The Daily Mile Hits the 1000 School Milestone

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The Daily Mile Ireland now benefitting over 200,000 children in 1000 schools

  • 1000 schools now signed up to ‘The Daily Mile’
  • Over 200,000 children engaged 15 minutes of daily exercise as a result
  • Over 77% of teachers say that The Daily Mile has a positive impact on the attentiveness and concentrations levels of children across the school day*.

The Daily Mile which is supported by INEOS, Irish Life Health, Healthy Ireland, Tomar Trust and Local Sports Partnerships across Ireland has seen rapid growth since its introduction in Ireland in 2018, and its rapid rise has today seen the 1000th school sign up for the initiative which encourages children to run for 15 minutes every day.

Frank Greally, Athletics Ireland Ambassador for ‘The Daily Mile’, shared his excitement at reaching the milestone: “It's been a great journey to date on ‘The Daily Mile’ - Beat. ‘The Daily Mile’ continues to make a difference and it is hugely uplifting to see that it has been embraced now by a thousand Primary Schools countrywide. Yes - 1,000 Schools! We have received greatly encouraging feedback from Principals, Teachers, Parents and Children who all recognise the value ‘The Daily Mile’ brings to a school. We have been greatly helped too on our mission by all the Local Sports Partnerships. The promotion of ‘The Daily Mile’ continues to be a team effort at Athletics Ireland and it's lovely to be part of a winning team!”.

Children had been encouraged to take part in ‘The Daily Mile at Home’ during the summer months, but a return to school settings has seen another fantastic uptake which has seen ‘The Daily Mile’ reach the 1000 school milestone.

Participating schools have continued to see the benefits of rolling out the programme and research* released by ‘The Daily Mile’ earlier this year, found that teachers see ‘The Daily Mile’ as an essential part of the school day, with THREE-QUARTERS of primary school teachers stating that The Daily Mile has a positive impact on the attentiveness and concentrations levels of children throughout the school day.

Not only do teachers see the positive impact it has on children’s in-class performance, but research** from ‘The Daily Mile Foundation’ has shown the physical and mental health benefits attributed to running for 15 minutes each day;

  • It improves bone health and muscle strength in children.
  • It helps reduce anxiety and increases confidence.
  • It enhances fitness and improves heart health.
  • It reduces body fat and promotes healthy body composition
  • It supports self-esteem and happiness.

Hamish Adams, CEO of Athletics Ireland said: “The Daily Mile programme really is something special, and it’s great to have partners who are so passionate about improving the health and well-being of the children of Ireland. The success and rapid growth to 1000 schools since the launch in late 2018 could not have been achieved without the backing of INEOS, Irish Life health, Tomar Trust, Healthy Ireland, and our Local Sports Partnerships.”

As well as benefits to the children’s physical health, ‘The Daily Mile’ also plays an important role in aiding social interaction among children with over 85% of teachers stating how ‘The Daily Mile’ increases the opportunity for social interaction among children in the school***. This has been made all the more important in light of school closures over the period from March to September 2020.

Adams, also commented; “Now is the time for us to double down on prioritising exercise in schools. We need to focus our attention nationally on developing physical literacy capacities and capabilities in our children and young people to help them live heathier lives, both physically and mentally”.

The Daily Mile Team has now set its sights on rolling out the programme to even more schools in Ireland with the overall vision of  having ‘The Daily Mile’ as part of everyday school life for every pupil in the country.

Programme Co-ordinator for ‘The Daily Mile’ Valerie O'Brien commented; “It’s absolutely fantastic to see The Daily Mile reach 1,000 schools in Ireland, it has been a massive team effort by all involved. It is going from strength to strength and hopefully The Daily Mile will become a regular feature in all primary schools”.

A core principle of ‘The Daily Mile’ is that it remains free and fully accessible to any child who would like to take part, and this is something that hasn’t changed even in light of ongoing restrictions in some parts of the country.

Anthony White, Manager of ‘The Daily Mile’ in Ireland thanked everyone who has participated to date, and has encouraged others to follow suit, he said: “It’s a great achievement to reach 1000 schools and on behalf of The Daily Mile team I would like to thank every one of the schools and teaching staff who signed up to The Daily Mile since we introduced the programme in 2018. The success in rolling out the programme in 1000 schools showcases how simple and easy it is for a school to implement. The results from numerous academic papers support the positive impact ‘The Daily Mile’ can have on the overall health and wellbeing of school children. I encourage any school who has yet to sign up for ‘The Daily Mile’ to reach out to us and get up and running today!”.

Further information in relation  the ‘The Daily Mile’ can be found at https://thedailymile.ie/

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