MPs call for childhood obesity plan to promote exercise

Source: EDUCatering

Date: 19-October-2017

A group of cross-party MPs have called on the Government to change the childhood obesity plan to place a greater focus on the importance of exercise to reduce obesity.

„We need a national campaign to stop the rot,“ said Helen Clark, lead author of the report and former MP for Peterborough. „The excellent Daily Mile campaign pioneered in Scotland by Elaine Wyllie shows what can be done. We now need our Government to pick up the physical activity gauntlet – and not to mince words – RUN WITH IT!“

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Pupils at Almondsbury Primary School visited by real life Forrest Gump

Source: Gazette

Date: 19-October-2017

Jim-Plunkett-Cole – also known as Jim Gump – has captured the hearts and minds of thousands of people across the UK and USA after taking on a 20,000-mile running challenge.

Jim’s visit to the pupils of Almondsbury Primary School was „a real kick start to the school extending their enthusiasm for running and physical activity through The Daily Mile initiative, which aims to get everyone active each day.“

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Croydon school students leading the way in fitness

Source: Croydon Guardian

Date: 18-October-2017

A Croydon school is leading the charge in getting kids active.

St Peter’s School in South Croydon has its students taking part in The Daily Mile which sees students run, walk or jog a designated course for 15 minutes each day.

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A mile a day keeps the brain strain away

Source: Richmond County Daily Journal

Date: 18-October-2017

Children at Mineral Springs Elementary School run their Daily Mile track each day, with their friends, as a way to rid themselves of the strain of class and have fun.

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Press Release: New Report On Childhood Obesity Says A Mile A Day Keeps Obesity At Bay

UK GOVERNMENT MUST FOCUS ON MORE THAN JUST NUTRITION

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND A BALANCED DIET SHOULD BE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL

THE DAILY MILE PLANS TO EXPAND INTO ALL NURSERIES AND PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN THE UK BY 2020

A report by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on ‘A Fit and Healthy Childhood’ today announced “THE DAILY MILE” as simple and effective part of the UK’s strategy to tackle childhood obesity.

The Department of Health and Public Health England have been criticised for focussing on a calorie reduction scheme to lessen childhood obesity in the UK, however this APPG report reveals that nutrition is only part of the problem.

‘A Fit and Healthy Childhood’ highlights the importance of physical activity, and says obesity prevention strategies will not see success unless they include both physical activity and a balanced diet.

The report commended “THE DAILY MILE” as a simple yet empowering solution to address physical inactivity in children, and called on the Government to support the implementation of this programme to all nurseries and primary schools.

Lead author of the report and former MP for Peterborough, Helen Clark, says:

“We need a national campaign to stop the rot. The excellent ‘Daily Mile’ campaign pioneered in Scotland by Elaine Wyllie shows what can be done. We now need our Government to pick up the physical activity gauntlet – and not to mince words – RUN WITH IT!”

“THE DAILY MILE” involves students heading outside to walk or run around the playground for 15 minutes per day, at a time of the teachers’ choosing. In this time, most children will average a mile or more. With no equipment or set-up time required, the initiative is easy to implement, simple and free! The report credits “THE DAILY MILE” with resulting in “improved concentration in the classroom and better mood and social relationships resulting in a transformational change in the physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing of all participants.”

One of the report’s ten key recommendations calls on the UK “Government to establish a Physical Activity Champions Taskforce whereby promoters of successful schemes (like The Daily Mile) can act as national roving ambassadors, encouraging take up in other institutions and areas.”

The Daily Mile will continue to engage with the Government to explore ways of supporting growth across the UK. Every London Borough has at least one school adopting The Daily Mile and by 2020 the Foundation hopes to have every nursery, primary school and workplace doing at least 15 minutes of extra activity per day.

The Daily Mile Team are committed to providing children with a healthy, happy foundation to keep them fit for life and learning. The Foundation is currently recruiting for a Marketing Communications Assistant. If you’d like to help spread the initiative throughout the UK and beyond, find out more and apply today at http://ow.ly/nheF30fUunX

ENDS

 

For more information about the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), please visit their website.

To read the full report on Physical Activity in Childhood, please click the button below.

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For media enquiries, please contact The Daily Mile Foundation’s Media Agency, Media Zoo on (+44)207 384 6980, at Joseph@mediazoo.tv

Is the NHS workforce prepared for Winter?

Source: Healthcare Leader

Date: 17-October-2017

There is no shadow of a doubt that the NHS is under tremendous pressure that is showing no sign of letting up any time soon – especially with the Winter months now looming.

In this month’s issue of Healthcare Leader, we have a feature on The Daily Mile project – how schools, working with public health experts and CCG’s, have tackled obesity by incorporating exercise into their daily routine/s.

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Daily Mile gathers pace in Croydon schools

Source: Your Croydon

Date: 17-October-2017

Schools across the borough are being encouraged to take up the challenge of a popular fitness initiative that helps tackle obesity and boosts children’s confidence.

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Don’t tell children to ’sit still‘ – they will end up as fat couch potatoes

Source: The Telegraph

Date: 17-October-2017

Telling children to „sit still“ sets them up for a lifetime of obesity, a report by MPs and peers has warned. The report by the all-parliamentary group on a fit and healthy childhood said most children today spend less time playing outdoors than prisoners are required to have outside by law.

The group called on the Government to rewrite the childhood obesity strategy, to make promotion of exercise a more substantial part of it. The report says young children should be given exercise breaks, during school days, and during classes, and endorses the „Daily Mile“ programme introduced in Scotland.

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St Andrew’s RC Primary – Dumfries, Scotland

St Andrew’s RC Primary

Fact File

  • Where we’re based: Dumfries, Scotland
  • A description of our school: Town school
  • Children in school doing The Daily Mile: Whole school
  • Where we run: In our school playground
  • Month/Year we started The Daily Mile: Spring 2016

Mrs Davidson talked us through St Andrew’s RC Primary School’s experience of The Daily Mile.

Did you face any barriers when implementing The Daily Mile? If yes, how did you overcome them?

The best time of day to carry out The Daily Mile was a concern at first. This has been solved over time by individual teachers deciding the best time of day for their class to go out and take part. This varies every day, depending on timetables.

Another concern was the time it would take the children to get ready. At first this did take longer than the allocated 15 minutes. However, children are now used to the routine and know the route, so quickly go out and get started.

What has been the impact on the children’s learning, concentration and focus?

Children come back in from The Daily Mile more focused and having had the ‚brain break‘, they are more focused on tasks.

What has been the impact on the children’s behaviour, mood and relationships?

Children enjoy the chance to get fresh air and this helps improve their general mood, in the majority of cases. One teacher noted that it gives an opportunity for the teacher to talk to pupils on their way around the route and, at times, children are more likely to talk about concerns and worries in this environment, rather than the classroom.

Do you have any individual success stories of pupils or staff members you would like to share with us?

Children are adding improving their performance on The Daily Mile into their own Health and Wellbeing targets. When reviewing these targets, they have felt they improved – which is great to hear.

Do you have any tips for other schools looking to get started?

We linked the initial set up of The Daily Mile to our maths, for the senior pupils. They measured the area, working out how many laps for a mile. We also did a whole school focus on how many miles walked and marked this on a map of Scotland to show the distance we had travelled. Initially, it is also a good idea to pair older children with younger ones to help show them the route and get them into the general routine.

What have the parents’ reactions to The Daily Mile been?

Parents have been encouraged by the opportunity for children to get daily exercise. The parents keep us informed if children are unable to take part in The Daily Mile for any reason.

Any other comments?

Mrs Dalgleish (class teacher), „It is good to see children competing against themselves and trying to improve their fitness levels.“

Mrs Barnett (class teacher), „[The] Daily Mile is a very effective brain break for children and often gives me the chance to chat to individual children on our way round.“

Alba (P3 Pupil), „It’s good exercise and gets your legs working.“

Alexandra (P3 Pupil), „Makes you feel good to get some fresh air.“

Conor (P6 Pupil), „Good to get fit and talk to friends.“

Samantha (P6 Pupil), „Makes you fitter and gives people a chance to get out, who don’t have a chance at home.“

 

Visit St Andrew’s RC Primary school’s blog

Physical Activity Gap Between Rich And Poor Must Be Reduced, Labour Warn

Source: Heart

Date: 13-October-2017

Analysis by the Labour party of the 2016 Scottish Household Survey highlights the divide between the most and least deprived communities when it comes to participation in sport and other physical activity.

However, a Scottish Government spokesman said: „The number of Scots being physically active has risen in the last five years… This is mainly due to more people walking, which we are championing through our ambition to make Scotland the world’s first Daily Mile nation.“

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Number of Scots exercising regularly 18% lower in poorer areas

Source: The Scotsman

Date: 13-October-2017

Cuts to sports clubs and community groups must be reversed to bridge a widening „activity gap“ contributing to poor health in deprived communities, Scottish Labour has said.

The Scottish Government is in a bid to lessen said gap, by implementing programmes such as The Daily Mile into daily life through the „Daily Mile nation“ initiative.

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Labour demands action to close physical activity gap

Source: STV News

Date: 12-October-2017

The Labour party says that the 2016 Scottish Household Survey highlights the divide between rich and poor, and have called for urgent action to close the physical activity gap.

Such programmes to close the gap, a Scottish spokesman noted, are those such as The Daily Mile – free, easy to implement schemes that is being championed in Scotland with ambitions to make the country the World’s first „Daily Mile nation“.

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