Pupils at Prince Albert Junior & Infant School in Aston, Birmingham, are continuing to enjoy the health benefits of participation in The Daily Mile after the concept was first introduced to them at a Santa Dash in December.
At the time, over 700 pupils at the school (19,500 in schools across the West Midlands as a whole) completed 15 minutes of running, jogging and walking within the playground in a fun, festive way to get children moving.
Three months on, and children and staff at the Birmingham school, which is located around three miles from Birmingham’s Alexander Stadium, home of this summer’s European Athletics Championships (10-16 August), remain committed to staying active thanks to officially launching The Daily Mile initiative in their setting in January.
Through Birmingham 2026’s impact plan ‘Beyond’ – a programme created to inspire positive, lasting change across the region linked to the European Athletics Championships – organisers are creating new opportunities for communities and amplifying existing initiatives, like The Daily Mile, that are already making a difference across the West Midlands.
The Daily Mile is a free, fun, non-competitive physical activity in primary schools and nurseries to get children active for 15 minutes per day, at least three times a week. It helps them move more, feel better, and stay active, regardless of age, ability or circumstances.
A 7.5% increase in The Daily Mile participation was registered in the West Midlands at the end of December 2025 (from a June baseline).
In addition to launching its involvement with The Daily Mile, Prince Albert Junior & Infant School has also benefited from a new ‘Active Playground’ funded by the London Marathon Foundation, an Official Implementation Partner of The Daily Mile in England.
Tom Taylor, Deputy Head at Prince Albert Junior & Infant School said: "Following on from the huge success of the Santa Dash and the installation of our new playground markings, the physical participation and engagement of our children has improved across the school. Our children are now actively participating in The Daily Mile, racing, hopping, skipping and giggling their way around the course every day. It’s been amazing to see how excited they are to get moving and we can't wait to keep the momentum going and continue to help our children enjoy being active and healthy."
The Beyond framework, which has been built to connect partners and inspire new activity in addition to highlighting existing initiatives, is shaped by three central pillars: providing community benefit through athletics and running; delivering an environmentally conscious championships; and improving accessibility and inclusion for all.
As well as supporting The Daily Mile events in schools, activities aligned with Beyond include diversifying junior parkruns, creating new apprenticeship and volunteering pathways, and encouraging sustainable travel for fans and participants.
The Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships take place from 10-16 August. Tickets go back on sale in March - sign up to receive alerts here.
For more about the Beyond programme, check out impact here.