“It’s fantastic to celebrate the achievement of teachers and kids who have been involved with Nike and Discovery Education’s Active Kids Do Better programme this year. We hope attending the Müller Anniversary Games gives the children even more inspiration to keep up the great work and get more active.”

A third of children in the UK are overweight or obese by the time they reach primary school. Many other countries are facing the same issue, with a tenfold increase in the worldwide prevalence of childhood obesity over the past four decades. Governments worldwide are attempting to tackle the growing problem of obesity by increasing the amount of physical activity young people are doing on a daily basis. But while this all sounds well and good, robust evidence for the effectiveness of existing school-based physical activity programmes is lacking. It is also unclear whether all children – irrespective of socioeconomic status – benefit equally.

Regular physical activity has been linked to improved physical health, improved mental wellbeing and academic attainment. However, today’s children are the least active generation in history. Fewer than one in four young children in the UK get the recommended amount of exercise, which means that millions of kids are missing out on the benefit of sport and play.