New evidence shows Covid-19 has left a lasting legacy for children now aged 7-13 as Sport England report that children and young people’s activity levels have remained stable across the 2023-24 academic year.
The latest Active Lives Children and Young People Survey Report shows that 47.8% of children are meeting the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines of taking part in an average of 60 minutes or more of sport and physical activity a day.
But significant inequalities remain in activity levels, with Black (42%) and Asian (43%) children and young people, and those from the least affluent families (45%), still less likely to play sport or be physically active than the average across all ethnicities and affluence groups. Girls (45%) are also less likely to be active than boys (51%).
Even more significantly, those with two or more characteristics of inequality, for example Asian girls, or someone less affluent from a Black background, are significantly less likely to be active than their peers with no characteristics of inequality at all.
Commenting on behalf of County Durham Sport, George Cull (Interim Managing Director) said:
“These results show the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and how it will affect a generation of our young people. Now is the time for a real concerted effort across the sport and physical activity sector to collaborate instead of compete and work together to create the conditions for our young people to have positive experiences of being active throughout their childhood. We can best achieve this with a shift away from programmes to focusing on getting the foundations and structures right. We must focus on building capacity and capability in the workforce, nurturing a child friendly community sport and physical activity offer, designing friendly and welcoming built and natural spaces that encourage movement and encouraging more young people to walk, run and scoot as a means of transport.”
Across County Durham we work with our partners to target our time and effort in the young people and places where the need is greatest, as our Programme Manager (CYP) Joe Armstrong explains:
“By working closely with local schools, community groups, and partners such as Durham County Council, we’re creating tailored opportunities that empower children and young people to find ways to be active that work for them. Initiatives like our County Durham Active Schools programme, the targeted opening of educational facilities to community use through OSF, and collaborative efforts in other key areas allow us to address the unique challenges faced by children in areas with lower engagement. These efforts help us to foster a positive, inclusive environment where every young person can thrive physically and mentally. Together with partners we are ensuring the right foundations are in place to help children and young people develop a lifelong love of moving and being physically active”.
We can not do this alone and County Durham Sport stand ready to work with the Government, the sport and physical activity sector and partners across wider society to tackle the inequalities we know exist, and to support all children and young people to get active in the way that works best for them.
The annual survey provides the most comprehensive insight and data into the physical activity levels of children and young people (aged 5 – 16) across England. The full report – available here – covers the 2023-24 academic year with data captured from samples of schools from every county in England.
0 Comments