PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
MEASUREMENT OF CHILDREN'S ACTIVITY AND FITNESS LEVELS (23 June 2015)

That this House recognises that formal measurement of children's activity and fitness levels is required to put in place effective solutions to stop the rise of the least active generation in history; accepts the varied benefits to be had by ingraining an appreciation for physical activity in even the most disengaged youngsters; acknowledges that half of seven year olds fail to meet the target of 60 minutes of daily physical activity recommended in the Chief Medical Officer's guidelines for children; further recognises that drop-off rates in activity accelerate as children enter their teenage years; notes the findings of ukactive's Generation Inactive report highlighting the disparity that exists in requiring teachers to understand children's academic abilities but not their basic fitness levels; and calls on the Government to extend the National Child Measurement Programme to also measure fitness to support local public health initiatives and better inform the local planning and delivery of services for children.

Sponsored by:
Alex Cunningham (Labour)