Sport England has teamed up with the Youth Sport Trust
to develop a new online resource that will help more children be physically
active.
The Active
Recovery Hub, which has been funded by the National Lottery, provides
schools, local authorities, and families with easy access to free resources
that will help more children reach the Chief Medical Officer's target of
taking part in 60 minutes of physical activity a day.
The resource comes on the back of the government’s School Sport and Activity
Action Plan, which promised to extend the School Games
website to help teachers and parents find opportunities for young people to
compete and get active.
Mike Diaper, Sport England’s executive director for children and young
people, said it was vital providers give youngsters a positive experience of
being active so they can build healthy habits that last a lifetime.
“After a year of such disruption, this free and easy-to-use resource will
help schools, local authorities and families give young people variety and a
greater chance to find something they enjoy, so they can get moving throughout
the day,” he added.
“We simply couldn’t offer these important resources without the support of
the players of The National Lottery and the funding they generate. The Hub is
an excellent example of the sport and activity sector collaborating to provide
fun, enjoyable and inclusive activities for children and young people to do.”
The new hub sits on the School Games website and provides the ideal platform
to get young people more active. Schools and users can search for activities
by age and the time of day they want to get active.
More than 18,800 schools already take part in the School Games, while 38
sports organisations have provided content for the new hub that includes a
diverse range of inclusive activities.
Ali Oliver, chief executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said the Active
Recovery Hub will make it easy for schools to access age-appropriate content so
children can be helped to be active, recover their wellbeing after the pandemic
and re-engage in school.
“Teachers have told us they recognise the importance of physical activity
and the outdoors in children’s recovery, but they have so much on their plate
at the moment, we want to make it simple for them,” she continued. “The hub
will support schools to find easy-to-use and engaging content all in one place,
removing some of the barriers currently faced.
“With National School Sport Week just around the corner in June, the Active
Recovery Hub and joined-up approach from the school sport and physical activity
sector will be vital in supporting children to have fun and celebrate the
life-changing benefits of play and sport.”
