Schools across the country are preparing to take part in the national School Games National Santa Dash on Friday 12^th December, a festive celebration of movement designed to bring pupils together in a fun, inclusive event. Children, school staff, and families are encouraged to wear Santa hats or fancy dress and get active in any way they can.

The initiative was started by School Games Organiser, Ali Watts, who said, “Taking part in the Santa Dash gives pupils a great opportunity to join a shared event on the same day, helping create a strong sense of belonging and shared memories across schools. The event supports key School Games Mark criteria by increasing participation, providing positive experiences that inspire a lifelong love of being active, and celebrating each school’s commitment to physical activity. It also helps develop valuable life skills such as teamwork, resilience, and community spirit, showcasing the power of physical activity and school sport to bring young people together.”

Last year, more than 116,000 young people across the country joined the Santa Dash and this year, schools are also being encouraged to join in once again and contribute their pledged minutes in a final push to 30 million active minutes for Mo’s Mission. This national campaign is led by the Youth Sport Trust and their National School Sport’s Champion, Sir Mo Farah, with the goal of getting schools, families and organisations across the country to reach 30 million active minutes across a school week before the end of the year.

Mo’s Mission aims to raise awareness of recommended activity levels for children as set by the UK’s Chief Medical Officers – 60 minutes a day, or 20 minutes for young people with SEND – and highlight the wide-ranging benefits of being active. The campaign encourages simple, achievable ways for children to move more through 60-second challenges, activity trackers and other easy-to-use tools designed to build confidence and enjoyment.

Sir Mo Farah said, “Mo’s Mission is all about encouraging young people to move more, feel better and enjoy being active. Every minute of movement matters, whether it’s walking, running, dancing or playing sport with friends. So, before the end of the year, I want as many young people as possible to get moving, pledge their active minutes and help us reach 30 million minutes. And this isn’t a finish line: we need to keep the momentum going, making activity a normal, fun part of everyday life and build healthy habits that last a lifetime.”

Find out more and pledge minutes here.

Throughout the year, schools have embraced Mo’s Mission in creative ways, as well as demonstrated great commitment to improving children's access to, enjoyment of and enjoyment of sport and PE. The results of this are reflected in the latest School Games Mark awards, with 9,426 schools receiving either a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum Schools Games Mark as recognition for their school’s commitment to developing competitive sport within their school and community. Moreover, 83% of schools achieved a Platinum or Gold mark, highlighting the strong standards in place across the country.

The School Games Mark is a government-led award scheme and allows schools to assess their PE provision and create an action plan for improvement. The scheme works to shape meaningful PE and sport offerings for young people, with a particular focus on youth voice, physical literacy, keeping children active, and tackling inequalities. By joining the School Games, teachers and schools gain access to a range of exclusive resources, including tools, videos, case studies, and guides to help organise and run events.

Schools not involved can find out more information and register here.

Together, the Santa Run, Mo’s Mission and the School Games Mark success form key cornerstones of the Youth Sport Trust’s ambition to ensure every child enjoys and benefits from meaningful, accessible opportunities to be active.

Ali Oliver MBE, CEO of the Youth Sport Trust, said, “This year’s School Games Mark figures, alongside the remarkable annual engagement in the Santa Dash, show real momentum behind PE and sport in schools. More schools are recognising the benefits of physical activity for development, wellbeing and inclusion and these efforts show commitment from schools to put movement at the heart of the day. By joining the Santa Dash and pledging minutes to Mo’s Mission, schools can help us reach 30 million active minutes and shine a light on how important movement is for children’s health, learning and happiness. We hope as many schools as possible will join in and help us reach our goal before the end of the year.”