A Plaid Cymru government will promote and embed increased access and participation in sport and exercise across the curriculum for primary and secondary schools in Wales, with a particular emphasis on physical literacy from the early years onwards as a crucial part of children’s healthy development.
We will:
- Work with Sport Wales to develop a Daily Active offer as part of a whole school approach to physical activity, with the aim of increasing the number of school age children who are active for 60 minutes or more every day – drawing on international best practice and evidence, including Finland’s School on the Move programme and New Zealand's Healthy Active Learning.
- Expand the Daily Mile to all primary schools in Wales, where children run, jog, wheel or walk for enjoyment and at their own pace for 15 minutes outdoors at least three times a week – building healthy habits through increased physical activity throughout the school week.
Swimming is not only good exercise – it is a life-saving skill which the majority of young children in Wales do not have. In 2024, only 35% of children in school years 3-6 in Wales could swim.
We will deliver a new national School Swimming and Water Safety programme, with a dedicated budget to provide a minimum school swimming experience for every school pupil in Wales, consisting of 20 lessons of swimming and water safety for all Year 4 and 5 students.