Celebrating The Daily Mile at Boxmoor Primary School

Members of staff at the Herts Sport and Physical Activity Partnership (HSP), the local Active Partnership for Hertfordshire, recently joined The Daily Mile Foundation to celebrate Boxmoor Primary Schools First Anniversary of participating in The Daily Mile.

The Daily Mile is a simple and free initiative developed by The Daily Mile Foundation aimed at getting children out of the classroom for 15 minutes each day to run or jog at their individual pace. The students are encouraged to be active alongside their peers and teachers during this movement break, which promotes physical fitness and improved concentration in the classroom.

Place2Be's Children's Mental Health Week took place between the 5th and 11^th February, focusing on the theme "My Voice Matters" encouraging children and young people to feel confident so that they can express themselves. Participating in The Daily Mile regularly plays a pivotal role in boosting the mental health and overall wellness of the Boxmoor pupils, aligning seamlessly with the objectives of Children's Mental Health Week.

Faye Lahiffe, Project Assistant at HSP said:

“It was great to have the opportunity to see the Daily Mile in action at Boxmoor. The children showed exceptional enthusiasm and dedication and were supporting their peers throughout which was lovely to witness. The link between physical activity and mental health is widely recognised therefore being able to support the school community with their Daily Mile activity was a special way to end Childrens Mental Health Week”.

The event was supported by Steve Frew, a Youth Sport Trust Athlete Mentor, who delivered an inspiring presentation about his sporting journey. Steve shared the numerous setbacks he faced before attaining success and winning a Gold Medal in Gymnastics at the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and urged the young people to have self-belief and a positive mindset to achieve any goal they wanted. Year 6 Sports Leaders were given the opportunity to ask Steve some questions and find out more about his career, learning about his dedication to gymnastics from a young age and the role models that encouraged him to pursue his dream. Steve could not resist ending his assembly without demonstrating a few gymnastic moves, which was a great way to increase the excitement, ahead of joining the pupils with their Daily Mile activity in the playground.

Vicky Campos, Headteacher at Boxmoor Primary School said:

"The Daily Mile has been one of the best things that we have introduced in our school. We love the fact that it is inclusive, everyone takes part, even the staff! It doesn't matter whether you are the fastest runner or whether you prefer to fast walk, the Daily Mile is for everyone. We have seen huge benefits on our children, both physically and mentally. Some of our children now take part in weekend parkruns with their families and cross-country events thanks to the Daily Mile. It is the perfect way of preparing our children for learning. Boxmoor loves the Daily Mile".

Speaking about his visit to Boxmoor, Gordon Banks, Global Director at The Daily Mile Foundation commented:

“It was a privilege to visit Boxmoor Primary School and see how the whole school community have embraced The Daily Mile. Witnessing how The Daily Mile has become part of the school culture over the past 12 months was brilliant. As well as the obvious physical health benefits, the school leaders and teachers really seemed to value The Daily Mile for the broader impact it has on their children’s happiness, ability to concentrate in class, and general behaviour at school.”

The Herts Sport and Physical Activity Partnership are deeply committed to encouraging and assisting all schools in Hertfordshire to contribute to this worldwide initiative aimed at enhancing health, increasing physical activity levels and instilling healthy lifestyle habits from a young age.