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In response to growing concerns about children’s physical inactivity, governments worldwide have increasingly turned to schools as key sites for intervention. reflects this trend and aligns with global public health recommendations (Bull et al., 2020). The policy signals strong political commitment to student wellbeing. Yet, a critical question remains: Can more time alone meaningfully transform students’ experiences of movement in schools?

Policies of this kind are grounded in a compelling assumption – that increasing opportunities for physical activity will lead to improved health, wellbeing and learning outcomes. However, this expectation often overlooks a central issue: schools are not neutral or uniform spaces. Their capacity to enact policy is shaped by material conditions, institutional priorities and longstanding cultural hierarchies within the curriculum, where subjects associated with academic achievement and standardised assessment often receive greater attention, time and resources than physical education (Craig et al., 2024).

Drawing on ongoing qualitative research involving 46 physical education teachers from 32 schools across Chile, a more complex picture emerges. While many educators strongly support the promotion of daily physical activity, they also describe persistent structural constraints. Limited infrastructure, lack of appropriate spaces, crowded timetables and insufficient institutional backing frequently undermine implementation. Teachers further highlighted that these challenges were unevenly experienced across school settings, with constraints often being more acute in socioeconomically disadvantaged contexts, reinforcing how policy enactment is shaped by local conditions. In this context, the policy’s promise of ‘more time’ does not necessarily translate into meaningful opportunities for movement.

‘The policy’s promise of “more time” for physical activity does not necessarily translate into meaningful opportunities for movement.’

Importantly, teachers’ responses are not homogeneous. Some embrace the mandate, creatively integrating movement across the school day and navigating constraints with initiative and commitment. Others, however, experience the policy as an added pressure, particularly in school environments where physical education remains marginalised. These differing responses highlight that policy enactment is not simply a matter of compliance, but of interpretation, negotiation and context.

This tension between policy ambition and school realities is not unique to Chile. Similar implementation challenges have been reported across different national contexts, where schools often struggle to translate physical activity policy goals into everyday practice. Recent research has emphasised the need to rethink schools as complex settings for physical activity promotion, where progress depends on aligning policy goals with the everyday conditions of practice (García Bengoechea & Mandic, 2024). From this perspective, the challenge is less about ensuring implementation fidelity and more about understanding the conditions that make meaningful enactment possible.

What follows from this is not a rejection of the policy itself but a call to rethink its underlying assumptions. Increasing time is an important step, but insufficient on its own. Without addressing the structural and cultural conditions that shape everyday school practices, such initiatives risk reproducing existing inequalities in access to meaningful physical activity – experiences that are inclusive, enjoyable and capable of supporting students’ wellbeing, personal development and sustained engagement in active lifestyles.

Chile’s 60-minute mandate represents an important policy shift. However, its transformative potential will depend on whether it is accompanied by deeper changes in how physical activity is valued, supported and integrated within schools. This requires not only adequate resources, institutional commitment and implementation strategies that recognise the diversity of school contexts, but also whole-school approaches that engage students, families and local communities in creating active school cultures. Bridging the gap between policy and practice requires not only ambition but also attention to the complex realities of educational work.

References

Bull, F. C., Al-Ansari, S. S., Biddle, S., Borodulin, K., Buman, M. P., Cardon, G., … & Willumsen, J. F. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 54(24), 1451–1462.

Craig, D. W., Brown, H. E., Carlson, J. A., Staiano, A. E., & Welk, G. J. (2024). Whole-of-school approaches to physical activity promotion: The role of school-level factors. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 67, 55–66.

García Bengoechea, E., & Mandic, S. (2024). Rethinking schools as a setting for physical activity: Progress, challenges and opportunities. The Physical Educator, 81(2).