Education CommitteeFurther written evidence submitted by Youth Sport Trust

Following Baroness Sue Campbell’s appearance in front of the Education Select Committee on 21 May, please find below a further submission to the Committee’s inquiry into school sport from the Youth Sport Trust.

The Power of Sport to Enhance Academic Achievement

Further to Committee Members’ interest in the power of sport to enhance levels of academic achievement amongst young people, please find attached a copy of a report commissioned by the Youth Sport Trust in January 2011, which features analyses of the GCSE results and Ofsted inspections of specialist sports colleges. The report, entitled Specialism and Student Outcomes—Analyses of GCSE attainment and Ofsted judgements, states that, between 2007 and 2010, on the measure of percentage of students attaining 5 A*-C GCSEs, the average performance of sports colleges improved by 7.8%, rising from 41.8% to 49.6%. In the same period, that national average for students attaining 5 A*-Cs improved by 4%.

[Hard copy also sent by post]

Youth Sport Trust guidance for Primary Schools

Following the Committee’s discussion of the importance of guidance for primary school headteachers in deploying their “Sport Premium” funding, please find below a link to a special edition of the Youth Sport Trust’s Sporting Start magazine. The document offers detailed guidance for primary school leaders on how best to deploy the new investment in order achieve sustainable improvements in PE and school sport provision, and also includes a self-review tool for schools to assess their current level of provision. A copy of the document was sent to every primary school in England.

http://www.youthsporttrust.org/media/3387106/sportingstart_specialedition_finalproof.pdf

[Hard copy also sent by post]

School to Club Links

Further to the Committee’s discussion of school to club links, the Committee may be interested in viewing evidence contained with the PE and Sport Survey 2009/10, which showed that School Sport Partnerships helped schools to establish links to, on average, 9.1 local sports clubs. The full report can be accessed here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181556/DFE-RR032.pdf

Sky Sports Living for Sport

The Committee may be interested to view the below link to a website detailing key facts and figures around the Sky Sports Living for Sport programme, mentioned by Baroness Campbell, which uses sports stars and sports skills to help young people who are in danger of disengaging from their education to reintegrate into school life. 50,000 young people have taken part in the programme since 2003, with research showing that, following involvement, 72% of students said they were more likely to go on to 6th Form or college. More key statistics on the programme can be found here:

http://livingforsport.skysports.com/whats-our-goal/proven-results

[Hard copy of Sky Sports Living for sport info also sent by post]

Youth Sport Trust Recommendations

Finally, please find below a number of key recommendations that the Youth Sport Trust believes should be contained within the Committee’s report:

1.A fundamental shift in thinking within Government and the education sector on the importance of sport and PE within every child’s education.

2.Recognition of the impact of PE and sport on raising achievement among young people, improving behaviour and self-confidence, and driving up whole school standards.

3.An ongoing, cross-party consensus on school sport and PE in order to avoid further disruption to delivery.

4.Primary school headteachers should be given clear guidance on how best to deploy their “Sport Premium” funding to develop the physical literacy of their pupils, and achieve lasting improvements in PE and sporting provision.

5.Greater focus on PE within Initial Teacher Training at primary school level. We welcome the Government’s commitment to reforming PE training for primary school teachers.

6.The Government should set out a clear “gifted and talented” strategy that provides a pathway for talented young people into elite competition structures.

June 2013