The Daily Mile

The Background The Daily Mile was founded by Elaine Wyllie in 2012. Elaine took one class out to the field, and asked them to run around the path that borders it. Many could only manage one lap. Elaine was not put off and decided to trial her new Daily Mile exercise regime for a month. Realising its potential, Elaine was quick to include the entire school and nursery. Every child now takes part for 15 minutes a day on top of their usual PE classes. Today, they are energised and focused – and not one out of 57 children in the school is overweight. Elaine says The Daily Mile has been sustained because the children love it and so do their parents. The Daily Mile is now in 61 countries with over 7,800 Primary Schools participating. Why it Matters The battle against obesity continues to be lost, with children increasingly likely to be obese before they start secondary school. The number of children leaving primary school severely obese has hit record levels as the government battles to slash childhood obesity. One in 25 pupils aged 10 and 11 is in the most obese category, up from one in 32 a decade ago. The figures also reveal boys and girls from the most deprived backgrounds are more likely to be overweight or obese and that the health inequality is growing. The Daily Mile is helping to change this and we have received extremely positive feedback on this from teachers, parents and students alike.