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Inequalities in Activity Levels: The Importance of Physical Activity

As educators, we all know the power of movement. It is not just about physical health; it’s about building confidence, resilience, and a love of learning. Unfortunately, recent data paints a concerning picture of children’s physical activity levels in England. Over half (53%) of children and young people are not meeting the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.

That is a statistic that should give us all pause.  To add to this:

  • Activity levels among children aged 7-9 are the lowest (40%).
  • Only 44% of children from the least affluent families are meeting the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines, compared to 55% of children from the most affluent families.
  • The gender gap in activity levels is already evident in infant school (Years 1-2).

We have work to do.

We know dedicated primary teachers and headteachers are doing fantastic work in challenging circumstances. Time and resources are precious commodities, and the pressure to deliver across the curriculum is immense. However, let us take a moment to consider why prioritising physical activity matters so much:

● Active Children Learn Better: Research consistently shows that physical activity improves children’s cognitive function, attention and engagement in the classroom. It is a win-win; active bodies lead to active minds, ready to absorb knowledge and tackle new challenges.

● Building Life Skills Through Movement: Beyond academic performance, physical activity is a powerful tool for developing essential life skills. Teamwork, resilience, self-discipline, and communication – all these qualities are fostered on the playground, in an active classroom, and on the sports field. These are the skills that will help our children thrive, not just in school, but in life.

● Mental Wellbeing and Social Connection: In today’s world, supporting children’s mental well-being is more important than ever. Physical activity is a proven mood booster, reducing stress and anxiety while fostering a sense of belonging and connection. We all want our children to feel happy, confident, and connected – physical activity can play a vital role in achieving that.

Go Well: Your Partner in Creating Active Opportunities 

At Go Well, we understand the challenges facing primary schools. Our mission is to empower you to create a school environment where movement is celebrated, where physical activity is seamlessly integrated into the school day, and where every child discovers the joy of being active.

How can we help?

● SMILE Days: Inject a burst of excitement and energy into your school with a Go Well SMILE Day. These fun-filled activity days introduce children to a wide range of sports and activities – from Dragonball to Hoopstarz to Quidditch. It is a fantastic way to broaden horizons, spark new passions, and create positive memories that will last a lifetime. Find out more here.

● Specialist PE Teacher Support: Whether you need help with curriculum planning, assessment or developing teacher confidence, our team of highly qualified PE specialists is here to provide tailored support. We work collaboratively with you to identify your school’s specific needs and develop strategies that maximise the impact of your PE provision.

● Move with Max: Move with Max is an evidence-based movement program aimed at EYFS that teaches fundamental movement skills through readily available storybooks. Supporting children to move well in the early years sets the foundation for a lifelong love of physical activity. We offer various support packages to help you maximise Move with Max in your school, including taster sessions, bespoke support for your EYFS teacher and a full-day CPD course.

Let Go Well be your partner in building a brighter, healthier and more active future for your pupils. Together we can make a real difference.  

Contact info@go-well.org for further information on the services available to your school or MAT or view our brochure here.

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4 ways to boost concentration skills with physical activity

Children doing yoga

A survey has found that most primary school teachers think children’s attention spans are getting shorter and classroom behaviour has deteriorated since before the Covid pandemic. 

So, what can you do to help your pupils to build up their attention spans?

Use physical activity to boost concentration

Studies have shown that children who are physically active have better attention spans than those who are not. 

Researchers discovered that students who took part in moderate physical exercise before taking a test that measured their attention spans performed better than those students who didn’t exercise.

Young people with higher levels of fitness also demonstrate superior concentration when compared with less fit children.

How does exercise improve attention span?

Having a regular physical activity routine helps build the brain’s ability to ignore distractions. Exercise also helps to increase blood flow to the brain. This in turn fires up your neurones and promotes cell growth, particularly in the hippocampus. Being active releases endorphins too, which have mood-boosting effects and can help to reduce stress and anxiety. All these factors can help boost attention spans.

A good night’s sleep is also essential for cognitive function. Exercise and being active improves sleep quality, meaning children are more likely to arrive at school rested and refreshed. 

How active do children need to be to improve attention span?

The amount of physical activity needed to improve attention span varies from child to child. However, most experts, including the Chief Medical Officer, recommend that children get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to- vigorous physical activity each day. This doesn’t need to be completed all in one go. Breaking it down to short active bursts throughout the day and encouraging children to be active outside of school makes this goal achievable. 

Just 20 minutes of exercise before studying can improve concentration and help children focus on learning. 

4 ways to improve attention span:

  • Add active bursts to the day. Short bouts of moderate physical activity have been proved to boost concentration and mood immediately following the exercise. 
  • Shake up the timetable. Consider adjusting the timetable so subjects requiring more thought or greater concentration levels take place after a break period and encourage active play during playtime so children arrive back in class reinvigorated and ready to learn.
  • Join a team. As well as building teamworking skills, there is some evidence that exercise which requires decision making can have added benefits in terms of building concentration as the brain is engaged during these kinds of activities. So team games like football and netball could be particularly beneficial.
  • Try mindfulness. Researchers have found that just 10 minutes of meditation a day can help improve focus and extend attention span and you can see improvements after just four days.

More information

Add active bursts to the school day with Fit for Life

Try out Team Up to help children manage their wellbeing

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Go Well Blog

How to choose an external partner for your PESSPA programme? 

Sports coaches on playing field

People tell us that a lack of confidence is the biggest challenge they face when teaching PE. Trainee primary school teachers receive just six hours of PE training before embarking on their teaching career. Using external specialists or coaches can be the perfect solution. A good school sports specialist or coach will help build knowledge, understanding and, most importantly, confidence. To get the most from this kind of support, it is important that you find a delivery partner that works WITH you and helps you to reach your goals. 

Here are three things to consider when selecting a school sports partner or coach:

Set out what you want to achieve

What are your goals for PE, school sport and physical education (PESSPA) in your school? What support do you want your school sports provider or coach to provide? How will this support help you achieve your goal?

Be as specific as possible eg. I want to increase pupil activity levels across the whole school by introducing regular daily active bursts to make being active a normal part of everyday life. I need support to help my colleagues understand the importance of physical activity and how active bursts can support their non-PE lessons.

Knowing your goals will help you to choose the right partner, it will also help your partner understand where you are and where you want to get to. They will then be able to advise on the best approach or the best solution. You will also be able to keep track of how you are progressing towards your goal.

Evaluate the different options

You will likely find a number of different solutions to what you want to achieve. Take time to look at the provider/solution to understand the support that they can provide and how it will be delivered (eg online, face-to-face, mentoring, session delivery, idea sharing etc). Talk to schools that have used the provider previously. Check staff qualifications – how up-to-date are they with their training, for example.

Review the contract

Don’t get caught out by the small print. Make sure the contract outlines what service will be provided, who will be responsible for what, what does the sports provider/coach provide and what do you/the school need to make available? Check payment terms are in line with school/academy payment terms. What would happen if the provider/coach is unable to attend a session for some reason? 

Further information

Take a look at the services and support that we provide for schools

Guidance and advice on how to spend PE and Sport Premium for primary schools

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Six Dimensions of Wellness – pt 6 Spiritual Wellness

Man meditating outdoors

What does being ‘well’ mean? Isn’t exercising regularly and eating healthily enough? Many health experts believe that true ‘wellness’ comes when several areas of our lives are in balance. Dr Hettler, who co-founded the National Wellness Institute, developed the six dimensions of wellness as a guide for us to use in order to achieve a whole and complete life. 

In this, our last blog on the six dimensions of wellness, we are looking at spiritual wellness.

What is spiritual wellness?

We all need a sense that life is meaningful and that it has a purpose. Spiritual wellness is our need for a connection to something greater than ourselves. For some people, spiritual wellness comes from taking part in an organised religion; for others, it is a connection with nature or the environment, whilst for others, it comes from their passion for their vocation. 

Many aspects are involved in achieving spiritual wellness – faith, beliefs, values, ethics, principles and morals. It is the most neglected of the six dimensions of wellness. However, a strong spirit is instrumental in helping us to keep going in the face of challenges. Spiritual wellness comes when you have found inner calm and peace.

When you achieve spiritual wellness, your actions will be more consistently in line with your beliefs and values, and you will be tolerant of others who hold different beliefs and values. 

What are the benefits of spiritual wellness?

As well as having a connection to the world around you, there are many benefits to being spiritually well including being able to:

  • Love and forgive others
  • Show compassion and tolerance
  • Experience joy and fulfillment

Five ways to achieve spiritual wellness:

  1. Volunteer in your community
  2. Identify what gives your life meaning and direction
  3. Make time for personal reflection or meditation each day
  4. Start a gratitude journal and intentionally give thanks each day
  5. Spend time outdoors 

Further information

National Wellness Institute

Bogs:

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Six Dimensions of Wellness – pt 5 Intellectual Wellness

Adults and children being creative art and crafts

When we think about being healthier, we often focus on our diet and exercise. To be truly healthy, we need to look after our mind too. The Six Dimensions of Wellness is a tool to help us to achieve a healthy balanced life.

In this blog we are looking at Intellectual Wellness, or how creative and stimulating mental activities can help you think faster, increase your cognitive capacity and improve your overall health and happiness.

Why do we need to look after our brains?

Your brain controls you. Spending some time concentrating on how you can help your brain will help your overall wellbeing.

According to the Alzheimer’s Society, being intellectually well and engaging in stimulating activities may also reduce cognitive impairment and reduce your risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s.

An ‘intellectually well’ person is someone who is open to new ideas, meeting new people and hearing new perspectives. They think critically and are keen to learn new skills. They spend time discovering more about themselves and their potential, and share their knowledge and skills with others.

10 ways to develop your intellectual wellness

  1. Spend time reading books, magazines and newspapers – it doesn’t matter what you read, if it stimulates your mind and generates interest or allows you to learn something new or find out something interesting, it all benefits your mind.
  2. Try something new – your brain continues to grow throughout your life. Stimulation, stress and experiences can help it to change and adapt. Try pushing yourself out of your comfort zone – have a go at a new sport, learn a foreign language or a musical instrument, for example.
  3. Get moving – as well as being good for your heart and body, exercise improves your brain too. Research has shown that regular aerobic exercise boosts the size of the hippocampus, the area of the brain involved in verbal memory and learning. This kind of exercise also releases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which helps new connections develop within your brain.
  4. Be social – when we are being around other people and hear different ideas and perspectives we learn and grow. Spend time with friends, family and colleagues. Try meeting and mixing with new people by joining a club, a class or a sports team.
  5. Eat well – Did you know, your brain consumes about 20% of your daily calories so feed your brain as well as your body. Include foods that are good for brain health regularly in your diet such as blueberries (antioxidants), green leafy vegetables (vitamin K and beta carotene), pumpkin seeds (magnesium and zinc), nuts (healthy fats and compounds).
  6. Get creative – drawing, doodling, painting, playing a musical instrument, photography, gardening, pottery, crafting, writing…being creative stimulates your mind and can help develop problem solving skills, memory and processing speed.
  7. Practice puzzles – games and puzzles help to exercise your brain and improve long-term and working memory.
  8. Drink water – the majority of our brain is water, over 75% in fact. If you are dehydrated your brain is too, this is why you experience brain fog, loss of focus and memory as well as headaches. You may also feel tired and moody. Improve focus and clarity by drinking more water.
  9. Get some sleep – when we sleep our brains remove stored toxins so they are better able to function the following day. Lack of sleep impairs reasoning, problem-solving and attention to detail. Aim to get 7 – 8 hours of sleep each night.
  10. Meditate and reflect – take a step back and think about your actions and motives, reflect on your life, behaviour and beliefs. Self-reflection improves self-awareness, provides perspective and can improve confidence. Meditation also allows you to calm your thoughts and achieve greater mental and emotional clarity.

Further information:

National Wellness Institute

Our blogs:

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Six Dimensions of Wellness – pt 4 Occupational Wellness

Teacher health and wellbeing

Welcome to our fourth blog exploring the Six Dimensions of Wellness. Each of the six areas, or ‘dimensions’, contribute to our overall wellness – physical, social, intellectual, spiritual, emotional and occupational. These areas complement each other to provide a well-balanced, vital and prosperous life.

New year, new start?

The start of the year can often be a time when we re-evaluate our lives. Many people take it as an opportunity for a fresh start or to make a change in their work-life – a new job, career or industry.

While our jobs no longer dictate our names (Blacksmith, Potter, Mason, Tailor and so on), they are still often a major part of our identity. Often one of the first questions we ask when we meet someone new is, “What do you do?”.

A person’s profession or job can be a defining detail of who they are, providing clues as to their values, interests or background. So, having a job or career that is personally meaningful, and that brings us happiness or satisfaction, is important.

What is ‘occupational wellness’?

The Six Dimensions of Wellness are a guide to help us achieve balance in all areas of our lives. The occupational dimension recognises the personal satisfaction and enrichment that we achieve through our work. Our attitude to our job or career has a crucial impact on our lives, occupational wellness is being able to achieve a balance between work and leisure time, addressing workplace stress and building successful relationships with our colleagues.

According to Dr Hettler, who devised the Six Dimensions of Wellness, it is better to choose a career which is consistent with your own personal values, interests and beliefs. To find this, we need to explore various career opportunities until we discover one that fits.

As our job or profession encompasses so much of our time, it is essential that it brings us joy and fulfilment. When we are doing something that we love, it deepens our sense of meaning and purpose.

Your choice of profession, job satisfaction, career ambitions and personal performance are all important components of occupational wellness. As is using your skills and talents in a role that is both personally meaningful and rewarding.

Getting involved, taking part, learning something new and developing new skills is far better than remaining inactive or uninvolved.

How to know when you have achieved occupational wellness

  • Do you enjoy going to work most days?
  • Do you have a manageable workload?
  • Do you feel that you can talk to your manager and colleagues when problems arise?
  • Does what you do make you feel satisfied?

If you answered ‘No’ to any of these questions, it may mean you need to look at that area of your occupational wellness to see what could be enhanced or improved.

How can you develop your occupational wellness?

  • Explore different career options, especially those that involve taking opportunities you enjoy and that suit you best.
  • Look for, and take advantage of, the chance to learn something new along with opportunities to develop new skills.
  • Use your skills and talents in a way that is personally meaningful and rewarding.
  • Explore both work and volunteer opportunities in areas you are interested in to enhance your personal satisfaction.
  • Develop positive relationships with colleagues. We can’t all get along all of the time, so it is also important to learn how to practise open communication and effective conflict management.
  • Aim to find a satisfying balance between the financial fulfilment and the personal accomplishment and happiness from the work that you choose to do.

Further reading:

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How can I look after my own wellbeing?

Woman with arms outstretched in woods

Planning lessons, delivering them effectively, differentiating learning, supporting children to succeed…teachers are on the frontline and never more so than over the past 16 months. Many will be feeling drained from this exceptionally testing academic year.

To be ‘fit’ to cope with the constant demands and pressures, to provide the quality teaching and learning experiences that you wish to, and to be the great teacher you aspire to be, it is essential that you take steps to consider and look after your own wellbeing.

Here are five simple ways to improve your wellbeing and make sure you are fit for your lessons:

  1. Stay hydrated; drink plenty of water. It sounds really simple but not only is it a healthy habit, drinking water can help to alleviate the effects of cortisol (the stress hormone). The NHS suggest you drink 6-8 glasses each day. Consider increasing your intake on warm summer days!
  2. Prioritise good quality sleep. A good night’s sleep gives your brain time to repair, restore and re-energise. A calming routine before bed would help with this – reducing the effects of blue light by switching off all technology an hour before bedtime (try reading a book instead) and keeping your mobile phone out of your bedroom!
  3. Exercise. Being active helps to release helpful chemicals in your brain that boost your mood and improve attention and concentration. Aim to have small active bursts in your day to keep your brain topped up. Also, create an exercise schedule for yourself for longer exercise sessions (walk, run, the gym, sporting activities – whatever you prefer) and prioritse that time for you!
  4. Get outside. Spending time in nature has been proven to benefit both mental and physical wellbeing – reducing blood pressure, lowering heart rate, reducing muscle tension and minimising the production of stress hormones. To maximise the benefits, really take in your surroundings – take note of three things in the environment around you that make you feel good.
  5. Write it down. Building a habit of journaling (writing down your thoughts each evening) can help clarify your thoughts and feelings, and solve problems. It can improve sleep and increase productivity. It can also help you meet your goals and improve your quality of life while reducing stress and symptoms of depression. Get a notepad and get writing!

If you find some of your new habits have a positive impact on your wellbeing, consider sharing them with your pupils or even doing them together. Being a good role model will help to inspire your pupils to be healthy and active and prioritise self-care.

Team Up is our innovative wellbeing programme. We have packages for children and for staff.

Remembering your ‘why’ – reconnecting with you and looking to the future – our blog by Hannah Bell to support school staff who might be struggling with the pressures of the pandemic.

Chilton Academy, Chilton, Ferryhill, County Durham, DL17 0PT

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