Newham Xplore

Xplore is a healthy lifestyle programme offered by Live Well Newham, that provides a friendly, fun and safe environment to help children, young people and their families lead healthier lifestyles and become more active. 

Xplore is for children and young people aged 4-17 years old that might be above a healthy weight. The programme is designed to give lots of handy tips around healthy eating and activity so children and their families can try new things to improve their health and wellbeing within their everyday lives.

All programmes include healthy eating workshops and physical activity sessions that are age appropriate and offers ongoing support to families after completing the programme to help them to maintain a healthier lifestyle.

This programme is completely free and is delivered at Better leisure centres across Newham and other community venues. Venues where we operate:

Our Xplore Programme

  • Xplore is an 8-week programme and takes place at either Better leisure centres or another community venue.
  • Programmes run across week; they usually start in the evenings and can vary slightly between locations. Saturdays are also available.
  • Xplore includes interactive workshops on nutrition and enjoyable physical activity sessions tailored to different age groups. Our programme also includes facilitated discussions for parent/carers, who are required to attend each session.
  • For older children and young people, a parent/carer must attend the first and last session to complete paperwork and is encouraged to join in with other sessions.
  • If the young people would like to continue with a gym membership after the free one-month membership expires, they are encouraged to sign up to a membership at their local leisure centre.
  • If a child has any medical, physical, psychological, educational or emotional condition then we may need to consult with the appropriate health professional before offering a place on the programme. We may need to refer the child to another service that is more suitable for their needs.

Xplore 4-14 years old

This programme will take place at a Better leisure centre, a community venue or a participating school within Newham and will run over 8 weeks, with each weekly session lasting up to 2 hours.

Programmes will be split by the following age groups (where appropriate); 4-6 years old, 7-11 years old, 11-14 years old. For the 11-14 programme children may come independently however, a parent/carer must attend the first and last session to give consent and complete paperwork and are encouraged to join in with the sessions. Siblings may also attend the group – please raise this request when you enrol onto a programme.

Each session includes a nutritional workshop for everyone, fun activities and games for children and facilitated discussions for parents/carers, who are required to attend each session.

Children receive a free*:

  • Certificate of achievement
  • Drawstring bag with lots of goodies
  • A pre-loaded £20 membership card to spend how they wish at our Better leisure centres in the Borough.

*Subject to completing the 8-week programme

Xplore 15-17 years old

This programme will take place at a Better leisure centre within Newham and will run over 8 weeks with each weekly session lasting up to 2 hours. 

Parents/carers are required to attend the first and last session to give consent and complete the paperwork.

Young People receive a free*:

  • Certificate of achievement
  • Drawstring bag with lots of goodies
  • A pre-loaded £20 membership card to spend how they wish at our Better leisure centres in the Borough.

*Subject to completing the 8-week programme

Eligibility Criteria:

The programme is aimed at children and young people, between 4 and 17 years inclusive, but can vary from borough to borough, so check your local page for further details.

Children and Young People should:

  • Live in the London Borough of Newham, or
  • Attend a school, college, or other institute of further education in Newham

AND

  • Have a BMI≥ 91st centile (calculate this using the NHS BMI calculator here)
  • Have no complex needs
Calculate your body mass index (BMI)

Referrals:

Referrals are accepted from health professionals, schools, social prescribers, and self-referral. For more information email: livewell.newham@gll.org

Self Referral Portal

Unsure of your Child’s Weight

If you are unable to get an accurate weight of a child or young person, some clear indicators to see if they meet the eligibility criteria include:

  • Looks bigger than their peers
  • Wears clothes for older ages or adult clothes
  • Eats more than their peers
  • Has mentioned that they think they are overweight
  • Has received a letter from the school nurse
  • Gets out of breath quickly while exercising

Some of our services may accept children and young people outside of the eligibility criteria, however this is considered on a case-by-case basis. Children and Young People with more complex needs such as learning difficulties, physical and mental health issues will be assessed to determine whether the service will meet their health needs.

What Our Families Say

"It helps me focus more on my physical activities instead of staying at home."

Aleena, Child (11 - 14 Years)

"Our outlook on nutritional consumptions have changed, we have started making healthier choices. Levi knows not to consume lots of sugary food. He complains where there is lots of sugar in his snacks or drinks."

Doris, Parent (5 - 14 Years)

“My family is very motivated, and we have made a massive change to our lifestyle. We do more family walks and keep more active. We have stopped buying sugary snacks and choose healthier options. We check labels and cut out so many snacks as we now check if we need it or just fancy it. The team, are so amazing and we cannot thank them enough.”

Nabjit, Parent (5 - 14 Years)

"Our school has been involved with Xplore for two years. The two-hour program is multi-faceted and includes a whole group session for children and parents with family friendly information, activities and quizzes regarding nutrition and exercise, and then in the second hour, the coach puts the children through their 'sporting paces.' Because the programme is designed to be family friendly, the sporting element is about challenging their own ability rather than a set standard. All the families have gained so much knowledge from attending the course and are far more mindful when they are doing their shopping paying particular attention to the traffic light system."

Ms Smith, Learning Mentor and Family Support