Active Lives Survey & Healthy Schools

We want all children and young people – regardless of their age, background and ability level – to be able to take part in and enjoy sports and physical activity.

The Sport England Active Lives Survey provides key information for anyone working with children and young people aged 5-16 years. Survey data provides insights to better understand children and young people’s attitudes and behaviours around sport and activity. Participating schools who complete this survey make a real difference on a local and national scale to investments made in sport and physical activity.

The Active Lives Survey is supported nationally by the Department for Education, the Department for Health and Social Care and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Locally the survey is endorsed by the Local Authority PE Advisor, School Games Organisers, Public Health and Healthy Schools.

• Each term schools are randomly selected by Sport England to take part in the Active Lives survey.
• Schools take part in the simple online survey in their classes with one class in up to three different year groups at a point of their choosing during that term. The survey takes less than 20 minutes to complete.
• For the youngest pupils, parents are also asked to fill in a survey about their child’s physical activity behaviours (additional incentives of £10 ESPO credits per parental survey are available to schools).
• One teacher also needs to complete a survey which takes around 10 minutes.
• Each participating school will be provided with templates, information sheets, and guidance from Living Better.

A summary of the process and key documents can be found here. If you need more support please contact our team. 

What are the benefits to schools?

• Each school that takes part is given a bespoke report summarising its own results from the survey (if at least 30 students complete the questionnaire). This report covers measures of children’s activity levels, physical literacy, swimming proficiency, wellbeing, self-efficacy and levels of social trust.

• Participating in The Active Lives Survey provides access to The Healthy Schools Rating Scheme, an online teacher survey, based on four key areas of assessment: Food Education, School Food Standards, Physical Education and Active Travel. The responses are rated as bronze, silver, or gold.

• Completing the Active Lives Survey and Healthy Schools Rating Scheme can be cross referenced to the nutrition and physical activity standards for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Healthy Schools Award. This can aid schools in achieving Healthy Schools status.

In Cambridge and Peterborough

• Just under half of CYP (49.3% / 59,500) are classed as ‘active’ (taking part in sport and physical activity for an average of 60 minutes or more every day).
• Just over half (50.7% / 61,200) are not active enough to benefit their health, i.e. are not meeting the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines for physical activity
• While volunteering in Cambridgeshire & Peterborough is 8.9% lower than the National baseline, the region has seen volunteering levels significantly increase by 13.4% in the last 12 months.

Nationally

• There are signs of activity levels increasing further following recovery from the COVID pandemic.
• There continues to be a positive association between activity levels and mental well-being.