Children and Young People

Fewer than half of all children and young people (CYP) aged from 5 to 16 are meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s guideline of doing an average of at least 60 minutes of activity a day.

This is why the Active Partnerships network is focused on ensuring that CYP across England have more opportunities to participate in sport, physical activity and movement within both a school and community setting.

The network is also working hard to improve access for all young people, as the data (including the results from the annual Active Lives survey conducted by Sport England) reveals that significant inequalities remain, with girls, young people with disabilities and long-term conditions, those from less affluent families, and those from black and Asian backgrounds still less likely to be active.

However, there is also a focus on ensuring that children and young people have positive experiences when they are active. This is one of the big issues identified in the Sport England strategy – Uniting the Movement which states that “Every child and young person has the right to be active, to benefit from being active in a safe, positive and trusted environment, and to have an equal chance to achieve their potential.”

At a national level, the Active Partnerships network connects with key partners and stakeholders including Sport England, the Youth Sport Trust, StreetGames, National Governing Bodies, the Department for Education, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to support the linking of key pieces of work, helping to ensure a higher impact at a local level.

Local Active Partnerships utilise the place-based approach to ensure support is given to those children and young people who need it the most. They play a vital role by drawing together local partners and supporting the creation of locally developed and led strategies that support national priorities.

Active Partnerships also embed School Games into their offer for CYP, as well as supporting young people for a range of reasons such as to improve their mental health, to improve skills and employment prospects and to support the criminal justice system. They also support key initiatives like Play Their Way.

In addition, the Active Partnerships network leads on the Opening School Facilities initiative helping schools to open up their sports facilities outside of the normal school day to pupils, as well as members of the local community.

Each local Active Partnership has a clear understanding of the support that is needed in their local area and works closely with local stakeholders to ensure they tackle inequalities and present positive experiences to all children and young people.