FEATURE FOCUS: TACKLING CHILDHOOD OBESITY
Making active travel an integral part of the school day
Sustrans Big Pedal, the UK’s biggest inter-school active travel challenge will be returning for 2021. Running from 19-30 April, and organised by the walking and cycling charity, Sustrans, the Big Pedal will see schools across the country compete to log the most active travel journeys to school completed each day. Free daily online resources are also available for
teachers to encourage pupils to see their local area from a new perspective, learn about the benefits of travelling actively to school, and discover amazing journeys to school from around the world. The competition comes after a year where so
I
n our second look at the issue of childhood obesity this month, we’re delighted to hear
from Chris Bennett, Head of Behaviour Change and Engagement at Sustrans, who tells us more about the charity’s Big Pedal event taking place at the beginning of the summer term, and explains the important role active travel initiatives play in reducing congestion, pollution and danger around the school gates.
many of us have spent more time at home and in and around our local areas than usual. Whilst the past year has been particularly disruptive for children and young people, the need to stay at home has brought into sharper focus the benefits of living locally, and has encouraged more of us to explore our local area through walking and cycling. Figures from the National Travel Attitudes
Study published at the end of January by the Department for Transport show that there has been an increase in active modes of transport during the pandemic, with a 38% increase in walking and a 34% increase in cycling amongst those who already walk and cycle. Therefore, as we continue to see pupils returning to the classroom, and look forward to life after the pandemic, it seems fitting to take these healthy
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habits of walking and cycling that so many of us have adopted during lockdown into our ‘normal’ lives, and reconsider the way we make every day journeys such as the school run.
Active travel for promoting childhood health and wellbeing Regular physical activity is important to promote good bodily health amongst pupils, with guidance from the UK’s Chief Medical Officers recommending children partake in 60 minutes of physical activity each day, half of which the government says should be done during school hours. Despite this however, data from Sports
England, released earlier this year suggests that there has been a decline in the levels of physical activity amongst children due to the pandemic. The data found that almost a third of children in England engaged in less than 30 minutes of daily physical activity during the 2019 – 2020 academic year. Therefore, as we begin to think of a post-Covid
world, and the support children and young people need as they readjust back into the classroom, it is an important time to consider how to help promote and build regular physical activity into the daily routines of pupils. A short active journey to school, such as a walk, cycle, scoot or using a wheelchair, can help maintain good physical health and wellbeing, and help establish healthy habits that pupils will be able to take with
April 2021
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