- England
This report presetns four opposing visions of what the Class of 2035 might look like based on current long term trends and drivers. It highlights that although sport and physical activity are extremely attractive to young people, PE lessons in school, for many, represent the extent of physical activity. And, whilst there is no singular sporting context for children, practitioners must be warned against drawing a simple distinction between "sporty" children and "non-sporty" children. Furthermore, the functional benefits of sport are under-acknowledged by children, whilst a growing body of research proves the link between performance in the classroom and levels of physical activity. Technology should be at the front and centre of future sport engagement strategies, and in order to get children active from a young age, a more holistic approach to PE is needed, one which integrates technology and the delivery of a seamless, intuitive and digitally enhanced form of physical activity. A longer term approach to policy development will become critical, and underlying all such policy initiatives must be a renewed focus on convincing policymakers that the costs of increasing revenue to support young people in sport today will prove an excellent investment compared to the scale of future health costs. The report further emphasises a greater need for policymakers to include the opinions of young people in their decision-making.
