The Daily Mile
Currently less than half of children and young people in the UK meet the recommendation of an average of 60 minutes of physical activity daily.
The WHO and the UK government recommend that children aged 5 to 17 years should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) daily. However, only one in six children and young people in the UK meet this recommendation and less than two-thirds achieve 30 min of MVPA a day. Schools are considered ideal settings for children to meet most of their physical activity requirements since they spend a large proportion of their time at school. There is potential for all children to take part, especially those who tend to be less physically active than their peers, such as girls, those residing in deprived areas and some minority ethnic groups.
The Daily Mile, launched in Scotland in 2012 by headteacher Elaine Wyllie MBE, has grown into a global initiative, reaching over 10,000 schools in 77 countries. The programme encourages primary school children to run or jog for 15 minutes during the school day, focusing on simplicity and inclusivity. Since 2018, the UK Child Obesity Strategy has aimed for every primary school to implement TDM, and the government has invested £1.5 million to support its promotion.
Funded by the NIHR School for Public Health Research as well as The Daily Mile Foundation, supported by INEOS, our national study was undertaken by Child Population Health researchers at Imperial College London, University College London and the University of Cambridge suggest the scheme has been particularly popular in urban and deprived areas and could be reaching over one million children in 3,502 primary schools across England. We found that over 20% of English primary schools are registered for The Daily Mile, with higher participation in urban areas and schools with disadvantaged students. The Daily Mile has proven particularly popular in major cities like London, with many schools incorporating the initiative into their daily routine despite limited outdoor space.
Key Findings
One in five primary schools in England is registered for The Daily Mile.
The programme is especially successful in urban areas with higher levels of deprivation and obesity.
Schools with both high and low educational performance participate, highlighting the broad appeal of the initiative.
More research is needed to assess the long-term impact on children's fitness, well-being, and educational outcomes.
Publications
Venkatraman T, Honeyford K, Costelloe C, et al. Sociodemographic profiles, educational attainment and physical activity associated with The Daily Mile registration in primary schools in England: a national cross-sectional linkage study. 2020. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Ram B, Sluijs EV, Chalkley A, et alP60 Real-world application of a scalable active mile intervention in greater London primary schools: a quantitative surveyJ Epidemiol Community Health 2023; Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.