In 2023-24, 47.8% of children and young people achieved the recommended 60 minutes of sport or physical activity a day, this means that 3.5 million are benefitting from being active. In Kent and Medway, this figure is 51%, 9,100 more than the previous year.
The latest results from Sport England’s Active Lives Children and Young People Survey, which covers the 2023-24 academic year, shows that activity levels for children and young people across England have been maintained and remained stable.
However, there are still 52.3% of children and young people in England who are not active enough and 49% in Kent and Medway. The research found that inequalities still remain. Activity levels are lowest for those in school years 3 and 4; those from less affluent families and those from Black, Asian and Other Ethnicities are least likely to be active; and children who were in nursery when Covid hit are less likely to have positive attitudes towards activity and a lower sense of opportunity.
Active Kent & Medway, the local active partnership, facilitate a range of programmes to help address these inequalities, aiming to provide positive experiences in sport and physical activity for all children and young people across the county:
Kent School Games delivers inclusive events across the academic year, working closely with the local School Games Organiser network and local schools to encourage the least active students to take part.
- Everyday Active Schools, launched in 2024, is a free programme delivered by Active Kent & Medway to help primary schools increase children’s physical activity levels by taking a whole school approach to embedding physical activity across the school day.
- Opening School Facilities programme has helped local schools across the county open their facilities to community organisations offering more opportunities for children, young people and families to get active.
The 2024 Primary PE & Physical Activity Conference, hosted by Active Kent & Medway, welcomed over 100 primary schools where information and resources were shared, to help local schools encourage more students to achieve the recommended 60 active minutes each day.
- The 2024 Secondary PE Conference, delivered in partnership with Canterbury Christ Church University, welcomed 68 Teachers where information and resources were shared, to help schools use physical activity and sport to support students’ physical and mental health and wellbeing.
Liz Davidson, Partnership Director at Active Kent & Medway said,
“We continue to work closely with local and national partners on programmes like School Games and Everyday Active Schools. We are committed to providing positive experiences for all children across the county but to tackle the existing inequalities, we must continue to focus our efforts on those who would benefit the most, both physically and mentally, from being more active”.
Clair Bell, Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services at Kent County Council commented,
“The latest results are both reassuring and a testament to the hard work of our schools, local communities, and Active Kent & Medway’s initiatives in promoting physical activity among children and young people during their formative years. However, there is still much work to be done to address inequalities and ensure that every child and young person across the county has access to these opportunities. The physical, mental, and social benefits are profound and must be extended to all.”
