The national body for sport and physical activity in colleges has refreshed its standards as it attempts to deliver on the government’s Sporting Future sports strategy.

Towards Outstanding, the framework created by the Association of Colleges (AoC) Sport, has emphasised the importance of physical activity on mental health, community links and its ability to help youngsters engage employers.

The standards have been published to encourage colleges to “embed sport and physical activity across the curriculum” and help staff identify how sport or physical activity, or links to leisure industry employers, can “support and improve outcomes for students”.

Improving mental health, creating a workforce plan and blurring the line between sport and physical activity were key targets in the sports strategy, which was published in December by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Professional sporting body, the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMPSA), and Sport England have worked with AoC to support the standards.

Suzanne Glavin, Sport England strategic lead for youth, said the development of lifelong sporting and physical activity habits could “only be done effectively if sport is used throughout college as one of the means by which students can progress, gain knowledge and skills, and develop as individuals”.

CIMPSA chief executive Tara Dillon added that the framework would “improve quality provision within further education, attracting the talented to join our sector and creating a new generation of sport and leisure professionals”.

The standards have also been updated to reflect the the AoC 2015-2020 national strategy for sport and physical activity, titled Fit for College, Fit for Work, Fit for Life, which revealed the ambition of having every college student in the country taking part in regular physically active, with a consequential boost to their education, employability and health.