The Daily Mile: Small Steps to Big Change

Elaine Wyllie, former headteacher and Founder of The Daily Mile 11th February 2016

Getting active in school, every day…

The roots of The Daily Mile: St Ninian’s Primary School, Stirling

• School roll= 360

• Nursery roll= 60

Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation Statistics:

– 20% of pupils in deciles 1-3 (least advantaged)

– 35% of pupils in deciles 4-7

– 45% of pupils in deciles 8 - 10

4 years ago at St. Ninians…

• A friend of the school said that the children were unfit- and this was confirmed by the PE teacher, who said that the majority of pupils were exhausted by the warm up.

• This was a very inconvenient truth. What should be done?

• If not now, then when? If not us, then who?

I wonder…?

• I took a P6 (Year 5) class out to run round the field a few times to see what would happen.

• Most of them couldn’t manage any distance at all.

• The children owned the problem and came up with their solution - could they run round the field a few times each day to get fit?

• They ran / walked for fifteen minutes each day.

• After 4 weeks, the improvement was so evident that everyone wanted the children to continue running daily.

Next…

• The children measured the path - 5 laps = 1 mile.

• In their fifteen minutes the children were averaging 5 laps - The Daily Mile was born!

• By Easter it was opened up to all teachers who wanted their class to participate.

• By June 2012 the whole school was participating in the Daily Mile.

• The nursery class started in September 2013.

How the Daily Mile works

• It’s a daily 15 minutes – children average a mile

• It’s fully inclusive - every child takes part

• It happens at a time of the teacher’s choosing

• Children go outside in almost all weathers

• They run in their school clothes

• A path where 5 – 8 laps equals 1 mile is ideal

• It’s non competitive - it’s fun and it’s social

• It happens where our children are every day

• Children choose to run / jog / walk

Removing Barriers

• 100% inclusive and 100% participation

• Children with mobility difficulties take part

• No kit, no ‘cool’ kit, no costs

• No forgetting or losing kit

• No time wasted changing

• No body image issues

• No revealing your body

• No equipment, no set up and no tidy up

Removing Barriers 2

• Weather is a benefit, not a barrier!

• No need for parents to transport children

• Risk

• No staff training needed

• No need to be sporty – it’s H&WB not PE

• Parents are very supportive

• Children are safe in their own playground

• KISS!

The Impact

• Clear improvement in the children’s social, physical, emotional and mental H&WB

• Obesity is significantly reduced

• ‘The children are lean and energised’

• All 420 children are fit – and can easily access PE

• They show improved focus in the classroom

• The children thrive on being outdoors

• Relationships improve, eg the language of friendship

• ‘The children are resilient – look at them!’

• The children are very positive about it and proud of it

• Parents say their children eat and sleep better (etc)

Physical Inactivity and Obesity

• Scottish children are the most sedentary out of 16 Western countries measured in a recent University of Strathclyde study.

• Scottish children are amongst the most obese in the Western world.

• The impact of The Daily Mile is being monitored in longitudinal studies by the Universities of Stirling and Edinburgh. The results so far are very promising, with The Daily Mile being very successful in bringing children from a ‘low active’ to a ‘somewhat active’ lifestyle.

For example… Objective measurement of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA)

• In Scotland, boys averaged 51 minutes per day of MVPA and girls averaged 40 minutes per day. There was no difference between the younger and older pupils.

©(copyright) WHEEL Research Project: Wellbeing, Health, Enjoyment, Exercise and Learning Dr Colin Moran (@DrMoran), Dr Naomi Brooks (@StirBrooks), Dr Josie Booth (@JosieNBooth) & Dr Trish Gorely

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active somewhat active low active

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(a) Boys

st ninians HSE (2008) Griffiths (2013)

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active somewhat active low activeP

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(b) Girls

st ninians HSE (2008) Griffiths (2013)

Active: % meeting government PA recommendations (60+ mins MVPA/ day) Somewhat active: % averaging 30-59 minutes MVPA/day Low active: % averaging less than 30minutes MVPA/day

Percentage Physical activity levels v Health Survey England and Millennium Cohort Study

St Ninian’s Percentage Overweight & Obesity vs Scottish National Average

©(copyright) WHEEL Research Project: Wellbeing, Health, Enjoyment, Exercise and Learning Dr Colin Moran (@DrMoran), Dr Naomi Brooks (@StirBrooks), Dr Josie Booth (@JosieNBooth) & Dr Trish Gorely

26

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Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls

Overweight Obese Overweight Obese

P1-3 (4-6 year olds) P4-7 (7-11 year olds)

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St Ninians Primary School Scottish Health Survey 2014

Scottish Health Survey data http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Health/scottish-health-survey/Publications/Trendtables14 Overweight (BMI z-score >=1.04) and obese (BMI z-score >=1.64) calculated with LMSgrowth (Version 2.74) based on Cole TJ et al. (1998) British 1990 growth reference centiles for weight, height, body mass index and head circumference fitted by maximum penalized likelihood. Statistics in Medicine 1998;17:407-429.

The Future of The Daily Mile

• Go Run For Fun partnership

• London launch – March 2016

• Scottish Government – 500+ Scottish schools

• Cheshire – education / public health / NHS

• Many UK schools / nurseries

• Belgium and beyond

• Parkrun, Skillforce and other collaborations

• IHI – 100 million healthier lives

• “All children, whatever their age, ability or circumstances succeed at the Daily Mile” EDUCATION SCOTLAND

• “Like all really good ideas, the Daily Mile is simple and easy to implement. I was blown away by the enthusiasm of parents, staff and - most importantly - pupils for the concept. If all schools adopted it, we’d have an incredibly powerful antidote to the ills resulting from physical inactivity that plague modern day Scotland”

DR. AILEEN KEEL CBE, ACTING CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER FOR SCOTLAND

• “Lack of physical activity is a real problem. It has crept up on us and we have to fix it, particularly for kids. The Daily Mile is simple, fun and most importantly, part of everyday life for the kids. I spend a lot of time around the country trying to find the bright spots to learn from and spread to other places...this is my new favourite”

JASON LEITCH, NATIONAL CLINICAL DIRECTOR, HEALTHCARE QUALITY, SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

• “The Daily Mile is a fantastic initiative, with teachers and parents seeing a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of those children taking part”

SHONA ROBISON, CABINET SECRETARY FOR HEALTH, SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT

• “These teachers have not only helped to make these kids fit today, they have bought them another seventy years of better health”

MAUREEN BISOGNANO CEO, INSTITUTE FOR HEALTHCARE IMPROVEMENT