SCHOOLS/ACTIVE 4 LIFE PROGRAMME

SCHOOLS PROGRAMME


DAZL’s Active 4 Life School Programme aims to increase involvement of inactive children by offering a range of fun healthy lifestyle activities, to inspire an enthusiasm for being active throughout life. Partners include; Change 4 Life and Active Club Experience. Emphasis is placed on raising awareness and educating families on issues such as active lifestyles, limiting screen time and promoting 5 a Day as well as the Change 4 Life messages.

In 2015/16 DAZL set out to improve health & well-being through high quality dance in the deprived communities of Leeds. Throughout 2015-16 DAZL worked with 4202 young people of which 77% were girls, This year of all the young people DAZL worked with 2488 were inactive doing less than one hour of physical activity beyond the school recommended 2 hours of structured activity per week, excluded the DAZL session. The young people had the chance to performed in at least 1 of our 111 performance opportunities in and out of school.

On the DAZL Active 4 Life Program we worked with 2786 young people, we delivered 1359 session totaling 1614.5 hours of activity through this programme which had a Primary Target Group: Inactive children aged 5–11 years from Super Output Areas with IMD’s in the lowest 10% in East, West and South Leeds. 

DAZL significantly exceeded all targets as the programme rolled out this year, delivering activity within school lesson time for 6-12 weeks followed by x24 week regular after school dance clubs across south, east and west Leeds that ran for the rest of the year.  Throughout the year many participants have engaged with DAZL’s community activity as a result of being involved in this school programme.  There were more than x50+ performance opportunities at schools including Healthy Living galas, and x20 holiday programmes through the year. The programme has grabbed the attention of the city and the Councillors regularly using this as an example of good work and requesting the school groups to perform at their events.

This programme is a real strengths of DAZL and one of reasoning behind winning the following.

  • HSJ Award for Innovation in public health 2008
  • Community Arts Organisation of the year at Community Awards 2010
  • Best overall contribution to Child Friendly Leeds 2014
  • Public Health Excellence Award 2016
  • Cultural Achievement Award – Compassionate City Awards 2017 
  • Leeds Dance Partnership Award & Peoples Choice Award – One Dance UK Awards 2019.

"Great after School Club, DAZL girls are always really enthusiastic, children have lots of fun and learn new skills, also grow in confidence. Staff are very aware of all the safety aspects of having children in school after the school day too. Highly recommended!” Jill Midgley, Head Teacher – Corpus Christi Primary


  • Windmill Primary
  • LowRoad Primary
  • Clapgate Primary
  • Middleton St Mary Primary
  • Hunslet Moor Primary
  • New Bewerley Primary
  • Parkview Primary
  • Beeston Primary
  • The Ruth Gorse Academy
  • Crossgates Primary
  • Brown Hill Primary
  • Cockburn John Charles
  • Hilltop Academy
  • Gildersome Primary
  • Whingate Primary
  • Christ Church Primary
  • Castleton Primary
  • Pudsey Tyersal Primary
  • Blackgates Primary
  • St Peters Primary
  • WykeBeck Primary
  • Westerton Primary
  • Otley All-Saint
  • Grange Farm Primary
  • Corpus Primary
  • Richmond Hill Primary
  • Shakespeare Primary
  • Ebor Gardens Primary
  • Kirkstall St Stephens Primary
  • Ingram Road Primary
  • Beechwood Primary
  • VINE (SILC)
  • East Leeds (SILC)
  • Moor Allerton Primary

  • “A well organised class where pupils enjoyed and carried out instructions by professional and pleasant instructors”

    Michaela Wainwright, Christ Church Primary School

    “The DAZL staff thoroughly engaged the children who really enjoyed the experience, would definitely like to see the club continue"

    Matt DeVeure, Parkview Academy

    “The Children have really enjoyed the DAZL sessions. Appears to be very popular as another full group for the next term”

    Dianne Chadwick, Pudsey Tyersal Primary School

    “The Children absolutly love these sessions which show in the attendance, there has only been two children absent since DAZL started”

    Cath Storey, LowRoad Primary School