60 Minute Offer!

The Chief Medical Officer for England recommends that young people aged 5-18 should participate in 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day, spread across the week (or 20 minutes per day for Disabled Children and Young People). At St. Mary’s, our children take part in a variety of types and intensities of Physical Activity across the week to:

• develop movement skills,
• strengthen muscles and bones,
• reduce the time spent sitting or lying down
• break up prolonged periods of not moving with some activity
• spread activity throughout the day

Schools should aim to deliver 30 minutes of Physical Activity for every child and support them in accessing an additional 30 minutes outside of school.

At St. Mary's, we offer a well-rounded physical activity program to support the health and development of our children. This includes:

• Two hours of timetabled PE lessons each week
• Active play opportunities and competitions during break and lunchtime
• After-school sports clubs and extracurricular activities
• Access to outdoor learning and movement-based lessons
• Bike ability training to promote safe and confident cycling
• Orienteering to develop navigation, teamwork, and outdoor skills
• Swimming lessons
• Athletics and track & field activities
• Dance and movement sessions
• Mindfulness-based movement
• Multi-skills sessions focusing on coordination, balance, and agility
• Inter-school sports competitions and festivals
• Daily physical activity breaks or 'brain breaks' during lessons
• The weekly mile

These opportunities help our children stay active, build physical skills, and develop healthy habits for life.

At St. Mary’s, we believe that promoting physical activity extends beyond the school day. We actively encourage children to stay active at home and collaborate closely with parents and carers to support healthy, active lifestyles.

• We regularly share ideas, resources, and challenges to promote physical activity at home
• Parents are kept informed through newsletters, our school website, and social media about local events, sports clubs, and active opportunities in the community
• We signpost families to local clubs, teams, and activity providers to help children explore and develop their interests outside of school

By working in partnership with families and the wider community, we aim to help every child build healthy habits and find physical activities they enjoy both in and out of school."