At Active Lincolnshire, we’ve long believed that if we want to help more children be active, we have to start by listening – properly listening – to their lived experiences. That’s why we commissioned the Active Schools Test and Learn Report through our Community Connectors, working directly with schools, families and young people across Boston.

What the insight gave us was not just more data, it gave us clarity. Children want to be active, schools are working hard and doing a great job, but what happens beyond the school gates tells a very different story. And crucially, that story is not the same everywhere.

The myth of a single solution

Too often, we talk about inactivity as if it’s one problem with one answer. More provision, more clubs, more sessions, but what our work in Boston shows is something far more complex, and far more important.

There isn’t one problem, there are many and they depend on where a child lives. In Boston, we saw two very different realities emerge.

In towns – when spaces don’t feel safe

For children living in more urban parts of Boston, the issue isn’t always a lack of facilities. Parks exist, green spaces are there. On paper, there are opportunities, but that’s not what children told us.

They spoke about:

• feeling unsafe in parks
• anti-social behaviour
• poor lighting
• damaged or unwelcoming environments

So they adapt. They stay where they feel secure – at home or at school. What this means in practice is that availability does not equal accessibility.

A park that feels unsafe is not a park a child will use, and when that happens, physical activity is squeezed out of everyday life – not because of a lack of motivation, but because the environment doesn’t support it.

In villages – when opportunity is out of reach

Move beyond the town centre into rural communities, and the picture changes.

Here, safety is less of a concern. Instead, children and families face a different set of barriers:

• long distances to facilities
• limited local provision
• reliance on parents for transport

What we hear repeatedly is simple: “There’s not much to do.” And when the nearest activity requires a car journey, a free evening, and often a cost attached, participation becomes conditional. If any one of those elements isn’t in place, activity doesn’t happen.

Again, this isn’t about willingness, it’s more about friction.

The common thread: systems, not individuals

Across both contexts, urban and rural, the conclusion is the same. Children are not the problem. In fact, they consistently told us they understand the benefits of being active, they enjoy it, and they want more opportunities to move. The challenge lies in the systems around them:

• how places are designed
• how services are connected
• how easy it is for families to access what’s available

What we’re seeing is a gap between provision and participation.

Why one-size-fits-all approaches fail

If the barriers are different, then the solutions must be too.

A town-centre intervention focused on improving safety, lighting and maintenance will have real impact – but it won’t solve the transport challenges faced in surrounding villages.

Equally, expanding provision in rural areas won’t address the perception of unsafe public spaces in urban neighbourhoods.

This is why we need to move away from blanket approaches and towards place-based solutions – responses that recognise the unique conditions of each community.

What this means for how we work

At Active Lincolnshire, this insight is shaping how we think and how we act. We know that schools are doing a huge amount of the heavy lifting when it comes to children’s physical activity, but we also know they cannot do this alone.

So our focus is on working with system partners to strengthen what sits around the school day.

That means:

• Working with local authorities and communities to improve the safety, quality and usability of public spaces
• Partnering with transport and planning colleagues to address access in rural areas
• Connecting schools more effectively with local clubs, facilities and opportunities
• Supporting families by reducing the cost and logistical barriers that limit participation

It also means recognising that activity doesn’t just happen in formal settings. Informal play, everyday movement, and local environments all play a critical role – and deserve equal attention.

A different way forward

If there is one thing this work has reinforced, it’s this: we don’t need to convince children to be active, they’re already convinced.

Our job is to create the conditions that make activity possible – wherever they live.

And that requires a shift:

• from programmes to places
• from provision to systems
• from generic solutions to local understanding

Because until we design with place in mind, we will continue to design solutions that only work for some children, some of the time.

At Active Lincolnshire, we’re committed to doing this differently – working alongside partners, communities and families to build a system where every child has the opportunity to be active, not just in school, but in the places they live, every day.