The at the University of Malta, in collaboration with the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation (MEYR), has reached the third and final phase of the SkaRF – Skip a Rope for Fitness programme. This multi-year, school-based intervention, led by , has followed the same cohort of students from Year 4 through to Year 6 at San Ä wann Primary School. The project’s main goals are to enhance children’s fundamental movement skills, improve physical fitness, and reduce sedentary behaviour through regular rope skipping.
In the first phase, Year 4 pupils were divided into control and experimental groups. The experimental group participated in 15-minute daily rope skipping sessions over a four-week period. The following year, in Phase 2, all Year 5 students took part in the skipping programme. Physical activity levels, fitness, and motor skills were again measured both before and after the intervention using wearable accelerometers. In Phase 3, the learners, now in Year 6, completed a final month of daily rope skipping, reinforcing the gains made in previous years.
Findings from the study show clear benefits. Children who began the programme in Year 4 demonstrated higher levels of performance and consistency, while even those who joined later experienced notable improvements. Girls consistently outperformed boys in skipping skills. These results underline the value of introducing physical activity programmes from an early age and highlight how even brief, structured interventions can have a long-lasting impact on children’s physical ability, confidence, and motivation to remain active.
Building on the success of SkaRF, IPES plans to establish Malta’s first official “Skipping School†at San Ä wann Primary by providing each student with a personal skipping rope. The long-term vision is to expand SkaRF to all primary schools across Malta, encouraging children to use skipping ropes both during PE lessons and recess.
Running alongside SkaRF, IPES also piloted FitMAP-MALTA – the Fitness Monitoring of Adolescents Project – Data was collected from six state secondary schools (1000 participants) with the support of 12 dedicated PE teachers. This initiative utilises the interactive FitBack Europe toolkit, enabling students to create personalised fitness profiles, set goals with teacher support, and track their progress over time. Teachers benefit from group-level fitness data to adapt PE planning and develop targeted strategies. The aim is to motivate adolescents to stay active and to make fitness monitoring an integral part of the school curriculum.
Looking ahead, IPES will launch MYPASS – the Maltese Young People’s Physical Activity & Sport Participation Study – in October 2025. This study will target Year 6 students across all Maltese schools, collecting data on physical activity habits, sports participation, and sedentary behaviours. MYPASS is currently being piloted in one school to refine the study instruments and implementation process in preparation for the national roll-out. The insights gathered will help shape future strategies for increasing opportunities for movement both within schools and across community settings.
Together, SkaRF, FitMAP-MALTA, MYPASS form a cohesive, research-driven effort to combat physical inactivity in Maltese children and adolescents, empowering them to live healthier, more active lives.
