How to build an active school without creating another initiative

When I work with teachers, and over 25 years of delivery, that's been many thousands of them, I find there are generally two groups. Those who are happy to try new approaches to learning, and those who need a bit more convincing about the "why".

In my presentations, I always start with how activity affects the brain in children. If that doesn't grab their attention, I'm not sure what will.

Regular physical activity can support the brain in several ways:

Clears brain fog: Increased blood flow delivers more oxygen and nutrients to the brain, helping pupils think more clearly and focus.

Improves mood and motivation: Physical activity can trigger the release of chemicals including serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline, helping children feel more alert and ready to learn.

Supports behaviour and concentration: A short burst of movement can help pupils return to learning calmer, more settled and better able to manage their attention.

Builds a brain that's ready to learn: Exercise increases BDNF, a protein involved in helping brain cells grow, connect and strengthen.

Supports memory and recall: Regular activity supports areas of the brain closely associated with learning and memory.

This is the bit that tends to find its mark, when delegates start to realise that activity shouldn't be treated as a treat.

It should become part of the heartbeat of the school day.

Movement can support focus, mood and behaviour and, used well, can save teachers time spent trying to regain children's attention later. It's a teaching tool, not just one more thing to squeeze in.

If movement is seen as an optional extra, it will always depend on a handful of enthusiastic staff. But if it's understood as part of teaching, learning, wellbeing and personal development, it's far more likely to stick.

Senior leaders can help by setting a clear expectation that activity is part of the whole school day, not something that only happens in PE.

It also helps to build a small team with clear roles. This might include:

• a senior leader who gives the work visible support
• a PE lead or active-school lead who coordinates it
• a small group of teacher ambassadors who test ideas and share what works
• pupils who contribute ideas and feedback
• teaching assistants and lunchtime staff, who often have a huge influence on daily activity
• Avoid launching everything at once. Start with a few classes or year groups, gather feedback and let early wins build confidence.

Staff are much more likely to change their practice once they've seen an approach work in a classroom like theirs.

Active learning doesn't mean turning every lesson into a fitness session.

It means using movement where it genuinely helps pupils engage, remember, respond or refocus.

Using simple equipment can also be a fantastic way to bring learning to life. We've recently been working with Davies Sports to explore how everyday PE and playground equipment can be used to support active learning, including a series of Active Maths activities designed around their Active Maths Play Pack.

You can find out more about the equipment and resources available from Davies Sports here: [DAVIES SPORTS].

A simple place to start is with short activity breaks. Two to five minutes of movement between tasks can help pupils reset, especially after a long stretch of concentration.

These can happen right behind chairs and don't need equipment or a big space. The imoves Active Blasts are a great example.

The next step is connecting movement to the learning itself. The imoves active learning library uses approaches such as:

• pupils standing for one answer and crouching for another, Choose Between
• actions representing vocabulary, punctuation or steps in a process, Word Action Games
• questions placed around the room as a learning circuit, Circuits
• pupils collecting information from different locations, Data Collection
• a short movement sequence opening or closing a lesson, Top and Tail
• partners walking and talking before returning to record their ideas, Discovery

One of the easiest techniques to start with is a simple "Choose Between" activity.

Ask a question and give pupils two movements to show their answer. Every child responds at the same time, and you get an instant read on their understanding.

Movement should support the learning objective, not compete with it. Ten random star jumps in the middle of a maths lesson may simply create chaos and break the momentum of the session.

Start with one technique, use it regularly, and give staff and pupils time to get comfortable with a different way of working.

The Top and Tail method is especially effective because it's so simple. For example, use an active quiz, game or Active Blast to open the session, then a short celebration of learning to close it.

No extra prep required.

I've worked with schools that have gone further with ideas like No Chairs Tuesday, where children learn through movement throughout the day. The pupils were unsure at first, but loved it by the end.

I love this kind of thinking. It might not work everywhere, but it's a great spark for ideas that do fit your school and your children.

Breaktimes are often assumed to be naturally active. Sadly, that's not the case for every child.

Some pupils spend the whole break chatting, watching or standing at the edge of a game. Others avoid activity altogether because the playground feels too competitive, too noisy or too unstructured.

A more active playground doesn't need an expensive redesign, or a huge climbing frame that only three children can use at once!

Schools can divide the space into simple zones using cones, signs, markings and equipment. I've seen some great examples, including:

• a ball-games zone
• a dance or music zone
• a creative-play area
• a circuit or fitness zone
• a walking or running route
• a quieter movement space

The aim isn't to turn every child into a sportsperson. It's to give pupils different ways to enjoy moving, in their own way.

Pupil voice is really important here too.

Ask children which activities they'd use, which parts of the playground they avoid, and what would help them join in.

Lunchtime staff need support too. Their role isn't to lead a workout or demonstrate every activity. It's to feel confident enough to facilitate: setting activities up, explaining simple rules, drawing in hesitant pupils and keeping everything running safely.

Empowering lunchtime staff is often one of the quickest ways to lift activity levels across a whole school.

PE remains central to an active school, but having PE on the timetable doesn't automatically mean pupils are getting an active, high-quality lesson.

Long explanations, large teams and queues for equipment can leave pupils standing around for much of the session.

Using well-structured resources that reduce waiting time and keep children involved can make a real difference to engagement and learning, while also supporting physical literacy, muscular strength and endurance, and cardiovascular fitness.

Senior leaders should look closely at the experience pupils are actually having.

Are they moving regularly? Are activities inclusive? Do they get enough opportunities to practise? Does the curriculum build knowledge, skill and confidence over time?

Four simple principles can improve most PE lessons:

• Start with the basic skill.
• Give pupils plenty of opportunities to practise.
• Use small groups and small-sided games.
• Keep the experience positive and enjoyable."Let's play football for six weeks" will only appeal to a proportion of children.

Teaching invasion games, where pupils build transferable movement skills alongside communication, teamwork, decision-making and resilience, creates a much broader experience.

Smaller groups also mean less waiting and more chances for every pupil to handle a ball, perform a movement or make a decision.

Workforce confidence matters just as much.

Staff need clear plans, useful demonstrations and training that helps them teach PE safely and effectively.

The imoves PE programme uses child-facing demonstration videos alongside teacher support, helping both teacher and pupil through the trickier parts of a lesson.

Ultimately, teachers don't need to become elite sports coaches. They need the confidence and resources to facilitate a high-quality lesson.

Outside specialists can absolutely add value, but schools should be careful not to end up with teachers as bystanders.

Building the confidence of your own staff creates far more consistency, and that confidence carries movement well beyond the PE lesson too.

Before- and after-school activity can reach pupils in a different way, but only if the offer is broad enough.

A programme built mainly around traditional team sports may suit some pupils brilliantly while repeatedly missing others.

Consider a mix of activities such as:

- dance
- circuits
- running or walking
- Pilates or yoga-style movement
- cycling, scooters or wheeled activities
- creative movement
- non-competitive fitness
- sport-and-music combinations

Senior leaders should look at who attends, not just how many clubs are on offer.

Which children join several activities? Which children never attend? Are cost, transport, confidence, kit or prior experience creating barriers?

Active travel can play a role here too.

Walking, cycling or scooting to school won't be possible for every family, but schools can promote it where practical, exploring ideas such as park-and-stride routes or walking buses.

Try setting up a Wheelie Club first thing in the morning, where children can use their wheels around the playground before school starts.

In one school I worked with, Wheelie Wednesday became so popular they ended up running a wheelie club every morning. They had small ramps and a boogie-box outside to enhance the experience.

Practically zero expense and loads of fun.

Before introducing anything new, carry out a simple activity audit.

Look across the whole week and consider what pupils actually experience:

- before school
- during morning lessons
- at break time
- during afternoon lessons
- at lunchtime
- in PE
- after school

Then rate each of the five areas using a simple red, amber and green system:

Red: Needs attention
Amber: Developing
Green: Established

This gives senior leaders a much clearer picture than simply counting PE hours or listing clubs.

It might reveal that one year group uses active learning confidently while another doesn't.

It might show that the playground works well for confident footballers but offers little for other children.

It could also highlight that good practice depends too heavily on one or two particular members of staff.

One school that's now a genuinely active school started its journey with a staff meeting where the team simply brainstormed ways to get the school moving, using the talent already in the room, runners, dancers, tennis players and staff who were enthusiastic about different activities.

Their ideas became the bedrock of the transformation because it came from the teachers themselves, rather than being handed down as another initiative.

Choose two or three priorities rather than trying to improve everything at once.

Use a phased approach

Long-term change is far more likely when it's introduced gradually.

A practical sequence might look like this:

1. Plan: Carry out the audit, identify priorities and involve pupils and staff.

2. Launch: Introduce one or two simple routines, such as daily movement breaks and structured playground zones.

3. Embed: Give staff time to share successes, solve problems and build movement into normal practice using their own ideas.

4. Review: Revisit the audit and look at what's actually changed for pupils, not simply what's been introduced.

Useful evidence to track might include staff confidence, pupil participation, engagement after movement breaks, playground use and consistency of practice across year groups.

The strongest active schools aren't always the ones with the most equipment or the biggest budget.

They're the ones that make movement simple, regular and inclusive.

The goal isn't to add another initiative.

It's to create a school day where every child has more opportunities to move, learn and enjoy themselves, and where teachers can use movement as part of what they already do.

Want to make your school more active?

imoves supports primary schools with practical, ready-to-use resources for PE, active learning, movement breaks, dance and wellbeing, helping teachers build more movement into the school day without adding more planning.

Explore the imoves Active School programme: [ACTIVE SCHOOL]

We've also been working with Davies Sports on practical ways schools can use equipment to support active learning and active play.

Explore Davies Sports: [DAVIES SPORTS]

If you'd like to talk about becoming a more active school, or would like to trial imoves, email ImogenBP@imoves.com.

Imogen Buxton-Pickles
Founder, imoves Active Education Ltd