Schools’ Newsletter
Issue One, December 2018
Elaine Wyllie, Founder of The Daily Mile, with the children of St. Brigid’s National School at The Daily Mile Pilot launch at St. Brigid’s National School in Castleknock, Dublin. Photo by Matt Browne/Sportsfile
Miles of Smiles
New Research Backs The Daily Mile™ Research led by the Universities of Stirling, Edinburgh and Highlands & Islands provides a blueprint for schools to achieve success with The Daily Mile, which now takes place in 6,300 schools, with 1.3 million children taking part. Findings confirm that the popular health initiative’s core principles of simplicity, flexibility and adaptability, are key to success and help make The Daily Mile a ‘sticky initiative’. The Daily Mile founder, Elaine Wyllie said:
“I am thrilled that The Daily Mile has once again proven to be a successful initiative backed by research. The new research from Stirling University confirms that the core principles of The Daily Mile offer schools and educational establishments a way of implementing The Daily Mile with flexible delivery and adaptability.”
Just months after the Universities of Stirling, Edinburgh and Highlands & Islands proved The Daily Mile improves fitness and body composition in children, new research by the same team has found the key to the health initiative’s success lies in its core principles and ease of implementation. Sport England has recently committed £1.5 million of National Lottery funding to support The Daily Mile across England. In what is the biggest ever expansion of the programme since it originated in 2012, the investment will fund the recruitment of National and Local Coordinators to support and encourage more schools in England to sign-up. The scheme has already received formal backing from the Scottish and Welsh governments, it has been praised by UK Prime Minister Theresa May in Parliament and in July was included in the UK Government’s Childhood Obesity
Strategy paper. The health initiative has experienced its highest period of growth ever this autumn, and over 6,300 schools with over 1.3 million children in 55 countries have signed up, with 415 schools now taking part in Ireland. The findings of both research studies from Stirling University are available at www.stir.ac.uk/thedailymile. Teachers in schools across Ireland and the UK have reported success with The Daily Mile in terms of fitness, reduced obesity and attainment in class. This latest report provides clear evidence that the initiative can be successfully implemented in schools. The two significant studies from the Universities back up results from a three-month pilot inspired by The Daily Mile, where children at a school in east London ran for 15 minutes three times a week and teachers found improvements to fitness, self-esteem and wellbeing. Their SAT results were also significantly higher than expected. In 2017 a BBC-sponsored Terrific Scientific survey of the effect of exercise on 12,000 children’s concentration showed that children running a daily mile saw improved cognition and wellbeing, compared to other groups in the survey.
The Daily Mile Newsletter
December 2018
Second class students from Tralee CBS, Milly Lynch, age 9, and Rian Duffy, age 7, at the The Daily Mile Kerry Launch at St. Brendan’s N.S Blennerville, in Ballyvelly, Tralee, Co Kerry. Photos by Diarmuid Greene/Sportsfile
CASE STUDY
St. Brendan’s National School, Blennerville – Tralee, Co.Kerry Our Experience of The Daily Mile We began The Daily Mile in our school on 09/10/2017 Our school is a brand-new building, in the picturesque village of Blennerville, which we moved into in January 2016. It is on the Dingle peninsula, in the south-west of Ireland, and we have a beautiful sea view. It was worth the wait for our new building; we now have an indoor PE hall and an outdoor basketball court, things we do not take for granted, having been in a very cramped building and water-logged yard prior to 2016. 181 out of 181 children take part in The Daily Mile. Like all schools, we have children with medical needs, from diabetes to asthma to haemophilia, but they all make an effort to complete the mile every day. Our 5th class teacher Mrs Moynihan measured the distance around our
school building with a trundlewheel prior to starting The Daily Mile, and worked out, during a maths lesson with her class, that 7 circuits around the school was equal to one exact mile. This was just one of the links we made with The Daily Mile and our school curriculum. Each classroom was allocated a 15-minute slot during the school day, either first thing in the morning, or either side of break times, so there is never a huge group out running. Children are told which direction they should run in, and we change this from day to day, just to spice things up! Children line up when they are done, in their líne, and after a final head-count, go back into class for much-needed hydration. We have had such a positive experience with this Daily Mile initiative. Children ask eagerly: “When are we doing The Daily Mile?” and never allow the teacher to forget. It can be a welcome bit of fresh air after hard work, and can simply clear your head of the cobwebs.
We made up a motto “A Daily Mile will make you smile” believing that it lifts the mood of the children and teachers. Children who usually are reserved in class have surprised teachers with chat on this informal jog and you wouldn’t believe the amount of children that have learned how to tell time, by simply waiting for their daily 15 minutes of running to arrive. Senior Infants have been known to remind their teacher at 12:15pm: “Teacher! It’s time for The Daily Mile!” There have been days where the weather has been unkind, but we just zip up our coats and get on with it! During stormy weather alright, we put down four cones in the school hall, and ran circuits in there instead, as the children simply didn’t want to miss their daily running slots. A child from 4th class, Gráinne, who is a member of our Health Promoting school committee was assigned the important job of changing the date and
The Daily Mile Newsletter distance run every day on a noticeboard at the school entrance. To date we have run 93 miles. We marked milestones such as: We have run as far as Killarney! We have run a marathon! We have run as far as Limerick! It’s great to see such positive statements and children are encouraged by all this positivity. At 100 miles, the entire school is going to be awarded an ‘Off homework’ night.
Benefits we’ve noticed Since starting The Daily Mile, we have noticed a very positive effect on children’s learning, concentration, focus, especially when run first thing in the morning, surprisingly. When asked what their favourite thing at school is, children agreed it was The Daily Mile. We do believe it has helped with better behavior and mood. It has given our older classes the confidence to enter a cross-country running event, something we hadn’t tried before this year. Children’s fitness has certainly improved. Children who had to walk the mile last October, are now jogging it with ease. We would recommend, for schools getting started with The Daily Mile,
December 2018 to begin with jogging two laps of the school, followed by three the next day. We found that walking one and jogging one was also a great tip, as younger children have a tendency to go hell for leather and run until they get exhausted. A jogging pace is encouraged for this; it is safer and healthier. We would recommend that you let parents know the importance of good running shoes, properly tied, to be worn every day with the uniform, and a waterproof coat. We found that children drank a lot more water after The Daily Mile, so increase the quantity given in drink beakers. We have a page on our school website dedicated to all things sporty called our Active HPS page. We post photographs monthly of class winners of the Runner of the Month on this page: http://www. blennervillens.ie/pages/active-hps.php
4-7
One terrific runner in Senior Infants even pulls up his pants to his knees to look like real runner’s shorts! I can say with confidence that for Blennerville school, there is no going back. We tried this as a pilot school and have embraced it wholeheartedly. míle amháin The Daily Mile is here to stay. It’s a winner!
50%
“Since starting The Daily Mile, we have noticed a very positive effect on children’s learning, concentration, focus, especially when run first thing in the morning.”
8-1 Ben Jones, 4th class, and Sadbh Horgan, 5th class
25% níos mó ná míle amháin
25% níos lú ná míle amháin
Ritheann 75% de na páistí óga breis agus míle Holly O’Regan, junior infants
Fact File Address: Blennerville, Tralee, Co. Kerry Contact name: Robbie O’Connell, Principal Telephone: 066 7120207 Email: info@blennervillens.ie
St Brendan’s NS principal Terry O’Sullivan, left, and Minister of State for Tourism and Sport T.D, Brendan Griffin, along with students St Brendan’s NS students, from left to right, Caoilainn Culloo, Faye O’Connor, Evan McCarthy, Conor Donnelly and Sarah Brett
The Daily Mile Newsletter
December 2018
The Daily Mile in Action in European Week of Sport As part of European Week of Sport, Athletics Ireland in association with Dublin City Sport and Wellbeing Partnership hosted The Daily Mile In Action for invited parents and media at Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal, Inchicore. “We are delighted to be leading this wonderful Primary Schools initiative that can make a great impact on the fitness, health and general wellbeing of school children all over Ireland,“ Athletics Ireland President, Georgina Drumm said. “Athletics Ireland is fully committed to encouraging all Primary Schools to embrace The Daily Mile. “We have already seen in Primary Schools like Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal in Inchicore that the impact of The Daily Mile can be transformational – improving not only children’s fitness but also their concentration levels, mood, behavior and general well-being. “ Brendan Griffin TD, Minister of State for Tourism and Sport attended this exciting Primary Schools initiative that is sure to have a far-reaching and lasting impact on Ireland’s younger generation. The Minister of State for Tourism and Sport was also fulsome in his enthusiasm for The Daily Mile: “The overall simplicity of “The Daily Mile” is to be admired. There is no extra cost, no extra equipment or sports kit. This initiative is all about getting children out in to the fresh air and being active. There is no emphasis on winning or competition; it is simply about having fun. The impact of this type of engagement can be transformational – improving not only children’s fitness but also their concentration levels, mood, behavior and general well-being. Finally, I would like to extend my thanks to Athletics Ireland, their partners, and of course the schools and teachers themselves, for their drive and commitment to The Daily Mile initiative.”
simplicity of “The Daily Mile” is to be admired. There is “noTheextraoverall cost, no extra equipment or sports kit.” Brendan Griffin, Minister of State for Tourism and Sport
Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Brendan Griffin T.D, with pupils of Scoil Muire Gan Smal in Inchicore, Dublin. Photos by Seb Daly/Sportsfile Smal in Inchicore, Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
The Daily Mile Newsletter
December 2018
On Monday November 19th Scoil na Mainistreach, Celbridge was the venue for the launch of The Daily Mile in Kildare. Chairman of Kildare Sports Partnership, Ray D’Arcy said he was delighted that Kildare Sports Partnership is involved in The Daily Mile initiative and he hopes that all Primary Schools in Kildare become involved. Syl Merrins Coordinator with Kildare Sports Partnership said “ The Daily Mile is an initiative between Local Sports Partnerships, Athletics Ireland and Daily Mile Ireland to encourage schools to take a break from class each day to walk, run or jog for 15 minutes or one mile around the school grounds. All schools who register with Kildare Sports Partnership will receive a Kildare Daily Mile Calendar for each class. Kildare schools who successfully complete the daily mile calendar will be invited to an awards ceremony hosted by Kildare Sports Partnership in April 2019. This initiative encourages schools to promote a culture of activity amongst students and families. Kildare Sports Partnership are delighted to work with our partner agencies to roll out The Daily Mile to Kildare schools”
Running With the Stars Top: John Mayock, Olympic middle-distance runner and project manager at INEOS, joined students from Scoil na Mainistreach at The Daily Mile Launch Kildare in Celbridge, Co Kildare. Right: David Matthews, Irish 800m and 1000m record holder with students from Scoil na Mainistreach, Kildare. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
from left, John Mayock, project manager at INEOS, Sport Ireland Director of Participation Dr Una May, Athletics Ireland CEO, Hamish Adams, The Daily Mile founder Elaine Wyllie and Ray D’Arcy, RTE Radio DJ with students from Scoil Na Mainistreach, Daniel Connelly, age 10, from Celbridge, Kildare, left, and Ryan Garrahie, age 10, from Celbridge, Kildare, at The Daily Mile Launch Kildare at Scoil Na Mainistreach in Celbridge, Co Kildare. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
The Daily Mile Newsletter
December 2018
The Daily Mile in action at Scoil Isa, Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo. Included in photo (l to r): Elmer Pieterse (Mayo LSP and Ballyhaunis Sports Hub Co-ordinator), Frank Greally (Athletics Ireland Ambassador for The Daily Mile), Kevin Henry (Teacher), Charlie Lambert (Mayo Sports Partnership). Photos: Janapix
Mayo Leads The Way For The Daily Mile The Mayo Local Sports Partnership has been a leader in the promotion of The Daily Mile into Primary Schools across the county. Ballyhaunis native Frank Greally, who this year was appointed as Athletics Ireland’s Ambassador for The Daily Mile, recently visited his home town to witness The Daily Mile in action at Scoil Iosa. “The Mayo Local Sports partnership has been promoting The Daily Mile for a few years now and Charlie Lambert and his team continue to lead the way with a total of 32 primary schools across the county now committed to this daily 15 minutes of exercise,” Frank Greally said. “It was lovely to come back home and see that Scoil Iosa teacher Kevin Henry is a strong advocate of The Daily Mile and that school Principal Kenneth Dennedy is also a big supporter of the initiative. Elmer Pieterse from the Mayo Local Sports Partnership has been doing great work on the ground in the
Ballyhaunis area and I look forward to visiting more schools throughout Mayo during 2019.” Athletics Ireland, in collaboration with Local Sports Partnerships, acts as the hub for the promotion of The Daily Mile in Ireland and since last April over 400 primary schools from across the country have signed up for this initiative that is rapidly gaining popularity with teachers,
parents and school children. “We are delighted with the already rapid pick-up for The Daily Mile by primary schools all over the country, and especially pleased at how the Mayo Local Sports Partnership have shown great leadership in promoting this great initiative that is sure to create long-lasting benefits for our children,” Athletics Ireland CEO, Hamish Adams said.
The Daily Mile Newsletter
December 2018
Best Wishes From The Daily Mile Team at Athletics Ireland It has been a busy but very fulfilling past several months on The Daily Mile platform and The Team here at Athletics Ireland would like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to all the primary schools who have adopted The Daily Mile and made it part of their school day. We would also like to extend our thanks to our good friends in the Local Sports Partnerships throughout the country who continue to assist us in our mission and to our great supporters at INEOS, Sport Ireland and Healthy Ireland.
left to right: Anthony White, Frank Greally, Elaine Wyllie, Nick Skelly and Ray D’Arcy with students from Scoil Isa, Ballyhaunis
Here’s to another healthy and fulfilling year in 2019. Together we will keep The Daily Mile flowing smoothly all The Daily Mile Team through the New Year and beyond! Anthony White, Frank Greally, Nick Skelly
The Daily Mile
is promoted in Ireland by Athletics Ireland in association with the LSPs Contact The Daily Mile Ambassador Frank Greally at: 087 25 69 690