Extended Learning Academies Network, England

Who we are: Extend Learning Academies Network (ELAN) is a MAT and currently includes the following schools:

• Bournville Primary School
• Oldmixon Primary School
• Locking Primary School
• Mead Vale Primary School
• Mendip Green Primary School
• Milton Park Primary School
• Walliscote Primary School
• Windwhistle Primary School

When we started The Daily Mile: Most of the schools started doing The Daily Mile in 2018, however we now all do The Daily Mile!

Our Daily Mile Story

Written by Lee Molland (Sport Champion of ELAN) and Caitlin Stephenson (The Daily Mile Coordinator at Wesport)

Each school runs their Daily Mile differently. Two of our schools don’t have fields, so they do it on the playgrounds. Others use the field or playgrounds during the Winter. As all schools are in town, the setting for some of our schools was a barrier – the lack of green space and change of staff is always something we take into consideration. As a MAT, we help each other with ideas on how to embed provisions that benefit our children, so it was great to see schools talk to each other and advise on ways that they have implemented The Daily Mile. Each school owns their Daily Mile, but they share ways to improve. Our schools work really hard to ensure the children have many opportunities to get physically active despite busy workloads, and this is recognisable by the continuous improvements in the children’s physical activity levels.

Since starting The Daily Mile, we have been able to see the benefits first hand. As the Sports Champion, I visit each school every week and can feel a buzz when different children talk about The Daily Mile. It’s a lovely sight to walk through a school and see The Daily Mile happening. When we hosted our MAT ‘Daily Mile day’, we had nearly 100 children coming together to celebrate the intervention, with children clearly showing that they are getting fitter, faster and stronger.

We have also started to look at linking The Daily Mile into curriculum. As we write our new PE Curriculum, we may link The Daily Mile in as a way of measuring if children can remain active for sustained periods of time, and understand the importance of leading a healthy, active lifestyle.

In addition, we have included parents and the community in aspects of our Daily Mile in some schools. For example, one of our schools engaged in Wesport’s Daily Mile for parents during Sport Week; each year group had their parents come and do The Daily Mile with them on different days of the week. Another school has linked Race for Life events with The Daily Mile and invited families in to run together. We are also beginning to signpost our children to the Weston-Super-Mare Junior Parkrun.