The Daily Mile: Whole-school recommendations for implementation and sustainability. A mixed-methods study.
Article title: The Daily Mile: Whole-school recommendations for implementation and sustainability. A mixed-methods study.
Emily Marchant from Swansea University, in association with HAPPEN Wales, conducted research in 6 primary schools in South Wales to explore whether school experiences of The Daily Mile were related to implementation and examine the association between The Daily Mile and fitness in children from high to low socio-economic groups.
They concluded The Daily Mile had a positive impact on children’s fitness (9%) and there was no difference in improvement when comparing children from deprived or non-deprived schools. Improvements in attitudes towards physical activity, increased feelings of happiness and improvements in group participation were also reported by teachers.
Key factors associated with a positive Daily Mile experience for the children included:
- Flexible, adaptable implementation incorporating pupil feedback
- Delivering The Daily Mile during curriculum time (excluding PE) or as an afternoon playtime (not replacing current play provision)
- Incorporating personal goal setting
- Teacher participation
- Whole school delivery with community support
Emily Marchant, Swansea University: “As part of our research we also wanted to see if the impact of The Daily Mile on children’s fitness differed between children living in poorer and wealthier areas. We found that deprivation didn’t matter – our findings seem to indicate that The Daily Mile can improve the fitness of all children.”
Read the full article online, published in PLOS ONE on 6th February 2020. Or, for more information, read the summary article.