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Children and young people

Learn more about the work we’re doing to build positive attitudes to sport and activity as the foundations of an active life.

Our Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England

The Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England has been developed to facilitate a shared understanding of physical literacy for those working in the sport, education, physical activity, recreation, play, health and youth sectors.

The statement is intended for colleagues who work in policy, sport development, research and practice.

Physical literacy belongs to everyone and therefore it's taken a number of organisations to come together to help unite perspectives on it.

The project to develop a Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England began in March 2022 and included desk research, two national consultations and the creation of an expert panel.

More than 50 organisations from the world of sport, health, education, academia, and community sectors came together to ‘unite’ perspectives on physical literacy.

This has been a truly collective process and the expertise, guidance and support of a number of organisations has proved invaluable in the creation of the statement.

Liverpool John Moores University led the work on developing the Consensus Statement and more detail on the process can be found on the their website.

An infographic illustrating that physical literacy is our relationship with movement and physical activity throughout life

The consensus statement helps us to recognise that everyone has a unique and complex relationship with sport, physical activity and movement.

What makes a positive experience for one may be a negative experience for another.

It isn’t always easy to live an active life and we know that personal circumstances and wider socioeconomic factors make a significant difference.

We need to listen and respond to individual needs and circumstances, and recognise that these change over time.

We also need to provide a safe, inclusive and supportive environment.

The consensus statement helps us recognise that everyone has a unique and complex relationship with sport, physical activity and movement and collctively we need to use physical literacy as our guiding principle to develop the wellbeing of our nation at both a national and local level.
 

Positive experiences for all

We've also produced a 'Positive experiences for all' report, that gives a useful overview of the context and purpose for co-developing the Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England, together with the sector.

It also provides an introduction to the Consensus Statement and outlines a compelling vision for change in our united efforts to tackle the inequalities that exist in sport and physical activity for children and young people.

Perspectives from sector leaders

We've captured the thoughts of sector leaders to highlight the essence of physical literacy.

Hear their thoughts

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