100,000 students from across Latin America, US, UK, Europe, Middle East, Southeast Asia and India partake in Cognita’s Global Be Well Day
UAE schools Repton Al Barsha and Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai among participants in this year’s event
6 million minutes of movement recorded across the initiative as students put physical activity at the heart of wellbeing
Cognita schools around the world have come together to mark the eighth annual Global Be Well Day (GBWD), with this year’s event putting physical activity at the heart of wellbeing and bringing school communities together through movement.
Under the theme ‘In Motion We Thrive’, Global Be Well Day 2026 has seen schools create their own approaches to movement, from dance and sport to walking, active play and community challenges. Students have played a central role in shaping activities, taking greater ownership in planning and leading Global Be Well Day experiences within their school communities.
At the centre of this year’s programme is Cognita’s Global Movement Challenge, bringing students, colleagues and families together around a shared global goal. Every minute of movement counts towards school and global totals, with participants tracking activities ranging from sport and walking to play and dance through a live platform.
Together, Cognita school communities around the world recorded 6 million minutes of movement during the challenge.
Across Europe, Hastings School in Madrid wove movement throughout the school week through daily one-minute Brain Gym sessions, multilingual movement activities, Flamenco, football and volleyball. Activities also extended beyond the school gates, with a workout session delivered to residents at a nearby elderly care home. At The British School of Barcelona, Primary pupils came together to perform La Sardana, a traditional Catalan dance, while families were encouraged to continue moving at home through activity challenges. In Austria, student leaders at St. Gilgen International School organised activities including volleyball, table tennis and a biathlon relay, alongside the school’s annual Bell Race, which brought the community together to ascend a nearby mountain.
In India, CHIREC International School extended the theme into a six-week whole-school wellbeing campaign, running from 22 August to 26 September. Students, educators and families took part in movement challenges, mindfulness, creative projects and team activities, while the campaign was also incorporated into learning experiences spanning music, dance, art, service and gratitude.
In Latin America, Colegio Olinca in Mexico City brought local culture into its Global Movement Challenge under the message ‘Olinca in Motion. A Movement That Brings Us Together.’ Students took part in sports clubs, recess games, active breaks and after-school activities, with elements of Mexican culture and traditions incorporated into the celebration.
Schools across the United Arab Emirates marked Global Be Well Day with activities bringing students, staff and families together. At Repton Al Barsha in Dubai, a 24-Hour Fitness Challenge saw the school community collectively log enough activity to cover the equivalent distance between Dubai and Malawi, in southeastern Africa.
At Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai, families joined pupils for a Parent ‘School Run’, completing 500-metre indoor laps to music and counting their steps towards the Global Be Well Challenge, before pupils and staff came together for a whole-school ‘Walk a Mile in My Shoes’ event. Both school initiatives also raised funds for the Sparkle Foundation, supporting its work with children and communities in Malawi.
The activities form part of Cognita’s wider approach to wellbeing through its Be Well Charter, which considers six physical and mental contributors to wellbeing: sleep, diet, exercise, connecting, doing and giving. This year’s focus on physical activity places particular emphasis on exercise while recognising wellbeing as a combination of physical, social and emotional factors.
David Baldwin, Group Chief Executive Officer at Cognita, said: “Global Be Well Day is a wonderful example of what can happen when our schools and communities come together around something that really matters. Wellbeing is fundamental to helping every child thrive, and it has been fantastic to see this year’s focus on physical activity brought to life in so many different ways across our schools. Behind that are extraordinary teachers and colleagues who stand beside children every day. Our role at Cognita is to stand behind them, share what works and help make more possible across our global community.”
First launched in 2019, Global Be Well Day is Cognita’s annual global celebration of wellbeing, with previous editions exploring themes including empathy, diet and sustainability, digital wellbeing, giving and connection.
About Cognita:
Founded in 2004, Cognita is a trusted global schools group, educating more than 100,000 children across 20 countries in Latin America, the US, UK, Europe, Middle East, Southeast Asia and India. Across its schools, more than 22,000 teaching and support colleagues deliver 14 different academic curricula, reflecting the diverse identities, communities and approaches to education within the group.
Cognita brings together people, ideas and expertise to help each school become stronger, while protecting what makes it special. Educators are connected across the group to share what works, learn from one another and explore new ideas, helping schools continually strengthen how and what children learn.
Behind every thriving school are extraordinary people. Cognita creates opportunities for teachers and leaders to develop, connect and grow throughout their careers, while providing the systems, resources and support that make life work better behind the scenes. This gives teachers more time to teach, leaders more freedom to lead and schools the foundations they need to thrive.
Being part of a global group also makes more possible. Schools and their communities benefit from shared expertise, connections and opportunities across countries and regions, while retaining their own identity, character and relationship with their local community.
Cognita makes more possible — for schools, for educators, for every child.
