London School Joins Always Active Uniform Pilot to Combat Childrens Inactivity and Obesity Levels

Wednesday 1 October, 2025

Reception pupils at Harbinger Primary School received free movement friendly uniforms and activity bands to boost daily activity in Youth Sport Trust pilot.

Loughborough, 1 October, 2025 – The Youth Sport Trust, a leading national children’s charity, has today launched an exciting year-long initiative with Harbinger Primary School in London, to demonstrate how reimagining school uniforms could be key to tackling the nation’s growing inactivity crisis among children. In partnership with Sports Direct, every child starting Reception for the 2025/26 academic year at Harbinger Primary School has received an Always Active Uniform, gifted by Under Armour, to wear in place of the school’s traditional uniform.

The Always Active Uniform is a flexible, comfortable school uniform including active footwear, designed to support spontaneous movement and daily activity throughout the school day.

To understand the impact of this change, pupils will also be wearing donated Moki Bands, as part of a live research project capturing real-time data on how much children move during the school day following this change in uniform. The pilot offers a unique opportunity to see how a simple change in what children wear could spark greater activity and healthier habits.

Ahead of the pilot commencing, Stoke City defender (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur) and Under Armour athlete, Ashley Phillips, joined Harbinger Primary School during National School Sports Week in June to deliver the Always Active Uniform to the school and inspire pupils to embrace movement.

Watch the video here.

Currently, only 47% of young people achieve the recommended 60 minutes of daily activity and in Tower Hamlets specifically, where Harbinger Primary School is located, over half of children are overweight or obese by age 11. Increasing sedentary screen time as well as increasing limits on opportunities for outdoor play are contributing to a national crisis in children’s health. This pilot will explore the impact of the Always Active Uniform impact in this area of need, providing insights that could inform broader strategies to improve children’s activity levels and overall health.

Beyond the clear physical health benefits, schools who have already adopted an Always Active uniform have reported wider positive impacts:

Improved comfort and focus in class: children can move freely without distraction or discomfort.Greater inclusion: the design supports girls and pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), helping remove barriers to participation.Reduced costs for families: replacing the need for multiple school kits with one versatile, all-purpose uniform.

Youth Sport Trust also commissioned research with YouGov that highlighted increasing support for the Always Active Uniform from parents and teachers:

74% of parents support their child’s school introducing an Always Active Uniform in Primary Schools69% of primary teachers believe that an always active uniform would enable students to spend more time being active during the school day

Read the full report here.

Ali Oliver MBE, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said:
“Children are happiest and healthiest when they move. Research has shown that traditional uniforms can be a barrier to activity, particularly for girls, and too many children are currently missing out, which has an impact on their confidence and learning, as well as their overall development and wellbeing. We understand that schools are under pressure to prioritise academic subjects, which unfortunately has led to an ongoing trend of decreasing PE hours taught. So, whilst we continue to campaign for the reprioritisation of PE, it’s equally important that we find practical ways to help students build movement into every part of the school day. We believe something as simple as what children wear to school could unlock more active days and the multitude of benefits that accompanies it. We are extremely grateful to our partners for supporting this project, giving us the chance to show the difference we can make to children’s lives by helping them move more. We can’t wait to see the impact.”

Jamie Stewart, Education Partnerships Manager at Frasers Group said: “At Sports Direct are committed to making sport and activity accessible to all children and we hope this initiative will demonstrate how a simple, yet practical solution could have a real impact on children’s health and wellbeing. We are proud to be supporting this pilot with Harbinger Primary school and the Always Active Uniform, which eliminates the need for traditional uniform and separate PE kit, helping families save time and money while encouraging children to move more.”

Mike Outlaw, Co-Founder of Moki, said: “We’re excited to support this pilot and see how active uniforms can help embed movement into the school day. At Moki, we’ve seen how even small changes to a child’s routine can make a big difference and by tracking daily activity, we’ll be able to demonstrate with real data that this simple change works. We believe school uniforms should support how children naturally live, learn and move, rather than restrict them.”

The pilot will run throughout the academic year, with results reviewed in 2026. The Youth Sport Trust hopes the findings will inspire more schools and policymakers to see active uniforms as a simple but powerful tool to get more children moving.

About Youth Sport Trust

The Youth Sport Trust is the leading UK children’s charity for improving young people’s health and wellbeing through sport and play. We empower young people and equip educators to build brighter futures through the power of physical activity. Founded in 1995, we work with around 20,000 schools and provides opportunities for over two million children every year. Our vision is to create a future where every child enjoys the life-changing benefits of play and sport.

Youth Sport Trust is a founding member of the Active Uniform Alliance. Together, we are calling for schools, policymakers and partners to rethink restrictive uniforms and support movement-friendly alternatives.

For media enquiries please contact press@youthsporttrust.org.

About Sports Direct

Sports Direct is a leading retailer of sports and fitness footwear, clothing, and equipment. A brand driven by purpose; our mission is to use the powers of sport to champion the legend in everybody. Whatever your sport, whatever your style, and whatever your ambition, we offer the quality and choice to make everyone feel like a winner. Whether it’s football, running, training, boxing, walking, dance, cycling or swimming, we aim to serve, support, and inspire with products that bring out the best in everyone.

What started as a high-street store has evolved into the ultimate destination for sport and fitness, serving millions of customers every week across 20 countries.

About Moki

Moki Bands – the only activity tracker built for schools. Moki turns daily movement into clear, meaningful reports that help teachers set goals, track progress and run challenges across classes, year groups and whole schools. Easy to use and school-safe, Moki is trusted by over 1700 schools to help children meet activity targets and understand the role of movement in their everyday lives.

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