Cross-sector engagement guides

Embedding movement into policy, practice and place

Through our work with Place Partners, many have shared that they often felt unsure about where to start, or wished they had been better equipped to influence partners across sectors to explore how physical activity could contribute to achieving their priorities/outcomes.

It can be tempting to copy what has worked elsewhere. But every place is different. Each has its own people, relationships, priorities, and challenges. What works in one place may not work in another.

These resources are designed to help Place Partners and organisations explore how physical activity can support better outcomes for people and communities – in ways that make sense locally. This means adapting approaches to fit your context, not simply replicating what others have done.

Rather than prescribing a single approach, the resources encourage you to begin with what you already have:

You – your role and what you can influence
Your team and organisation – existing ways of working and relationships
Your local partners – connections across your place.

Each resource helps you to think through:

Why – physical activity matters to a particular sector and their priorities
Who – which organisations or partners should be involved
What – practical ideas/examples for integrating physical activity
How – others have approached this, to inspire your own ideas
Enablers – what helps work grow and last over time.

These tools have been co-developed with people and places that have embedded physical activity into across different sectors.

They reflect how change has happened in their context – not as a fixed model to copy, but as inspiration for local learning and adaptation.

They are not designed for 'lift and shift' implementation or as shortcuts to avoid the thinking and relationship-building needed for locally grounded change. Instead, they are here to help you learn, test ideas, and shape your own approach.

Places change over time. Using these resources should be an ongoing process, linked to local learning and action.

Finally, use the resources in ways that are proportionate to local capacity available. You don’t need to do everything at once. Even small changes can make a difference. Every step helps strengthen Uniting the Movement within and across places.

Education – primary schools

4 to 11 years, their families and the school workforce

This tool is designed to help organisations understand why physical activity can improve outcomes for their workforce and service users, and how to make it part of their work. It encourages organisations to think about their local context and learn from others.

The ideas in this tool are designed to act as a step-by-step guide and they may change as we learn more and develop new practices.

The suggested activities don’t all need to be done at once or in full. Organisations can choose the ones that make sense for them, based on their capacity, resources, and priorities, and do them at a pace that works.

If all activities are eventually addressed, physical activity will become a natural, sustainable part of the organisation.

Why physical activity matters to this sector

Start by understanding what matters most to the school – its priorities, goals, and challenges.

Then show how physical activity can help achieve those priorities. This is about framing physical activity as a solution, not an extra task.
Read more about Why physical activity matters to this sector
Likely priorities for a school
- Improved educational attainment
- Improved pupil behaviour and attitudes to learning
- Improved attendance
- Help children to build a lifelong love of movement, leading to happier and healthier lives
- Improved pupils’/children’s confidence, social skills, communication, sense of belonging, cognitive function and ability to concentrate
- Improved outcomes for children with special educational needs and disabilities
- Improved pupil and workforce physical and mental health
- Enhancing enrichment provision to support personal development of pupils
- Foster positive relationships between the school and the wider community
- Improved presenteeism (pupils and workforce)
- Reduced CO2 emissions through active travel
- Others that are pertinent to the school.
Schools have a critical role in helping children build a positive and meaningful relationship with movement through providing positive experiences, especially for the fifth of children who rely on school for these experiences of movement.
Read less about Why physical activity matters to this sector
What – ideas for integrating physical activity

Here are some things a school should focus on to make sport, physical activity and movement a natural, sustainable part of what it does.
Read more about What – ideas for integrating physical activity
There are a number of frameworks that set out what primary schools could do to embed physical activity into what they do, including the Whole School Physical Activity (WSPA) Framework, Well Schools – Youth Sport Trust, and other local variations of Active Schools support.

Example: Whole School Physical Activity Framework

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How others have approached this

Based on learning from other places, design physical activity into all the elements identified in the WSPA Framework to ensure a whole school and optimal approach (that reflects the capacity of the school).
Read more about How others have approached this
- Learn from Bradford’s approach (interventions and ways of working)
- Learn from Calderdale’s approach (interventions and ways of working)
- Learn from Doncaster’s approach (interventions and ways of working)
- Learn from Lancashire’s approach (interventions and ways of working)
- Learn from Gloucestershire’s approach (interventions and ways of working)
- Learn from Greater Manchester’s approach (interventions and ways of working)
- Ensure the ways of working are conducive to creating the right conditions (ways of working – nine system maturity conditions) in the place to create self-supporting, collaborative development of practices in the respective schools.
Read less about How others have approached this

Enablers

1. Workforce development

Train staff so they understand why physical activity matters and how to integrate it into lessons and routines.
Promote collaborative behaviours: co-design activities with pupils, involve families, and share practice with other schools.
Ensure interventions are delivered as intended: inclusive, engaging, and linked to school priorities.
Build a culture of continuous learning: peer observation, continuing professional development (CPD), and communities of practice.

2. Capacity

Make sure there is enough resource (time, people, space) to embed physical activity.
Staff need the right skills and confidence to deliver active approaches.
Use simple, scalable strategies first (e.g. short movement breaks, active travel) and grow over time.
Tap into external support: local Active Partnerships, community clubs, and CAS networks.

3. Senior leadership buy-in

The senior leadership team (SLT) must champion physical activity as part of the school’s vision and improvement plan.
Provide permission and encouragement for staff to adapt lessons and routines.
Allocate time and capacity for CPD and planning.
Embed physical activity into policy and strategy (school improvement plan, behaviour policy, wellbeing plan).
Model commitment: governors and SLT attend briefings, celebrate success, and link physical activity to outcomes (learning, wellbeing, attendance).

Cross-sector engagement guides

Embedding movement into policy, practice and place

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