afPE’s Response to BBC News Article – How Can the UK’s Inactivity Crisis be Tackled?

20/09/2023

Today, the BBC News released the article – ‘How Can the UK’s Inactivity Crisis be Tackled?‘

Vanessa King, afPE’s Assistant Deputy CEO, responded:

‘Get Active: a strategy for the future for the sport and physical activity‘ released recently by The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) sets the “unapologetically ambitious” target of one million more adults and 2.5 million more children to be physically active by 2030, which has been set as part of the government’s Get Active initiative.

This extremely ambitious target is set against the current statistics that show 25% of adults are currently deemed to be inactive in England, with more than 11 million doing less than 30 minutes of total activity in a week.

Of particular concern to afPE, over 50% of children and young people are not meeting the chief medical officer’s guidance of at least 60 minutes of activity a day – with 30% doing less than 30 minutes a day. There are stark inequalities that are evident in this data, with children in deprived areas those least likely to meet CMO recommendations for physical activity.

It is concerning to read the data indicated by the Sport and Recreation Alliance that the UK now ranks joint 12th out of 15 comparable European nations for levels of physical activity.

As afPE members will know, the Association for Physical Education has been advocating for changes that we know will benefit children’s physical activity levels in both primary and secondary schools. This has included the call for PE to be given greater priority as a core subject, which Edward Timpson, of the afPE Taskforce, presented in the House of Lords. The recent Ofsted report further highlights that “for many pupils, physical education (PE) will be the first and only place where they are taught safe, efficient and intelligent movement.” It is essential to expose children to a repertoire of different physical activities and sports throughout their childhood and adolescence so that they can find a love for being active with an activity they enjoy.

Alongside the call for PE to become a core subject, the recommendation has been given for adequate timetabling, essential in primary schools where the curriculum can feel saturated. The time for PE must be made a priority. Set against the background of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis, this essential time for PE in schools is crucial, as families battle with less disposable income to be able to afford to send children to extra clubs outside of school. Greater exposure to PE will give children the skill acquisition, confidence and ability they need to engage in greater physical activity. This requires joined up thinking at government level to ensure the curriculum is aligned so that strategies can have their optimal impact.

afPE has called for greater accountability to ensure funds are used by schools effectively and we were pleased to see in the recent release of the School Sport and Physical Activity plan the DfE included the use of a digital tool for primary schools to ensure the PESS funds have the intended impact. This includes the key indicators as recommended by afPE, including engagement of all pupils in regular physical activity and exposing children to a broad breadth of activities. The increased focus on accountability will ensure all schools embed the excellent practice that we see across a vast number of schools in the country, particularly those who have been awarded with the afPE Quality Mark.

It is evident however, that additional measures are needed to ensure schools have the resources and facilities to provide the enriching experiences they would like to in their PESSPA offer. As segmented day literature shows, short bursts of physical activity throughout the day bring both physical and mental health benefits, ensuring children can learn at their best potential. This requires adequate resourcing for all schools to provide this physical activity. It is imperative that local authorities work with the schools in their area to ensure they can best use the leisure facilities and green space needed, with robust and sustainable plans to ensure long term access. Sustainable funding is also essential in particular to enable schools to effectively plan for swimming, with robust ideas to ensure mitigation against the rising energy costs required to maintain swimming pools.

afPE believes the workforce to be the crucial element in ensuring high quality PESSPA experiences for children and young people, which requires significant government investment to ensure both ITT providers are equipped to deliver effective PE lessons and schools have a continued funding stream to provide CPD once teachers enter the profession.

afPE advocates particularly for greater support for schools to provide much needed help for vulnerable children who are likely to live in deprived areas, those most affected by not meeting CMO recommendations. When situated in areas of crime, where the playgrounds become unsafe spaces for children to be active in and in densely populated areas, where school active travel recommendations are difficult to implement in a safe way, this becomes a cross-departmental challenge for the government and makes the school offer of PESSPA absolutely imperative for children to meet CMO recommendations.

To conclude, afPE supports the government’s Get Active strategy, calling for the improvement in physical activity levels across the lifespan, but these targets must be supported by a cross-departmental approach that delivers for all. afPE will continue to engage with the sector and to advocate with the government to enhance the development, implementation and effectiveness of PESSPA policy. We are committed to give the workforce the funding, support and knowledge they need and we will continue to support schools to deliver so that children have the best start in life with the skills, knowledge and attitudes they need to embark on a physically active lifestyle for the rest of their lives.