90% of parents concerned about lack of kids' physical activity during lockdown


School Guuide's latest survey reveals a huge amount of parents are worried about how fit their children are as they return to school on next week. 

We asked School Guide parents if they were concerned about their children's activity levels. We sent a survery to 4,000 mums and dads and asked the question: 

Are you concerned about the lack of physical activity your child has had during lockdown? 

90% of parents responded yes. 

The results are published on the same day as new research by the Youth Sport Trust calling for an 'Active Recovery Term' in the light of plummeting fitness levels following England's third lockdown. They are calling for schools to ensure that pupils are physically active for at least 30 minutes every day when schools reopen next week. 

There is growing momentum for PE to be priortised as part of the big school 'catch-up' plan and even that PE should be part of the Ofsted inspection. Professor Greg Whtye, the former Olympian and sports scientist known for his work preparing celebrities including Davina McCall to take part in Sport Relief physical challenges, has said that PE and Games should have the same level of importance as maths and English when the schools reopen. Sharron Davies, Olympic medalist swimmer agrees: Schools should be opening 20 minutes earlier to get the kids moving before they start studying. Schools that include physical activity every day see an improvement in both physical and mental health, and academic results improve too."