Primary school staff that are helping and inspiring children in London to be active are to be celebrated in a new initiative from ukactive Kids and Nike.
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Active School Hero scheme aims to identify “heroes” in every London borough, as well as one overall outstanding Active School Hero for the whole of the capital. The borough winners will receive professional development from Nike and the Youth Sport Trust, as well as tickets for their class to attend an elite sporting event. The overall winner will also receive an exclusive visit to their school from elite Nike athletes.
Adults can nominate one or more local heroes from now until 8 April 2019 via activeschoolhero.com.
The initiative had a kick-off event at the London Stadium at the end of February, where ukactive chair Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson was joined by British world champion sprinter Adam Gemili and Commonwealth Games champion swimmer Siobhan-Marie O’Connor.
Baroness Grey-Thompson said that a series of reports from ukactive Kids had highlighted the challenges schools are facing in getting children moving more.
“Through ukactive Kids’ understanding of the barriers and motivations to create active lifestyles among children, and Nike’s expertise in, and commitment to, getting kids moving through play and sports, we feel we have formed a formidable partnership," said Grey-Thompson.
“Active School Hero is about unlocking the great work being delivered in primary schools throughout London and showing the impact that getting children moving has.”
Nike's senior director of global community impact EMEA, Dan Burrows, added that today’s generation of kids is “the least active in history”, saying it is a “crisis of unrealised potential”, where children were missing out on the joy of play and the proven benefits, such as better attention, behaviour and academic performance.
“The role of all primary school staff in getting kids active is largely undervalued,” commented Jack Shakespeare, head of ukactive Kids.
“We know there are great examples of heroes out there, working day-in, day-out to introduce physical activity and play into the school day.
“They can make a difference. They not only teach, but they also motivate, empower and inspire kids to move in the right direction and achieve great things.
"We want to shine a spotlight on the amazing work these heroes do and share their stories to inspire others.”
Nominations for Active School Hero will be reviewed by Nike and ukactive Kids, in partnership with Sport England, Women in Sport, Youth Sport Trust, the Greater London Authority, Activity Alliance, the Association for Physical Education, London Sport and UK Coaching.
