Nike has worked with partners including the Youth Sport Trust and British Heart Foundation to develop a new guide with tools, best practice and examples for primary school leaders to make their schools more active. The guide shows the benefits for children who are physically active, in terms of physical and mental health, behaviour, attendance and academic performance. It will be distributed to school leaders across the country to:
- Share best practice and success stories from around the world
- Offer guidance, advice and support on how to make schools more active
- Show the positive role that physical activity can play before, during and after school
- Help to inspire children to have early positive experiences of physical activity
Nike’s Active Schools Guide is based on research by Dr Richard Bailey of the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE), which shows active children do better at school.
Dr Richard Bailey, International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE), said: “The research is clear on this, when children move regularly in school, physical and mental health, behaviour, attendance and academic performance improve. In the future, these children will have better economic prospects and improved physical health. Making sure all children get a chance to fulfil their potential starts with a physically active primary school.’
The guide was launched at an event in Victoria Park, London, specifically designed by Nike to showcase the guidance from the Active Schools Guide for several local schools in a fun, simple and imaginative way. Key elements of the day focused on encouraging all different types of movement in children, from dancing and drumming to bouncing, jumping and kicking balls, linked back to the KS2 curriculum.
Alongside partners involved in the development of the guide, Olympic athlete and track and field star Perri Shakes-Drayton attended the event to join local primary school children in getting active.
Mandy Ayres, Senior Director for Global Community Impact at Nike, said: “Numerous studies show that getting children more active can help improve mental and physical health, lead to better academic results, improved attention and better behaviour at school.
“Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for school leaders to make their schools more active, and experience the benefits. That’s why Nike developed the Active Schools guide in partnership with experts in the space and why we will be working with a number of pilot schools to help support them in being more active before, during and after each school day.
Over the next 12 months, Nike will work with partners to put the guide into practice through a pilot in London primary schools. This will include providing advice, support and an action plan on how to get children in these schools more active before, during and after school, and the benefits this can bring.
Other partners involved in developing the Active Schools Guide include Premier League, Lawn Tennis Association, Sustrans, Fit for Sport and NAHT. A full list of partners can be found in the Active Schools Guide.
