The latest Sport England data gives us real reasons to feel positive about children and young people’s Physical activity across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
Many young people are building movement into their everyday lives and we’re proud to see encouraging progress across all three of our priority areas.
The latest Active Lives Children and Young People survey shows:
- 6.8% increase in activity levels in the last 10 years across the area
- 54% of children in Staffordshire are not active enough.
- 56% in Stoke-on-Trent are not active enough.
- 57% in East Staffordshire are not active enough.
That represents around 60,000 children across our area, taking part in regular movement, sport and physical activity every week.
At Together Active, we’re pleased to see the positive impact that strong partnerships, schools, communities and local organisations are continuing to have in helping more young people feel confident, included and supported to be active.
The data also highlight some really important insights around what helps children and young people move more.
Children are more likely to be active when they:
- Enjoy movement and physical activity
- Feel confident taking part
- Have access to outdoor space
- I feel safe, supported and included
In Stoke-on-Trent, 57% of children who say they enjoy sport or physical activity are active, compared with 39% of those who do not. Staffordshire data also shows children with access to outdoor space A significantly more likely to be active than those without it.
For us, this reinforces something we see every day through our work with children and young people across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, that positive experiences matter.
Being active is about much more than simply taking part in sport and moving your body, it can help build confidence, connection, resilience and a sense of belonging, while supporting children and young people’s mental well-being and healthy habits for life.
Across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, we have seen first-hand, how the right opportunities and environments can help young people feel more confident and connected through movement.
Through our work and programmes like Limitless, delivered with school games, we’ve helped SEND children and young people explore new activities in safe and supportive spaces.
We’ve also worked with Virtual Schools Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to create accessible opportunities for children and young people in care, or previously in care while our Move Your Way project in Stoke-on-Trent was shaped directly by girls who told us they wanted more choice, creativity and supportive environments when it came to movement and physical activity.
The latest data also reminds us how important it is to continue creating opportunities that work for all young people, particularly those who might face additional barriers to being active.
But overall, this year’s findings give us real reasons to feel hopeful.
Our work is about bringing together schools and local organisations, communities, activity providers and decision makers to help create the conditions where more young people can thrive and to keep inclusion at the forefront of the conversation.
Childhood should be full of opportunities to play and move, explore and feel connected. Too many young people are still missing out on that and that’s something we all have a role in changing.
