Work Programme: Active Lives Survey

The Programme

The Active Lives Children and Young People survey was launched in September 2017 and was developed by Sport England in partnership with the Department for Education (DfE), the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS).

Now in its eighth year of delivery, the survey measures engagement in, and attitudes to, sport and physical activity among children and young people in school Years 1-11. Pupil participation provides valuable insight across the localities within Norfolk. Active Norfolk is therefore able to greater understand the children and young people’s activity levels and use this data as a tool to support the development and funding of tailored programmes to enhance physical activity opportunities in local communities.

• 51% of Norfolk schools have engaged and participated in the survey, providing a total of 4,576 behavioural responses. This exceeds the response totals of all previous years, putting Active Norfolk on track to gain an accurate understanding of children and young people’s activity levels across the county.
• A total of 60 parents have provided attitudinal responses on behalf of their Year 1 or 2 children, offering valuable additional insight.
• After two terms, 6 of the 7 localities have already surpassed the 300 yearly response target set by Sport England for Active Partnerships, enabling more comprehensive reporting of the insights.

Current responses achieved by Norfolk schools (term 1 and 2)

Impact Summary

Norfolk schools have achieved the highest number of responses ever recorded in a single term within the county’s 8-year history of the survey. Term 1 saw an impressive 2,541 responses, followed by a further 2,035 responses in Term 2. This means Active Norfolk has not only surpassed last year’s total of 2,645 responses but also set a new record for Norfolk’s participation in the survey.

This success has been driven by the alignment and refinement of internal processes, helping to prevent gaps in data collection moving forward. Insights gained over the eight years of delivering the survey have contributed to a deeper understanding of the key elements behind successful engagement. In addition, new approaches have been introduced, demonstrating that changes to existing processes can have a meaningful impact. For example, the introduction of direct link emails has provided schools with clear, concise messaging that makes it easier to engage with the survey, while also highlighting the benefits of participation- not just for their school, but for the wider community.