Education CommitteeWritten evidence submitted by Youth Sport Trust

Introduction

1. The Youth Sport Trust is the leading voice of school sport and physical education (PE) in the UK. We have nearly 20 years of experience in delivering PE and sport in schools around the country, and have gained considerable understanding of how they can have a significant impact on academic achievement and whole school standards. As well as representing those working in the field, we also deliver a range of programmes on behalf of Government and other partners, and played a central role in establishing the School Sport Partnership system under the previous administration. Through our experience of delivery on the ground, and our network of partner and member schools, we have a unique insight into the current state of PE and school sport and the effect of Government policy on their delivery.

2. We welcome the opportunity to contribute to this inquiry and our Chair, Baroness Sue Campbell, would be delighted to appear before the Committee to give oral evidence.

Executive Summary

3. The Youth Sport Trust believes that although the focus of this inquiry is school sport, it is imperative that we also consider curriculum time PE when assessing the current state of provision in schools. The Youth Sport Trust welcomes the inclusion of PE as a core subject at all Key Stages of the new draft National Curriculum, and believes PE should provide the physical literacy and learning which forms the basis of participation in school sport, and the foundation of a healthy and active lifestyle. This vision for PE, school sport, and healthy lifestyles is illustrated in the below diagram:

4. In assessing the effectiveness of current Government policy and expenditure on increasing sport in schools and delivering a lasting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Youth Sport Trust believes it is important to first consider the Government’s decision to remove central funding for School Sport Partnerships. We believe this decision, taken in October 2010 had a number of negative effects on both the quality and quantity of PE and school sport delivered in our schools.

5. However, we also believe that a number of Government-funded programmes, including Change4Life Sports Clubs, the Sainsbury’s School Games, and Young Ambassadors have had a positive impact. In addition, we are supportive of the Government’s recent announcement of a new “Sport Premium”, designed to provide ring-fenced funding for PE and school sport at primary school level. We believe this new development has the potential to deliver a step-change in delivery, and alleviate many of the unwelcome consequences of the removal of central funding for School Sport Partnerships. We are hopeful that it will provide the basis of an on-going cross-party consensus on PE and school sport funding. However, this is dependent on schools and headteachers receiving the necessary support and direction to maximise the impact of this investment for young people across the country.

6. With regards to the take-up of competitive school sport, the Youth Sport Trust believes it is important to first ensure that any emphasis on competitive sport is not at the expense of a wider focus on increasing levels of participation and engagement amongst all young people. We believe in a broad and inclusive definition of “competition” that ensures the wider benefits of taking part, such as increased teamwork, dedication and communication, are emphasised to both teachers and pupils.

7. Going forward, the Youth Sport Trust believes that £150 million per year of funding announced as part of the “Sport Premium” has the potential to form the basis of a sustainable future for PE and school sport. We believe that the Government’s plan to reform Initial Teacher Training for Primary school teachers is also a step in the right direction. Undoubtedly, more action is needed to ensure we secure a truly sustainable legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, but the Youth Sport Trust is committed to working with both schools and Government. We would recommend the following:

(a)Primary schools should be given clear support and direction on how best to deploy their “Sport Premium” funding and ensure it is used to build physical literacy amongst their pupils.

(b)A renewed focus on ensuring partnership working and sharing of resources at primary and secondary school level, including designating “hub” or “beacon” schools to coordinate this.

(c)The introduction of a coach education programme that provides school sport coaches with a recgonised qualification in coaching children.

(d)A renewed “gifted and talented” strategy that provides a pathway for talented young people into elite competition structures.

Section 1: Current Government Policy

School Sport Partnerships

8. Under the previous Government, the Youth Sport Trust was responsible for the conception and delivery of School Sport Partnerships. Supported by dedicated funding from the Department for Education, 450 School Sport Partnerships covered every maintained school in England. Each partnership was coordinated by a full time Partnership Development Manager, based in a hub school, and linked to local School Sport Co-ordinators, a two day a week post based in every secondary school, and Primary Link Teachers, based in every primary school.

9. In October 2010, the Secretary of State for Education announced the removal of central funding for School Sport Partnerships. The Youth Sport Trust believes that this decision had a number of negative effects on the delivery of PE and school sport:

(a)Reduced Capacity: One of the most significant effects was a reduction in delivery capacity in PE and school sport. Although some School Sport Partnerships have been sustained through the commitment of schools, local authorities and community groups, funding pressures have meant that many have not. The 450 School Games Organisers, who have been instrumental in delivering the Sainsbury’s School Games since their appointment in autumn 2011, provide some capacity, while secondary school Teacher Release posts have also had some impact. However, School Games Organisers are only employed for three-days each week, while Teacher Release posts are released for one day a week to improve sport and PE in local primary schools—this represents a significant reduction on the capacity available under the School Sport Partnership system outlined above.

(b)Primary Schools: It is at primary school level that this reduction in capacity and collaborative working has been most keenly felt. The Youth Sport Trust believes that the quality and quantity of PE and school sport in primary schools has dropped, leading to many children not developing the basic physical literacy skills they need to build life-long participation in sport and physical activity. The vast majority of primary schools have no specialist PE provision, and around half of all primary school teachers receive only 10 hours or less of specialist PE training. As a result, Youth Sport Trust research shows that many lack the confidence and competence to deliver the subject properly,1 while Ofsted’s recent report into PE found that some primary school teachers “lack the specialist knowledge needed to teach PE well”.

(c)Partnership Working: School Sport Partnerships were highly effective in promoting the sharing of best practice between schools, and encouraging schools to collaborate in order to maximise the effectiveness of their existing resources and capacity. The Youth Sport Trust understands from its network of schools across the country that, over the last two years, much of this collaborative approach has been lost—this is especially regrettable at a time when public spending is under pressure, as the sharing of best practice and resources is a highly cost-effective way of raising standards and enhancing delivery.

(d)Basic “floor standard”: When central funding for School Sport Partnerships was removed, the “aspirational target” for schools to increase the percentage of children and young people taking part in at least two hours of PE and school sport every week was also removed. This target, combined with investment in the School Sport Partnership system, was highly effective in increasing the quality and quantity of PE and sport delivered in schools. By 2008, the national PE and Sport Survey found that the proportion of children and young people taking part in at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport each week had risen from a baseline of 25% to 90% in schools involved in their local partnership.2

While the Youth Sport Trust is aware that the Government is unable to stipulate the amount of time that individual schools spend on each subject, we are concerned that, since the removal of funding for School Sport Partnerships no target, guidance or clear expectation around the quality and quantity of PE and school sport in our schools. This has lead to an inequality in provision across the country, with a survey conducted by the Cricket Foundation in November 2012 fund that 54% of parents believed their children took part in less than two hours a week of “PE and or games lessons”.3

(e)Measurement: The removal of funding for School Sport Partnership also involved the abolition of the annual PE and school sport survey (referenced above) which measured the take up of PE and school sport in England. The absence of this survey means that it is very difficult to ascertain the true effect of current policy on the delivery PE and sport in schools.

Current Delivery

10. Despite the difficulties set out above, the Youth Sport Trust is involved in the delivery of a number of Government-backed programmes which have achieved significant success in enhancing PE and sport in schools around the country. In particular, we would draw the Committee’s attention to the following programmes:

(a)Change4Life Sports Clubs: Over four years the Department of Health is investing £8.4 million in Change4Life Sports Clubs, which are delivered by the Youth Sport Trust. The Clubs are aimed at “less active” young people in both primary and secondary schools, and aim to encourage them to do more physical activity and engage in sport. The Youth Sport Trust has established over 8,500 clubs in schools around the country and the programme has involved over 150,000 children and young people in sport and physical activity.

Change4Life Sports Clubs have had a significant impact in changing perceptions of the role of sport and physical activity as public health improvement tools. They have also have been highly successful in introducing Olympic and Paralympic sports into thousands of schools.

(b)Sainsbury’s School Games: The Youth Sport Trust is also delighted to have been commissioned by Sport England to deliver the Sainsbury’s School Games, a nationwide programme that seeks to give young people the chance to take part in competitive school sport at school, local, regional and national level. To date, 16,668 schools have signed up to the programme.

Within the Sainsbury’s School Games, the successful inclusion of young disabled people in competitive school sport has been an outstanding success. The Youth Sport Trust has established 50 Project Ability schools, which spread expertise and best practice in engaging disabled young people in sport. In the academic year 2011–12, this work was supported by Top Sportsability, a programme funded by the Department for Education, which developed and distributed equipment and resources to support the provision of inclusive school sport and PE.

In addition, the Sainsbury’s School Games has successfully engaged National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) in the delivery of school sport competition. As a result of the Games, there is now much greater “additionality” in the relationship between school sports clubs and community sports clubs, run by NGBs. Whereas before, these two types of clubs would compete with each other for the most talented school-aged athletes, there are now clear pathways for those athletes to make the transition into community sport, freeing up capacity to include more young people in competitive school sport.

(c)Young Ambassadors: Funded by the Department for Education and delivered by the Youth Sport Trust, the Young Ambassadors programme has successfully trained over 10,000 young people to promote participation in school sport and PE in their own schools and communities. The programme has resulted in young people having a real sense of “ownership” over the delivery of the Olympic and Paralympic legacy. Although funding levels for the programme have been reduced over recent years, the Youth Sport Trust is pleased that continued investment has recently been committed by the Department for Education.

(d)Coaching and Leadership programmes: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, along with Sport England, has also funded a number of coaching and leadership programmes, which have had a real impact on schools and young people around the country. Thanks to this funding, the Youth Sport Trust has trained over 110,000 young volunteers to support the delivery school sport.

11. In addition to the programmes set out above, a variety of programmes funded by Youth Sport Trust’s corporate partners have made a significant contribution to delivering an Olympic and Paralympic legacy for young people. The Bupa Start to Move programme has trained 3,000 primary school teachers in building basic physical literacy amongst four to seven year-olds and reached over 180,000 children, while Matalan Top Sport has provided over 7,000 primary school teachers with training and curriculum resources in PE and sport delivery. The Sky Sports Living for Sport programme uses sport to help secondary school pupils engage with their education, and with wider school life, with over 50,000 young people having benefited from involvement in the programme. Elsewhere, Lloyds TSB continue to sponsor National School Sport Week, an annual week-long celebration of school sport which has involved over nine million children since 2009.

Recent Government Announcement

12. The Youth Sport Trust welcomes the Government’s recent announcement of renewed funding for PE and school sport.4 The “Sport Premium” will result in £150 million of investment in primary school PE and sport in each of the next two years, and we believe this funding has the potential to significantly enhance provision at primary school level. We are particularly pleased that “Sport Premium” investment will be fully ring-fenced. In order for its impact to be maximised, we believe it is imperative that schools are given support and direction on how best to deploy their “Sport Premium” funding. We also believe that schools should be free to “pool” funds in order to achieve the best possible outcomes for their pupils, and should be actively encouraged to co-operate and share resources. The Youth Sport Trust has established a dedicated membership structure to help primary schools work together to enhance the delivery of PE and school sport.

13. The Youth Sport Trust is fully supportive of the Government’s decision to amend the guidance contained in the Ofsted Inspectors’ Handbook to ensure inspectors assess a school’s effectiveness in using its “Sport Premium” money to improve PE and school sport. We are also delighted that Ofsted will conduct a survey in one year to report on the impact of the “Sport Premium” expenditure. As stated above, the Youth Sport Trust also welcomes the Government’s commitment to continue funding the Young Ambassadors programme.

14. Finally, the Youth Sport Trust welcomes the inclusion of PE as a core subject at all Key Stages of the new draft National Curriculum. We believe that the content of the curriculum needs to focus on giving children and young people positive experiences of PE, and building physical literacy in order to foster lifelong participation in sport and physical activity.

Section 2: Competitive Sport in Schools

15. The Youth Sport Trust recognises the Government’s commitment to driving the take-up of competitive sport in schools. Participation in competitive sport is a key part in any child’s sporting journey, and allows young people to build key life skills such teamwork, determination and leadership. However, we believe that any focus on competition should not be at the cost of allowing all young people to participate fully in PE and school sport, including those who are less inclined to take part in competitive activities.

16. Research shows that boys are more likely than girls to prefer school sport or physical activity to be competitive.5 In order to engage all young people in competition, it is imperative that sporting formats are fully inclusive, and the wider benefits of taking part are emphasised to young people and school sport practitioners.

17. In addition, if young people are to be expected to take part in competitive sport, they need to be taught the fundamental movement skills needed to properly engage in competition, and reap the full benefits of doing so.

18. For this reason, the Youth Sport Trust believes we need a high quality PE curriculum that, at primary school level, focuses on building physical literacy in young children.

19. With regards to measuring the current level of take-up of competitive sports in schools, the removal of the PE and School Sport Survey makes it very hard to ascertain the current situation in schools. As mentioned above, the Youth Sport Trust is commissioned by Sport England to deliver the Sainsbury’s School Games, and we are delighted that over 16,000 schools have signed up to the programme. However, although this figure shows how many schools are committed to involvement in the School Games in some form, it does not give an accurate picture of the quantity and quality of School Games activity within each school. The School Games Kitemark has been introduced in order to measure quality of provision in schools, but it provides little additional intelligence on the “take-up” of competitive school sport.

20. Finally, the Youth Sport Trust would draw the Committee’s attention to the success of the School Sport Partnership system on increasing the take-up of competitive school sport. The 2009–10 PE and School Sport Survey found that the proportion of children taking part in competitive intra-school competition at some point in the year was 78%, up from a baseline of only 58% in 2006.6 In addition, the recent Ofsted report into PE also praised the work of School Sport Partnerships in increasing access to competitive school sport, stating that their impact in increasing regular competition was clearly evident in the vast majority of schools visited by inspectors.7

21. Going forward, if the Government is committed to driving the take-up of competitive sport in schools, it is imperative that measures to promote this are articulated as part of wider PE and school sport strategy.

Section 3: The Future of School Sport and PE

22. As stated above, the Youth Sport Trust welcomes the Government’s recent announcement of renewed funding for PE and school sport. We are particularly pleased that this investment focuses on improving provision at primary school level, as we believe this is imperative if we are to deliver a lasting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

23. We are hopeful that the Government’s announcement will form the basis of an ongoing cross-party consensus on PE and school sport. The removal of central funding for School Sport Partnerships and the resulting uncertainty around funding for school sport, has hampered many schools’ ability to plan effectively for the future. Going forward, the Youth Sport Trust believes that we should avoid such disruption, and focus on building a long-term sustainable vision for PE and school sport.

24. In order to achieve this, the Youth Sport Trust believes that school sport and PE should sit within a wider national sporting strategy which uses sport to improve health, educational and societal outcomes. Within the education sphere, this strategy should emphasise the impact of PE and sport on raising achievement among young people, improving behaviour and self-confidence, and driving up whole school standards. It should be fully differentiated and recognise the power of sport to improve health outcomes, as well as providing opportunities for recreation and competition.

25. At local level it is imperative that we continue to build the school based expertise and capacity that is needed to deliver high quality PE and school sport. In primary schools, the Youth Sport Trust is hopeful that the “Sport Premium” will be utilised by schools to provide teachers with ongoing training in the delivery of PE, and thus help to build physical literacy among their pupils. As stated above, we also believe that the Government’s commitment to reforming the PE content within primary level Initial Teacher Training is a crucial step to build capacity and expertise in our primary schools.

26. At secondary school level the Youth Sport Trust believes that further investment is needed to fund a sports development professional to coordinate the delivery of school sport and PE and ensure resources are maximised. This professional should be based within a network of “hub” or “beacon” schools which are linked to “clusters” of local primary and secondary schools. They should spread expertise and act as a delivery apparatus for programmes to enhance the delivery of PE and school sport. We would welcome the creation of “Director of Sport” posts in every secondary school, focussed on organising and promoting participation in sport outside of curriculum time. In order to further enhance the delivery of extra-curricular sport, the Youth Sport Trust supports the introduction of a coach education programme that provides school sport coaches with a recognised qualification in coaching children.

27 Finally, the Youth Sport Trust believes the Government should set out a clear “gifted and talented” strategy that provides a pathway for talented young people into elite competition structures.

April 2013