Children will get more opportunities to do 60 minutes of physical activity every day under new Government Plan

After an inspiring weekend of sport the government have released its new School Sport and Activity Action Plan. This new plan highlights a range of new measures to strengthen the role of physical activity within a young person's daily routine and identifies how teachers and parents can play their part to promote PE, school sport, physical activity as well as health and wellbeing.

The School Sport and Activity Action Plan is a statement of intent, setting out a joint commitment from the Department for Education (DofE), Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), to ongoing collaboration at national level to ensure that sport and physical activity are an integral part of both the school day and after-school activities, so that all children have the opportunity to take part in at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

The government has three overarching ambitions for this plan:

1. All children and young people take part in at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

To meet the Chief Medical Officers' guidance on physical activity, schools, parents and the sport sector must work together to ensure that children and young people have access to at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. As set out in the Childhood Obesity Plan, at least 30 minutes should take place in schools, and the remaining 30 outside the school day.

2. Children and young people have the opportunity to realise developmental, character-building experiences through sport, competition and active pursuits.

Sport and physical activity can enrich young people's lives, and should be considered alongside other important activities like arts, culture, work and volunteering, to ensure young people have access to a variety of experiences.

3. All sport and physical activity provision for children and young people is designed around the principles of physical literacy, focuses on fun and enjoyment and aims to reach the least active.

Physical literacy is a core element of early learning and should be at the heart of all sport and physical activity for children and young people.

The government will publish further details on these commitments in an update to this action plan later in the year.

Read the full School Sport and Activity Action Plan here.