Active Recovery Hub launched to help more children to be active

By GreaterSport | 19 April 2021 | TAGS: Sport England, Children and young people, schools, families, Education

Sport England have teamed up with the Youth Sport Trust to develop a new online resource that’ll help more children be physically active.

The Active Recovery Hub, which has been funded by the National Lottery, provides schools, local authorities, and families with easy access to free resources that’ll help more children reach the Chief Medical Officer's target of taking part in 60 minutes of physical activity a day.

The resource comes on the back of the government’s School Sport and Activity Action Plan, which promised to extend the School Games website to help teachers and parents find opportunities for young people to compete and get active.

Mike Diaper, Sport England's executive director for children and young people, said it was vital providers give youngsters a positive experience of being active so they can build healthy habits that last a lifetime.

“After a year of such disruption, this free and easy-to-use resource will help schools, local authorities and families give young people variety and a greater chance to find something they enjoy, so they can get moving throughout the day,” he added.

“We simply couldn’t offer these important resources without the support of the players of The National Lottery and the funding they generate. The Hub is an excellent example of the sport and activity sector collaborating to provide fun, enjoyable and inclusive activities for children and young people to do.”

The new hub sits on the School Games website and provides the ideal platform to get young people more active. Schools and users can search for activities by age and the time of day they want to get active.

More than 18,800 schools already take part in the School Games, while 38 sports organisations have provided content for the new hub that includes a diverse range of inclusive activities.

Ali Oliver, chief executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said the Active Recovery Hub will make it easy for schools to access age-appropriate content so children can be helped to be active, recover their wellbeing after the pandemic and re-engage in school.

“Teachers have told us they recognise the importance of physical activity and the outdoors in children’s recovery, but they have so much on their plate at the moment, we want to make it simple for them,” she continued. “The hub will support schools to find easy-to-use and engaging content all in one place, removing some of the barriers currently faced.

“With National School Sport Week just around the corner in June, the Active Recovery Hub and joined-up approach from the school sport and physical activity sector will be vital in supporting children to have fun and celebrate the life-changing benefits of play and sport.”

Access the hub here