Contribution
My Lords, I support the amendments in this group. I declare my interest as a board member of the London Marathon Foundation.
The amendments in this group call for a curriculum review and a national strategy to embed physical activity and sport firmly within the school day. They are timely and urgently needed because the evidence is overwhelming that physical activity is not an optional extra for young people; it is crucial to their health, learning and life chances. The statistics tell a worrying story. One-third of British children aged five to nine are projected to be overweight or obese by 2050. As we have heard, according to the Chief Medical Officer, children and young people aged five to 18 should be active for at least 60 minutes a day, yet around 2 million children manage fewer than 30 minutes of daily activity, including walking. We are also seeing a worrying trend of young people’s mental health deteriorating alongside their physical health. These are not just numbers. They represent millions of young people whose physical and emotional well-being is compromised before their adulthood begins.
Sport and daily physical activity are among the most powerful tools we have to reverse these trends. Regular exercise improves cardiovascular health, brings muscle and bone strength and helps to maintain a healthy weight, but its benefits go far beyond the body. Evidence consistently shows that physically active children perform better academically, have higher levels of concentration and better behaviour in class, and can develop social and emotional skills such as teamwork, resilience and respect. Sport is also a proven protector of mental health, reducing anxiety and depression, along with fostering friendships and a sense of belonging.
Yet, despite the acknowledged importance and benefits of having young people engage in physical activity, as my noble friend Lord Moynihan highlighted, Britain has 7,000 fewer PE teachers now than at the time of the 2012 Olympics. Together, these amendments would create a framework for a coherent evidence-based approach, a curriculum that guaranteed daily activity, a programme of study that developed lifelong skills and habits, and a national strategy that ensures accountability and investment.
But schools cannot achieve this step change alone. Nationally, there are many sporting organisations that can and already do work collaboratively with schools to encourage young people to be more active. Among them are the London Marathon Foundation and London Marathon Events, which are demonstrating how imaginative partnerships with local schools can reach children who might otherwise miss out. Take the Daily Mile: that simple idea—getting children to run, jog or wheel for 15 minutes a day—has spread rapidly because it works. The London Marathon Foundation and London Marathon Events have now become official implementation partners of the Daily Mile in England and will be funding three new regional development roles and creating 33 active playgrounds in areas of high deprivation. The aim is to engage more than half a million children in regular physical activity.
Junior parkrun offers free weekly timed runs for four to 14 year-olds, and a £1.2 million investment has already increased weekly participation from 13,500 to over 19,000, with more than 1 million junior parkruns completed in the first year of funding. Early pilots linking schools to junior parkrun have shown a 25% to 30% increase in participation by students of the linked schools, demonstrating the power of such joined-up initiatives. Importantly, almost a quarter of new registrations came from children who were previously inactive, showing that these initiatives reach those who need them the most.
There are many projects across the country that demonstrate what can be achieved when ambition, evidence and partnership come together, and they highlight how much more could be achieved if government policy were able to match the scale of the challenge. That is why these amendments are so important—to ensure that every child, wherever they live and whatever their background, has the chance to be active every day, enjoy sport and reap the lifelong benefits of a healthy body and mind.