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.
Active Norfolk has established a robust process to ensure that Sport England’s annual target of 300 responses per locality area is met. This process includes a meticulous marketing approach to ensure that schools receive clear, concise, and essential information, making it easy for them to get started, complete the survey, and receive the incentives for participating. This year, a pilot of a physical support pack was introduced, which has proven to be highly successful in generating the highest number of responses to date.
Current 2024-2025 Data Insights for Active Lives Survey
The survey runs across the academic year (Autumn, Spring, and Summer terms), and the current insights are as follows:
- 51% of Norfolk schools have engaged and participated in the survey, providing a total of 5,847 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 121 parents have provided attitudinal responses on behalf of their Year 1 or 2 children, offering valuable additional insight.
- 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.
Responses achieved by Norfolk schools (term 1, 2 & 3)
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 2,035 responses in Term 2, and a further 1271 responses in Term 3. 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.
We aim to engage more children and young people across Norfolk to gather a more comprehensive and accurate picture of activity levels. This will allow us to better support the community through targeted programmes of work, ensuring that the opportunities and resources are aligned with the needs of children and young people across the county.
Also, with an aim to focus on outcomes we will share success stories from schools or communities that have benefited from survey insights, showing how data has helped shape better opportunities for physical activity.
