to support schools in an advisory role with the Daily Activity concept. The CSP have worked with key partners and providers to produce an informative and simple ‘Regular Running in Primary Schools’ guide for schools. The guide outlines the benefits, equipment needed, costs and contact details of the main Daily Activity concepts available including the Golden Mile, Daily Mile and London-based programmes.
For more inforamtion on CSP Networks support please contact Charlie Crane ccrane@cspnetwork.org