National Strategy
PE & SPORT STRATEGY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
The new PE and Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP) launched in January 2008 expresses the Government’s commitment to improve the quantity and quality of PE and sport undertaken by young people aged 5-19 in England. PESSYP builds on the success of the PE, School Sport and Club Links (PESSCL) Strategy for 5-16 year olds, which went live in April 2003. It will see an investment of £755 million over three years to deliver the work announced by the Prime Minister in July 2007, and is now set out in Public Service Agreement target 22.
The strategy is the joint overall responsibility of the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), working in particular with the Department for Universities, Innovation and Skills (DIUS) in relation to 16-19 year olds and with strong links to Department of Health.
There are key roles for the infrastructure of specialist sports colleges, school sport partnerships, national governing bodies, county sports partnerships and other community providers to ensure that all 5-16 year olds have access to two hours PE and three hours beyond the curriculum and 16-19 year olds have three hours of sport outside of the curriculum. Collectively, this is referred to as the ‘Five Hour Offer’.
An initial outline of the new strategy can be found at http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/
The new PE and Sport Strategy for Young People has ten Work Strands as follows:
• Club Links
• Coaching
• Competition
• Continuing Professional Development
• Disability
• Extending Activities
• Gifted & Talented
• Infrastructure
• Leadership & Volunteering
CLUB LINKS
Background
The club Links work strand will create and develop links between schools and community sports clubs to support an increase in the number of children aged 5-16 years old who are participating in community sports clubs.
The overall outcome of Club Links work strand will be to increase the number of young people in School Sport Partnerships involved in community-based sport.
The Club Links work strand 2008-11 will be delivered by Sport England in close partnership with the Young Sport Trust, National Governing Bodies and the Child Protection in Sport Unit. It will continue to:
• Create high quality sports club opportunities for young people that are welcoming, safe, high quality and child friendly.
• Create high quality environments which encourage participation of children and young people.
• Offer activity programmes which include provision for talent development, incorporating the principles of the Long Term Athlete Development model.
• Provide access to activity programmes to all sections of the community.
• Recruit and develop coaches and volunteers (including young people) to provide the best possible activity programmes.
Operational Update
Currently 23 NGBs are funded as part of the Club Links work strand with one hybrid between Step into Sport and Club Links (boxing).
As part of the preparation for 08-09 NGBs are now setting targets around KPIs for 08/09. These need to be stretched targets aimed at growing the number of accredited clubs and the number of participants aged 5-16 in accredited clubs.
We will begin work on repositioning the Club Links work strand for 09-10 delivery in light of the newly emerging Sport England strategy. The ‘newly designed’ work strand will focus on signposting young people from school to community club settings. Contact: Michael.nyarko@sportengland.org
School Sport Coaches
This programme is designed to create a step-change in the quantity and quality of coaching offered to young people in sport. It will drive up standards of coaching children and make a positive contribution to the 5 Hour Offer. It will offer TOP-UP coaching grants to all SSPs to enable them to build on local relationships and coaching programmes.
The programme will comprise four elements:
1. A School Sport Coaching Grant to Every SSP
• Each SSP will receive a Coaching Grant of £21,500, which must be used to deliver c 1000 hours of coaching (the budget available can be used to lever additional resources and this coaching delivery can include some voluntary coaching hours stimulated by the new investment, which could provide additional coaching hours). Coaching grants will be paid to SSPs in September 2008.
• The allocation of these School Sport Coaching hours will be articulated in a simple SSP coaching plan which should arise directly from SSPs’ evaluation and Priorities Documents.
• The grant is primarily to be used to fund a small team of coaches who will deliver a minimum of 200 hours of coaching each. This will create a step-change from short blocks of activity to programmes which lead to sustained engagement in clubs and competition.
• The allocation of School Sport Coaching hours must be deployed against those groups of pupils currently doing 4 hours per week or more, moving to 5 hours per week and those currently doing 3 hours moving to 5.
• We are planning to work with an identified group of sports in the first instance, and it is expected that c 80 per cent of the School Sport Coaching hours will be allocated against these sports. (This group will most likely include those sports that are leading the transformation work with the Competition Manager infrastructure and which have UKCC Level 2 awards.
2. Training in Coach Management
• Every PDM will be expected to attend a Coach Management Workshop, which is being developed and delivered in partnership with Sportscoach UK. These workshops will promote best practice in coach recruitment, deployment and management and will provide useful tools to support the PDM in managing the School Sports Coaching programme.
3. Local Coach Briefings
• As detailed above, these will be run by the PDM for the newly appointed School Sport Coaches. The briefings will cover key quality drivers such as a ‘code of ethics’ for coaches of children and orientation information on working in schools.
4. School Sports Coaching Scholarship:
A differentiated set of scholarships will be delivered:
• Scholarships for Level 1 Coaches working towards UKCC Level 2.
• Scholarships for UKCC Level 2 coaches who do not have prior experience of working with children.
• Scholarships to higher level coaches.
These scholarships will include:
• CPD through either NGB or Sports Coach UK workshops and qualifications.
• Mentoring through a co-coach appointed by the NGB.
• A School Sports Coach branded t-shirt.
Competition Managers
The Competition Managers infrastructure has been implemented within school sport partnerships across the 49 county areas in England. Competition Managers are an integral part of the network in raising the quality and quantity of competitive opportunities for all young people in line with the national governing bodies’ competition frameworks. The competition managers are working closely with national governing bodies to ensure the alignment of the network and the priorities identified within each sport, in order to increase the number of young people engaged in regular competitive opportunities.
National School Sport Week
National School Sport Week, supported by Norwich Union, was launched by the Prime Minister and Dame Kelly Holmes at the Sports Colleges Conference. The purpose of National School Sport Week is to:
• Celebrate – all that has been achieved in PE and School Sport over the last year. This includes Young People’s participation, Young People’s achievements and talent in PE, enabling Young People to achieve their potential.
• Launch – new initiatives and developments in PE and School Sport. This summer we will see the launch of new impetus and innovate developments in Intra School Competition.
• Profile – all the amazing things that are happening in PE and School Sport nationally and encourage all schools to raise the profile of PE and School Sport at a local level.
The activities taking place in schools throughout National Schools Sport Week are:
• Festivals of Sport – organised and led by Young Leaders for primary aged young people.
• Intra School Competition – led by School Sport Coordinators and supported by Young Leaders.
• Inter School Competition – led and organised by existing Competition Managers.
• Local Activity – innovate and creative ideas organised at a local level.
Intra School Competition
The vision is that intra school competition will focus on engagement and enjoyment by all through a social or recreational experience and embraces the needs of local young people aged 11-16.
More sports will be added over the coming two years to ensure that a wide ranging and flexible programme of intra school competition can be provided for all young people, regardless of ability to experience positive competition, with a minimum of 25 per cent taking part regularly* over the course of the school year.
* A minimum of six opportunities per school term, based on a three term year.
National CPD Programme
The programme aims to support the implementation of the high level targets within the overall PE, Sport Strategy and Young People strategy outlined by the DCSF. The programme is designed to provide a tool for the Local Authority and PESSYP infrastructure of Specialist Sports Colleges and School Sports Partnerships to meet their aims in delivering the 5 hour offer.
Over the coming and subsequent terms, Local Delivery Agencies will be focussing their attention on meeting the professional development of teachers and others in School Sports Partnerships. SSPs have a crucial role in identifying these needs and ensuring a cohesive, strategic approach to professional development.
More information can be found at http://www.nationalpesscpd.com/ ; Contact martin.papworth@youthsporttrust.org
Disability Pathways
(Includes MSC, Multi Sport Disability Clubs, Identifying Ability Days and Competition.)
The aim of the programme is to establish a network of 450 Multi Sport Disability Clubs across SSPs. These clubs will offer a club sport experience to all young disabled pupils who are not able or do not wish to access inclusive provision. The programme will also connect four interventions which collectively aim to support the achievement of the 5 Hour Offer for young disabled people and ensure that those with a higher level of ability are identified and able to access a talent pathway. The four interventions are as follows:
• Access to the Identifying Ability CPD course delivered through LDAs.
• Multi Skill Inclusion training to support the provision of fully inclusive Multi Skills Clubs which offer competitive opportunities to those who want them.
• Training, resources and funding to support the establishment of a pan-disability Multi Sport Disability Club.
• Resources and funding to support the delivery of Ability Identification Days which promote the identification of talented young disabled people and their signposting on to County Assessment Centres delivered by CSPs.
The programme will be rolled out in phases with partnerships being identified through ‘readiness factors’. It is hoped that there will be a national network of Multi Sport Disability Clubs.
Sport Unlimited Programme Update
The Sport Unlimited work strand will provide a range of attractive and sustainable opportunities in sporting activities for Young People from the ‘semi sporty population segment’ to take part in during term time. The work strand will implement precise plans targeting Young People that are generated by County Sport Partnerships (CSPs) working at a local level in partnership with School Sport Partnerships (SSPs).
Plans will target Young People from across the segment and will include providing activities in areas of deprivation. The intention of the work strand is to link with partners from the wider ‘Young People agenda’ where effective partnership working will be important to help target and deliver in these areas.
CSPs are accountable for the delivery of the work strand. A critical role for CSPs will be to identify providers (including clubs) that offer high quality and sustainable activities for young people. There will be an emphasis on ensuring coaches selected by providers offer high quality and compelling activities to young people.
The work strand will aim to get 900,000 Children and Young People taking part in attractive and sustainable sporting activities over the delivery period 2008 to 2011.
Gifted & Talented Programmes
Gifted & Talented programmes focus not only on high achievers but also on those who show sporting potential, including pupils at risk of under achieving and those from disadvantaged areas. For more information about Gifted & Talented visit the Talent Ladder website at www.youthsporttrust.org/talent. We support schools identifying and supporting talented pupils in PE and sport, to help them to realise their full potential, both in sport and education, though a coordinated support programme.
Junior Athlete Education (JAE)
JAE is a support programme that assists School Sport Partnerships in helping their most gifted and talented young sports people manage the demands of not only their sport, but their school and social life.
The aim is to identify a young person’s needs and with the assistance of teachers, parents and coaches, give that person the opportunity to maximise their sporting potential, while reducing the conflicting demands that developing sporting talent often brings.
As well as running workshops for young people and their parents, the programme also identifies a school staff mentor to support the athlete and help them plan and balance their schedule. To maximise the sporting potential of young athletes, School Sport Partnerships often work closely with local, regional or national governing bodies of sport, clubs and associations.
Multi Skill Academies
Created for gifted and talented 8-12 year olds, Multi Skill Academies are focused on developing core skills such as movement, co-ordination, agility, body awareness and thinking skills.
Infrastructure - School Sport Partnerships
Under the new PESSYP strategy, School Sport Partnerships will remain the key driver for young people’s high quality sports opportunities within and beyond the curriculum. SSPs will retain a responsibility for increasing participation opportunities, supporting the development and delivery of high quality physical education and school sport, but will also become much more outward looking, to ensure that appropriate pathways exist, or are being developed for young people to access high quality sporting opportunities beyond the school gates. This will need to be done alongside many community partners, including local authority services, county sports partnerships, voluntary agencies and national governing bodies.
County Sports Partnerships
CSPs will play an enhanced role in the delivery of the 5 Hour Offer. CSPs will lead the delivery of the Sport Unlimited work strand in addition to their current role within the Step into Sport work strand.
National Governing Bodies
NGBs will continue to play a key role in supporting the delivery of many work strands including Club Links, Step into Sport, Competition Managers etc
Leadership and Volunteering: Step into Sport – A Direction for the Future (Step ON, Step IN, Step UP)
Programme Update
The purpose of the Step into Sport programme is to increase the quantity, quality and diversity of young people engaged in volunteering and leadership, with consequent benefits to schools, clubs, the community and the young people themselves. In essence, the Step into Sport programme is a tool which enables schools to grow young people as leaders and deploy them as active volunteers both within the school and community settings.
Step into Sport has been delivered by School Sport Partnerships and County Sports Partnerships for the past five years with some excellent results, but it is time for us to now move the programme on to another level.
The Youth Sport Trust and Sport England have worked with a number of partner agencies to develop a delivery model for Step into Sport 2008-2011 that will create the following outcomes:
• A pathway of leadership and volunteering from KS3-KS5 (aged 11-19) that starts with an introduction to leadership roles through the PE curriculum using sport education and school based volunteering and ultimately young people as community volunteers.
• A menu of National Governing Body sports specific qualifications and generic leadership qualifications that are aligned to developments in the 14-19 curriculum, including the emerging ‘Sports Diploma’.
• Effective support for young people at a local level (SSP) through the provision of Leadership Academies that will enable them to become effective school-based and community-based volunteers.
• Clear pathways that allow young people to move through from generic leadership roles into specific volunteering roles such as coaching, officiating, event volunteering, team manager/sports administration and roles within IT/media.
• A community pathway alongside the route developed through education that is in place to support young people as leaders and volunteers who are volunteering within a club setting.
Swimming
Swimming is not only a healthy activity, but acts as an essential life-skill. Unless completed at KS1, swimming and water safety are statutory activities at KS2, designed to ensure children are able to swim unaided over a distance of a least 25 m.
In 2004, the Prime Minister announced funding for a national programme of Top Up Swimming lessons to support the weakest swimmers in primary schools.
Top Up Swimming is an intervention designed to enable every child to achieve the KS2 standard in swimming at primary school. Pupils will be expected to develop the other range of skills related to the KS2 requirements, which are about general water confidence and water safety. Top Up Swimming can take different forms. School Sport Partnerships have the flexibility to determine how the programme will operate for them. Our Partnership work with Neil Bailey Swim School http://www.neilbaileyswimming.co.uk/
Olympics & Paralympics
London 2012 Legacy Update
The Youth Sport Trust is focussing on how the raised profile and interest in PE and Sport as a result of the successful London bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games, can be used to ‘turbo-charge’ its work with schools, colleges and young people.
YST has identified a number of priorities upon which to focus its London 2012 related work. These include:
• Helping schools use the Olympic and Paralympic ideals to raise whole school standards.
• Further development of work around global citizenship and language learning.
• Gifted and talented provision and support for young people.
• Leadership and volunteering – particularly event volunteering.
• International development.
Some areas of work have emerged as a direct result of the successful Olympic and Paralympic bid, such as the UK School Games, the Young Ambassador programmes and the International Inspirations programme, whilst others are being evolved and developed to respond to the inspiration and excitement that London 2012 will bring. These include adding an event volunteering strand to Step into Sport, which will help young people become involved in volunteering at local, regional and major events and undertaking a range of special projects in Sports Colleges using the Olympics and Paralympics to engage young people in learning.
YST is also working closely with key partners such as LOCOG, the British Olympic Association, British Paralympic Association and Government departments to help them develop their legacy and education programmes in the context of the school sport infrastructure and links with the PESSYP strategy.
Paralympic Handover resources and further information on how to get involved in the domestic education programme will be available at http://www.london2012.com/get-involved/education over the coming months.
In the context of regional and CSP level London 2012 legacy and engagement plans, YST is happy to provide comments on any sections that relate to young people and/or education.
Contact Andy.martin@youthsporttrust.org