On Wednesday 1 October, 2025, reception pupils at Harbinger Primary School were the first to receive a transformative initiative in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, a leading national children’s charity. The initiative aims to demonstrate how reimagining traditional school uniforms could play a key role in addressing the growing inactivity crisis among children in the UK.
In partnership with Sports Direct, every child starting Reception for the 2025/26 academic year at Harbinger Primary School received an Always Active Uniform, gifted by Under Armour, to wear in place of the school’s traditional uniform. This flexible and comfortable uniform, which includes active footwear, is designed to support spontaneous movement and encourage daily physical activity throughout the school day.
In addition, pupils will also be wearing donated Moki Bands as part of a live research project aimed at capturing real-time data on how much children move during the school day following this change in uniform. This 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 and inspire pupils to embrace movement.
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. The increasing sedentary screen time and limiting 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 in this area of need, providing insights that could inform broader strategies to improve children’s activity levels and overall health.
Apart from the physical health benefits, schools that have already adopted an Always Active Uniform have reported wider positive impacts such as improved comfort and focus in class, greater inclusion for girls and children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and reduced costs for families.
The 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 Schools, and 69% of primary teachers believe that an Always Active Uniform would enable students to spend more time being active during the school day.
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, we 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.
The Youth Sport Trust is a founding member of the Active Uniform Alliance, which is calling for schools, policymakers and partners to rethink restrictive uniforms and support movement-friendly alternatives.
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. Founded
