We might have had the first frost of the year in some parts of the UK, this week, but this is the perfect time of year to get outdoors and get active. One of the things we love about September, apart from everyone going back to school, is National Fitness Day. National Fitness Day 2021 takes place today- Wednesday 22nd September - and is a chance to highlight the role physical activity plays across the UK. It’s a day when we can all raise awareness of its importance in helping us lead healthier lifestyles and the role being physically active can play in this. Across the UK there will be a huge range of activity options enjoyed by participants of all ages, such as ‘plank offs’, yoga and pilates classes, treadmill challenges, high-street HIIT classes, dance-offs, mass walks, virtual workouts and many more.’
So, what can you do at your school to get involved? First, the National Fitness Day website has lots of ideas for activities you can join in with, being organised across the UK. There’s also the 10@10 initiative for schools to get involved on National Fitness Day. Put simply, this challenges schools to do ten minutes of physical activity at 10am on the day itself. It might be short notice but you can still do this… To find out more and access their digital school toolkits with digital workouts, activities and games email the National Fitness Day team at nationalfitnessday@ukactive.org.uk.
What else can you do? We don’t need to tell you that fitness in schools is important on the other 364 days as well. In fact, we think it’s one of the biggest influences on both learning and wellbeing for school-aged children. Did you know, for example, that Playforce is the only play company that actively measures the impact of schools’ investment in playgrounds and outdoor spaces? And did you know that we spoke to schools to understand how reduced access to activities and outdoor space has affected children and staff, as well as the steps being taken to change the way things are done and to keep children active outdoors. You can download the full report from this here.
If you’re thinking about developing your outdoor space then you can take advantage of the Primary Sport & PE Premium. It’s still one of the best ways to fund your playground development. It is a ring-fenced grant for primary schools to provide additional and sustainable improvements to the quality of PE, sport and physical activity. Allocations to schools are determined by a formula based on pupil numbers. The average one form entry primary school will receive roughly £18,000 per year! Find out more here and, best of all, find out how the requirements within the grant can be a help, rather than a hindrance, with measuring the impact and improvement in fitness across your school - a subject very close to our hearts!
We've pooled our experience and expertise to come up with some handy advice guides about the PE and Sports Premium, how to maximise its impact and some tips on how to use your outdoor space to encourage pupils to be more physically active and improve physical literacy skills.
Part 1 - Everything you need to know about the Primary PE and Sports Premium
Part 2 - Best practice case studies
Part 3 - Other funding sources for sports projects
Part 4 - Encouraging Sport and PE for all ages and abilities
But what else… if you’re actively considering your playground development? Over the last 20 years we’ve created a wide portfolio of options for playground sports equipment designed for all ages and abilities. Contact us today on 01604 261690 or book your free consultation here to get your project started.
And here are our top five things to consider, if you want to include equipment for fitness, in your outdoor space:
1. Fitness and trails - well, the clue is in the name. Not only are our active trails our most popular range of equipment, they present the perfect combination of fun, play and fitness opportunities.
2. Multi-Use Games Areas - when space is limited you have to think creatively and our MUGAs are the ideal way to present opportunities for sport and fitness for a range of age groups.
3. Climbing - fitness isn’t just about running and jumping, climbing can present a range of beneficial opportunities for developing physical literacy and fitness.
4. Exercise stations - although they feature in our Active Trails, our stand-alone Exercise Stations can be installed on their own or as a trail, with spaces between them for running, hopping or… well, anything else you can think of!
5. Surfacing - Don’t forget, you can create opportunities for fitness and activity on the surfacing as well as installing equipment. For example, our Basketball, Netball, Football and Tennis thermoplastic tarmac markings, or even our running tracks. Find out more here.
Have a great National Fitness Day (and the other 364 days)!
Contact us today to see how Playforce can help improve fitness in your outdoor spaces.