Every summer I cycle up this Col. Sometimes once, sometimes three times. This year I did it twice. Each time I set off at 7am. By 9am I am back in my apartment, on the balcony, coffee in hand. Legs aching. I feel amazing.

The day ahead is always better.

I have listed below eight reasons why I complete this ride – largely taken from my internal monologue during this wonderful and enduring mountain ride.

1. Sense of Achievement.

This is perhaps the dominating motivational force in my efforts to reach the top and it can only be truly appreciated when I get there. On seeing the restaurant and its surrounding myrtle berry bushes, I know I have done something positive and meaningful.

2. Physical Challenge.

Challenge in all forms stimulates the brain and make us feel more alive. Being out of my comfort zone renews my confidence and courage. After this challenge I am more able to appreciate my down time.

3. Ducks in a Row.

When I take the time to do something deliberately very physical, I put the greater part of my conscious thinking on hold. When I finish this physical episode, my thoughts have been reordered. With my ducks newly aligned, I am more settled.

4. Physical Health. 

Where do we start. Stronger heart, lungs, bones, joints, muscles. Improved cognition and alertness. Reduced inflammation and physiological stress. The list is exhaustive.

5. Fitness Check In. 

I am not getting younger. Can I still do it? How does my physical fitness compare with this time last year? Am I living my life in way that is maintaining my level of fitness? I want to know the answer to these questions.

6. Mental Wellbeing.

Have you ever been for a run, swim or bike ride and then not felt better mentally for doing so? In a world where we are ever more in tune with our mental wellbeing, exercise can provide us with a miracle drug for the sum of time and effort.

7. Resilience.

When I complete this bike ride, I acquire a healthy dose of determination, perseverance and the ‘never give up’ spirit. I hope these qualities can transfer to other aspects of my life.

8. Pressing the Reset Button.

I have learned the value in pressing reset and recalibrating. We can do this in various ways and at various times. The month of August provides me with a clear line from which I can reset for the year ahead. Recharged, excited and ready.

Riding up the Col is my reset button.

The qualities I seek from riding my bike up the Col transfer beyond the physical domain. Confidence. Courage. Determination. Perseverance. Feeling better mentally. Reordering my thoughts. Reflecting on my performance. This bout of physical exertion is a fertile platform from which I can learn and adopt these qualities and find tranquillity.

With greater reflection on this bike ride, in relation to my work, I am further convinced what makes Physical Education uniquely valuable for every child is not only its propensity for physical development, but also for physical exertion and physical challenge.

I am not suggesting all children should invest in road bikes and ride up steep hills. But there is value (and I believe a growing realisation by stakeholders) that physical exertion should be a central component within Physical Education.

MP for Bately & Spen 

Dear Kim, 

I am writing to you in response to your compelling new report ‘Healthy Britain’. I unreservedly agree with you, that we must: Position health and well-being at the centre of policy, focus on prevention and early intervention, and use social prescribing to tackle the root causes of low health and well-being.

I am a former PE teacher, Head of PE, personal trainer and Director of Sport. In 2016, I set up www.gymrun.co.uk to build fitter, more physically literate futures for more children by age 11. My work in the last seven years resonates strongly with your physical health agenda.  

The Gymrun program combines inclusive challenges & badges, bodyweight exercises & short periods of running or walking. Graded badges are the unique feature, as used in swimming and gymnastics. Since 2016, we have awarded 35,000+ fitness badges in primary schools with from 26 to 900 on roll, spanning over 10 counties, including much of London. 

Children love these fitness challenges and badges. Engaged and motivated, classes continually push themselves to achieve their physical potential. PE lessons take on direction and purpose.  

‘This is a great scheme. It should be in every school in the UK.’ 

Kate Bosomworth. Former This Girl Can Lead & Sport England board member. 

For some time, the wider PE remit has been to monitor physical activity time in schools. But we measure literacy and numeracy by every child’s progression in these curriculum areas. Assessment of every child is why literacy and numeracy are valued in primary schools, and PE is not.  

Added to which, primary school PE has evolved to deliver a personal, social, emotional, creative and cognitive, as well as a physical education. Right now, there is very limited accountability for fitness and physical development in or beyond the school setting. 

By combining Gymrun’s challenges (standards, assessment, badges & data) and curriculum (more movement in less time), fitness and physical development is monitored, understood, improved, celebrated and valued by all school stakeholders.  

In a flagship Gymrun school, a 25-minute curriculum lesson every week has increased fitness levels by more than 40% in two years. In this time, the percentage of Year 6 children reaching the light blue fitness badge (stage 5/8) has increased from 42% to 75%.  

During this school’s recent Ofsted visit, children talked at length about the positive impact of this program on their fitness, physical development & well-being. HMI shared these findings with the school’s governors. The official report is yet to be released. 

A context specific example of this program is its reworking for the NHS Care of Childhood Obesity clinic, outlined here. Supported by a recent study led by Professor Russ Jago’s, ‘Rethinking children’s physical activity interventions at school: A new context specific approach’, context has relevance.

‘This has been amazing for my son. He has so much more confidence. He feels like he is taking ownership for his healthy eating/exercise journey.’ 

Parent of child attending the COCO clinic. 

Since leaving my position as Director of Sport at St Paul’s Juniors in London in 2016, I have personally introduced these fitness challenges to more than ten thousand children in over 80 different school environments. These experiences have given me with an insight into monitoring and delivering a fitness curriculum in primary schools that is unprecedented.  

I am seeking the opportunity to speak with you in person about engaging children in primary schools in your constituency in this cost-effective fitness and physical literacy program. I have copied in Alison Oliver (CEO – Youth Sports Trust). Ali, perhaps the YST might like to support this venture? 

We often hear multi-millionaire celebrities describe how it was ‘never about money’. In this candid interview, Bear was humble enough to acknowledge that before he made his fortune, money was a driving motivational force in his work. 

Bear also encouraged us all to follow and pursue our passion in life. Again, easier to do when you are financially secure.

But the greatest take away was Bear’s reference to how he lives his life based on three simple values. Courage, kindness and to never give up. So here are the three resonating themes:

1. Money is important

2. Follow your passion

3. Live by your values

There is a wonderful relationship between these three themes, which I can relate to from my own experiences, since leaving the blanket of full time employment in 2016.

Money is the bottom line in terms of whether or not we can follow our passion. I am following my passion. But there are days when I consider giving up, based largely on the financial side of this equation. Interestingly, when I refocus on my own values, I always gain inspiration to keep going.

Here are my three values: Be authentic, inclusive and purposeful. These values are personal to me. They also reflect my organisation, Gymrun. Living and working by our values gives us the renewed strength and energy to take on whatever life throws at us. 

What are the three values by which you live your life? Write them down, and own them.

This was exciting.

This new clinical funding was intended for dieticians, social support workers, mental health professionals and similar practitioners. There was no mention of integrated support, linking regular exercise with fitness progression. In Gymrun, we have a leading program designed to build fitness, fitness understanding, physical literacy and resilience in all children. For these children with complications from excess weight, I was convinced the only adaptation we needed was to create a clinical exercise context.

So in response to the November 2021 news story, I made a note of every academic and health professional whose name was published. I reached out to these people with energy and optimism. I received two replies: 

Professor Julian Hamilton-Shields – Founder of the Care Of Childhood Obesity Clinic. University Hospital Bristol & Weston Trust

Sophie Solti – Policy lead. CYP Transformation Program Team, NHS England & NHS Improvement

The wheels of the NHS turn slowly. But in September 2022, we began the Gymrun NHS program for children with complications from excess weight, in partnership with the COCO Clinic and the UHBW Trust. These last twelve Saturday mornings have been some of the most enjoyable and rewarding teaching experiences in twenty years of working with children of all ages and abilities in Physical Education, Exercise and Fitness. 

Education meets Health.

Many of the children involved have wide-ranging emotional, behavioural, social and physical challenges. In this program, we have focused on simple, differentiated bodyweight exercises and short bursts of walking or jogging. Every four weeks these children have engaged wholeheartedly in inclusive fitness testing. They have been encouraged to record additional bursts of physical activity undertaken each week.

No bells. No whistles. No fit-tech. No expensive machines or gadgetry. No games or activities designed to ensure engagement and enthusiasm. Simple exercises focusing on personal best and physical challenge. And they have loved every minute. With low physical competence, confidence and motivation, these are the children who avoid PE lessons, don’t do exercise, hate sport and in many cases find it difficult to get up off the floor unaided. So how have we managed to sustain their engagement and motivation for exercise? Here are four reasons:

Simplicity

I have always believed our relationship with physical activities and sports is tied heavily to their context. Admittedly, some of us warm to the physicality of contact sports, others to the risk of adventurous activities, and so on. But when we strip physical movement back to is inherent fundamentals, remove external competition, make the environment safe and trusted, provide achievable and differentiated activities, regularly and overtly praise genuine effort, and make it clear that participation is self-regulated, there is not much not to like.

Expertise

What I have just described is perhaps the framework of a well-taught PE lesson. As well as significant Physical Education teaching experience, I have the added advantage of a personal training qualification – facilitating the nuanced and subtle adaptations to make exercise relevant and accessible for each of these children’s physical learning needs. Delivery expertise is most probably a pre-requisite of this program’s success. 

Champions

In week one, I remember being overwhelmed by the wide-ranging needs of these children. After a brief rabbit in the headlights moment, parents, carers and siblings were on hand with limitless determination. By week 12, just about every child taking part had a champion alongside them. Parents, siblings and carers alike, these champions were the strength and stay of these children. Hugely supportive and essential. 

Testing

For me, the key feature of this Gymrun NHS pilot program, and the reason why it must be taken seriously, is regular fitness testing. Fitness testing, or inclusively monitoring physical progress, is the long-lasting, aspirational glue which is continuing to engage and motivate these children each week. The resulting feedback enables these children to think critically and reflect honestly on their performance, deal with short term failures, and build resilience with what they learn about themselves.

Learning what they can and cannot do and exploring their physical limits enables all children to better understand their fitness and how to improve it. Monitoring fitness progression shows we care about this. And the icing on the cake – celebrating effort, performance and progression with the Gymrun fitness award badges. 

Children love badges.

My partner’s reply, ‘Sounds great, but we both know they want to listen to researchers in universities, more than to you.’ I used this retort to claim I need more emotional support from her to do what I do. She said, ‘I’m sorry, I’ve had a rubbish day. I’ve worked from home, mainly eaten cake and smarties and because of my cough I haven’t been able to exercise.’ Tomorrow my partner will eat more healthily. She will do this because she will exercise. This exercise will build fitness and enhance her mood. This enhanced mood will result in less cake and smartie eating. 

In response to this week’s childhood obesity clinic funding announcement, Professor Julian Hamilton-Shield at the Bristol hospital said, ‘Using a team of experts from many disciplines, including specialist dieticians, social support workers, and mental health professionals, we can pinpoint the exact causes of weight gain and create tailored treatment plans for each child.’ Yes, we need joined up thinking. 

As we know children with higher physical fitness enjoy better school attendance, academic learning, alertness, resilience, social and mental health, physical activity engagement, short term positive feelings, long term physiological benefits, posture, balance and self-esteem, a key part of these new obesity clinics must also be exercise referral linking to and celebrating fitness progression. 

I first used a health club gym at the age of seventeen while studying for my A-levels. Ironically, this gym used to be a thriving squash club (which I used as a child). All twelve squash courts have now been replaced by extensive gym facilities. Such is the demand, there is now a second, more exclusive health club on the other side of the car park. 

Since my A-level years, I have been involved with numerous sports teams and clubs. These days, I like to ski and paddle board, cycle and run. Rugby and skiing are close frontrunners, but the greatest physical activity constant in my adult life has been, and remains, the gym. Looking back, I have been a member of Fitness First, David Lloyd, Esporta, Virgin Active, CrossFit and Nuffield Health clubs.

I have always justified a gym membership. Here are seven good reasons for a gym life:

• Maintaining general physical fitness

There is no better environment to focus on particular areas of fitness, for example strength or flexibility. The gym also provides you with the mechanisms to switch areas of fitness or body parts.

• Training for specific sports and events

Excluding the pub sports, most high level athletes will use the gym for physical performance gains. For the rest of us, the gym is a designated place to go to prepare our bodies for all other physical pursuits.

• Keeping a positive body image

We are all invested to some extent in our body image. As we get older, regular gym attendance will help us to look and feel better. It supports our self-identity and how we define ourselves.

• Social mixing (and a social outlet for many)

As more of us work from home, a consistent opportunity to mix with people is not to be underestimated. Many people forge strong and lasting friendships born in the gym.

• Mindfulness and total well-being 

This is my favourite reason. We lead busy lives and too often don’t allow time for self-reflection and investment in our mental well-being. Resting between exercises and stretching are wonderful for this.

• Positive use of leisure time

Many of us use pubs, cafes and shops, social media and television in our leisure time. Moderating these vices is generally encouraged. Aside from the real addicts, more gym time is positive.

• Accessibility and availability 

From late teenagerhood to our autumn years. From early morning to late evening (and sometimes even 24-7). From city to city. It never rains in the gym.

A regular retreat to exercise, train for sport, look and feel better, mix socially, unwind, reset, and take a hot shower when your boiler breaks! In multiple contexts, gym life is a good life.

I arrived later than most to Tokyo 2020. I moved house on the opening day of the Games, and with no internet connection or television access, I missed much of the first week of competition. Today (with a full internet connection), I enjoyed my favourite moment in Tokyo – Laura Muir’s silver medal in the 1500m. Laura Muir epitomises the quality of character we take for granted within our Olympians. Perhaps most strikingly apparent in her behaviour is the value of humility. There is an infectious humility to Team GB this year. And it is so inspiring.

Every Games, I am inspired by something or someone. In Rio it was the superhuman accomplishments of Usain Bolt. In these last few days, I have been reflecting on what I will take away from Tokyo 2020. With Covid-19 and Simone Biles, this has been the mental health games. Every single athlete deserves a medal for making it to Tokyo amidst the barriers and uncertainty created by the pandemic. But mental health awareness per se will not be my 2020 Olympics souvenir.

I am so incredibly inspired by Laura Muir’s humility. In her post run interview, teeming with emotion, she reflected, ‘I have worked so hard for so long’. Try listening to her tone in this interview without too feeling the emotion of her journey. She is so quietly hard-working and so modestly determined to be the best she can be. I am inspired by Adam Peaty’s self-belief. After retaining his 200m Breast-Stroke gold medal in Tokyo, a philosophical Peaty said, ‘We don’t challenge ourselves enough these days’. Such strong and true words. We need to take risks. We need to fail. We need to fall. We need to keep believing in ourselves.

Gold, silver, fourth or any place, these Olympic athletes are all winners. They are winners because they own the values we seek to demonstrate, day after day, year after year. So my Olympic souvenir for Tokyo 2020 will be the values and the mental and physical aptitude displayed by Team GB. These values provide such a simple blueprint, or framework, to inspire us lesser mortals to do more with our lives.

Team GB have shown us these values and the mental and physical aptitude to achieve longevity of greatness within ourselves, regardless of outcome. Now, more of us must find ways to map these values onto the next generation.

My sense of the role of physical education is just that. It is based on my childhood experiences, my education and training, my time teaching in schools and my philosophy. As I continue to reflect upon all things physical education, I am increasingly conscious of the importance of all views that are not my own, and particularly those which challenge my beliefs and opinions. This reflection has guided me to consider the level to which physical education delivery should be holistic – at the expense of focusing on physical development. 

The motivation for this blog is drawn largely from recent conversations with academics, policymakers, school staff and PE teachers in respect of this question. 

I believe we have two teams right now. On one side, those promoting a holistic narrative for physical education. I have witnessed this as more prevalent in primary education and in academia. A recent article by David Grecic, Andrew Sprake & Robin Taylor of the University of Central Lancashire in support of this approach gave an example as, ‘Children creating their own physical game, its rules, equipment, and space requirements. The children would allocate group roles and take ownership of their own learning by planning the game, implementing it, and supporting others’ engagement with it. Finally, they would reflect on the impact of the game on themselves and others’. On paper, this approach is compelling. But does it ensure all pupils make good physical progress in curriculum time? 

I have yet to see this in practice. By trying to teach everything, might we end up with pupils exposed to a range of ideas and content, but achieving little in any of them? 

On the other side, are those who believe there are times when we should prioritise more focused delivery, such as developing good physical movers. I have seen this approach more often in secondary and independent schools. ‘If I go back 20 years, all of the primary school children I taught coming into Year 7 were generally, good movers. They had basic FMS. I can safely say, I can remember a visible shift from about 2004-2006 onwards. The students arriving in Year 7 changed. Across the board, they were simply not good movers’ (Mark Evans. Head of PE. Stonyhurst College). With a focus on physical development, pupils will become good movers – more physically competent and more physically literate. 

What is not in question is the power and opportunity of physical education to develop the whole child – physically, cognitively, personally, socially, emotionally, creatively. But how do we prioritise and frame physical education to generate actual value in its key areas? 

There is much support for the pupil-centred, cooperative learning which takes place in the holistic approach. In this method, we are exposing pupils to unique and varied learning opportunities which apply in constantly changing environments. It sounds convincing. When delivery is more focused, it can become a harder sell in the context of learning.

We can better realise the value of this focused approach by considering the difference between learning and progress. Learning can be defined as the acquisition of knowledge or skills through study, experience or being taught. Progress is development towards an improved or more advanced condition. In physical education, I can think of pupils who are learning but who do not make progress. When we focus on physical development, less learning might be taking place, but, amidst a childhood obesity epidemic, the ensuing physical progress should not be overlooked. 

Perhaps the best way forward is to work together, by making space in the curriculum for both approaches. If so, how do we achieve this in a subject which continues to be marginalised in many schools? 

With such a broad scope, I propose we push for two subject areas, as is the case in many schools already – PE and Games. In physical education pupils learn to use and move their bodies competently, efficiently and safely. They build physical health and well-being. And develop physical and environmental literacy. In Games, pupils take part in a variety of progressive physical activities and sports – modified to reflect their ability level. These experiences provide a wide and varied range of learning experiences.

If we are going to carry the can for developing pupils in multiple domains, clarity in how we define physical education and games is essential. The below wheel shows the interconnection of these terms in a possible wider curriculum context. 

Sir, I welcome the proposed restrictions on junk food advertising (“Junk food adverts to be banned on TV before 9pm watershed”, Jul 24). The causes of obesity for most people are straightforward, and junkfood is a key player. We gain weight when we consume more calories than we burn.

Limiting the reach of unhealthy foods is a positive step, but we should not overlook the importance of exercise.  It has often been said that losing weight is 90 per cent diet and 10 per cent exercise; whether this is true or not, it remains the case that exercise releases “feel good” hormones that help us to make better choices about food.  It was refreshing during lockdown to be actively encouraged to exercise daily.

To reduce obesity we must focus less on losing weight and more on good nutrition and building fitness through exercise. We can create an inclusive culture for monitoring physical health, based on transparency, personal competition and an acceptance of failure. Parkrun and Couch to 5k are good examples of this, monitoring fitness in a way that is inclusive and relevant. Both have helped people to lose weight and become fitter.

The tools to maintain physical health are increasingly recognised as central to schools’ “recovery curriculum” from Covid-19. This is a great opportunity for a review of the whole curriculum.

With this same mindset, I prioritised high quality teaching (process) over assessment against a standard (outcome) – though I would now say that high quality teaching overlaps assessment against a standard (tricky to know where one finishes and the other starts!).

Over time, I have come to believe that in some contexts, a shift in emphasis may be required. With key competencies that we want all pupils to realise, outcome can become as important as process.

To explain this with a simple metaphor, think of an inflatable stand-up paddle board. 

Blowing up the paddle board is the process. A fully blown up paddle board is the outcome. In this situation, the outcome is more important than the process. It matters more that the paddle board is fully blown up (outcome) than how it is blown up (process).

How do I know the paddle board is fully blown up?

By reading the pressure gauge and comparing this to the recommended pressure, I know how well the board is blown up – how well I have achieved my outcome. Reading the pressure gauge is my assessment. The recommended pressure is my standard. 

I know how well I have achieved an outcome when I assess against a standard.

Using the same example, by ignoring the pressure gauge and the recommended pressure, the following is likely to happen:

By observation alone, I will see the board begin to expand. I will watch as the board unfolds itself. It will slowly take shape and appear ready to use. But I will not know if the board is fully pumped up and fit for purpose – and this will affect its value and my enjoyment.

The pressure gauge and the recommended pressure enable us to fully pump up a paddle board. An outcome can enable us to monitor all pupils’ progress towards achieving a key competency.

Let’s imagine physical education is our paddle board. Do we know how much air we have inside it? And how much air do we need for all pupils to paddle long into adulthood?