How active are YOU at school?

How active do you like to be at school?

While physical education (PE) is required in all schools, a study has found there are big differences in the levels of physical activity in children during the school day.

Research published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health used wearable tech to track activity over an average of 25 days during school hours at 165 primary schools in towns, cities and rural areas of England in 2021-22.

The study of more than 17,000 primary school pupils and 2,300 teachers across England found despite all schools following the same national curriculum with the same PE targets, there were still big differences.

We want to know how much physical activity you do at school, so let us know in the comments below.

Schools in England are required to deliver a minimum of two hours of PE per week, and make sure that girls and boys get the same access to sport.

UK health advice says children should take part in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MPVA) for 60 minutes a day, with half of this (30 minutes) taking part in school.

But experts from the University of Bath found that only 3 out of 10 schools (30%) met this target.

In some schools, pupils averaged just 8 minutes while others did more than 40 minutes.

Daily step counts also varied greatly, ranging from 1,800 to over 10,000 steps per pupil.

The study authors said differences between boys and girls varied.

While boys were generally more active in most of the schools, a small percentage (5%) had girls outperforming boys, and several others showed minimal differences between boys and girls.

Children in schools in poorer areas did about 25 minutes less activity each week than those in wealthier areas.

Researchers argued this showed the need for greater support for these schools.

Boys were generally more active in most schools

Researchers also looked at the size of the schools' playgrounds using online maps and concluded playground size did not explain the differences.

With school staff also wearing the fitness trackers, the study also found schools with more active teachers had more active pupils.

Lead author Georgina Wort from the University of Bath said:

"We found that some children move much less at school than others, even though they are all in school for the same amount of time.

"That's important because being active is good for your body and your mind, and all pupils deserve that chance."

How much activity do you do at school and do you think it's enough? Let us know in the comments below.