“Brilliant”, “amazing”, “colourful” and “energetic” were just some of the words used by pupils at Goldthorn Park Primary School in the West Midlands to describe their new Active Playground that opened earlier this month.
Funded by the London Marathon Foundation as part of our commitment to transforming outdoor spaces in more than 30 schools in areas of high deprivation in England and Wales, the new Active Playground at Goldthorn Park is one of the first to be installed, with more on the way in the coming weeks.
Less than half of children in England currently meet the Chief Medical Officers’ recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity (Sport England Active Lives Children and Young People Survey, 2025). The new Active Playgrounds (designed by Fun and Active Playgrounds) use creative and colourful markings to encourage movement throughout the school day. At Goldthorn Park, the ‘star jump station’ has quickly became a favourite amongst pupils.
Sam Middleton, Assistant Headteacher at Goldthorn Park Primary School, said: “We’ve brought life into the tired playground which would have been difficult for us to fund. Working with the London Marathon Foundation has been transformative for us. We now have a playground that looks cared for and is something the children really want to engage in.”
Our aim is to inspire and champion physical activity for children and young people from early years through to leaving school – supporting their physical, mental and social wellbeing. Play is an important first step for many children in developing healthy, active habits.
“The children really enjoy it” commented Sam. “It’s a chance for them to be active with their friends so it’s quite sociable. The goal is about movement rather than competition and they can go at their own pace – even completing just one lap of the Active Playground gives them a real sense of achievement. They can see the link from being active and the benefits that come with it.”
And it’s not just popular with children. “Some of the parents have even been using it, and we want to hold some family school community events now we have this transformed space.
“It’s inspired me as a staff member to see how we can encourage healthy and active habits for children for the long term, that will stay with them long after they’ve left Goldthorn Park.”
As well as funding new Active Playgrounds, together with London Marathon Events, we’re an Official Implementation Partner of The Daily Mile in England – the global movement to get children active for 15 minutes a day. In 2025, we created three new regional roles to extend the impact of The Daily Mile across England, aiming to engage more than 500,000 children.
Together, these initiatives are helping more children discover the joy of movement – starting in schools like Goldthorn Park and spreading across the country.
