PQE0050

 

Written evidence submitted by the Youth Sport Trust

 

 

About the Youth Sport Trust

 

The Youth Sport Trust (YST) is an independent charity and the leading voice of school sport and physical education (PE) in the UK. We have twenty 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.

 

Our mission is to improve both the quantity and quality of PE in schools and to inspire and engage all young people in sporting activity – whether it is to lead, coach, compete, play or volunteer.

 

 

What the purpose of education for children of all ages in England should be

 

  1. The Youth Sport Trust believes that the purpose of education should be to develop each child’s personality, talents and abilities to the fullest. The Youth Sport Trust believes that in this way children and young people can develop into individuals who can contribute to society and the economy, and respect others, all human rights, their own cultures and that of others.
  2. The Youth Sport Trust aims to build a brighter future for young people through physical education (PE) and school sport. We believe that every child and young person has a right to access high quality PE, sport and physical activity whilst at school. We recognise that education should include developing physical literacy from the earliest of ages in order to support transition into primary school, helping young people to develop fine motor skills, social skills and cognition.
  3. A wealth of research exists which demonstrates that PE and sport develop teamwork and communication skills, engage disaffected young people and promote diversity and inclusivity, allowing young people to interact in a positive context and engage with positive role models. Evidence also identifies the direct link between physical activity and improved health, wellbeing and self-esteem; that it reduces stress and promotes a sense of achievement and motivation, and that it cuts the risk of depression and ultimately boosts academic achievement.
  4. However, currently only 21 per cent of boys and 16 per cent of girls meet the minimum recommended guidelines for physical activity and only 28 per cent of pupils are members of out-of-school sports clubs and only 16 per cent of girls compete in a non-school context. It is for this reason that the curriculum offering of PE and school sport is so important. It provides powerful tools against the obstacles to a young person’s education and against those health inequalities children arrive at school with.
  5. The Youth Sport Trust would advocate that education places an increased emphasis on children’s ‘knowledge of how to keep themselves healthy, including through exercising and healthy eating’, with additional availability of physical activity opportunities before, during and after the school day, outside formal PE time.
  6. The Youth Sport Trust also believes education should make provision for the physical and emotional health and wellbeing of a child through curricular and extra-curricular activities and interventions, with a particular emphasis on healthy weight and the promotion of an understanding on mental health and emotional wellbeing.
  7. In conclusion the Youth Sport Trust advocates that PE and school sport should be a key component of the school curriculum, both to facilitate, and as an essential part of, education.

 

What measures should be used to evaluate the quality of education against this purpose

 

  1. The Youth Sport Trust believes that the opportunity to learn a rich, broad and balanced curriculum is essential to the academic, social and personal development of young people. Recently published research from Public Health England (The link between pupil health and wellbeing and attainment, 2014) and the World Health Organisation (The impact of health and health behaviours on educational outcomes in high-income countries: a review of the evidence, 2011) demonstrates the ‘significant positive impact of physical exercise on academic performance’. The valuable research identified by these peer reviews should guide the delivery and evaluation of quality education.
  2. In practice the Youth Sport Trust advocates the following measures for the delivery and evaluation of the quality of education-
  1. Early years provision

-          Play and physical activity can provide a “common language” for children, early years practitioners and parents. Education at this age should recognise that the provision of quality opportunities is paramount in supporting the growth and development of strong and healthy children. Physical development should be seen as one of the prime areas of learning and development in early years settings, and should be integral to young children’s overall progress.

-          There must be a focus on training and support for early years providers to deliver appropriate physical activity and motor development.

-          Clarity of guidance of ‘quality’ physical activity provision is required, for those practitioners working in early years settings, to support development of children as well as provide parents and carers with effective feedback, advice and support.

  1. Primary school provision

-          All young people (aged 5-11) should be entitled to five hours of high quality PE, sport and broader physical activity at school every week – including at least two hours of high quality PE per week, as part of the wider Chief Medical Officers’ recommendations for 60 active minutes a day.

-            Improvements in Initial Teacher Training are required to ensure all primary teachers are adequately prepared to teach physical education and develop physical literacy.

-          Ensure there is a ‘Curriculum Lead’ in every primary school, responsible for the PE and sport programme across the school and to ensure that  interventions to increase the levels of physical activity of the least active are embedded in the education of each year group.

-          Ofsted should provide a clear reporting and inspection framework, underpinned by an understanding of what constitutes high quality PE provision.

  1. Secondary school provision

-          All young people (aged 11-16) should be entitled to five hours of high quality PE, sport and broader physical activity at school every week – including at least two hours of high quality PE per week, as part of the wider Chief Medical Officers’ recommendations for 60 active minutes a day.

-          Secondary PE should be reshaped to ensure that more young people retain an interest in, and engagement with, sport and physical activity.  PE Departments to champion health and wellbeing in schools, with a dedicated lead for this area.

-          There should be heightened emphasis in Ofsted inspections on young people’s physical, emotional and social outcomes through high quality PE and school sport provision.

-          Clear recognition given to the role of PE and school sport in the leadership development and character education of young people.

-          As with primary provision, Ofsted to provide a clear reporting and inspection framework, underpinned by an understanding of high quality PE provision.

 

How well the current education system performs against these measures

 

  1. The Youth Sport Trust has gathered feedback, from its network of schools, on the current squeeze on the amount of time given over to those subjects not measured by Progress 8. The introduction of the new Ofsted assessment criteria for Ebacc participation will compound this pressure, compelling school leaders to devote more time to Ebacc subjects and reduce pupil’s access to subjects like physical education and sport. In those schools where currently pupils are underperforming in these core academic subjects the response required, to increase the number of pupils taking the EBacc, will be the conversion of more of the timetable to the teaching of these core subjects. This will be at the expense of other, non-Ebacc assessed subjects, deemed less educationally advantageous.
  2. The announcement of a required number of candidates to study the Ebacc subjects has resulted in schools recruiting more staff to teach these core subjects. It has also raised concerns about how schools will pay for this additional staff recruitment and retention cost. Our network of schools is informing us that further pressure on school budgets, from this recruitment cost and from National Insurance and Pension payments, has resulted in staff cuts for PE department which in turn has led to a loss of extra-curricular provision, transport to inter-school competition and employment of external coaches. This has further degraded the position of sport in schools which has resulted in an unwillingness of schools to allow students and staff the time for fixtures and off site activity.
  3. Where resources exists to retain after-school activities, reports from our network indicate that these have become sidelined, at key stage 4, to make way for top-up and revision classes as schools attempt to respond to the monitoring and assessment of pupil progress.
  4. The narrowing of the school experience in this way not only results in a weakening of pupil’s physical and mental health, but it can actually have a negative impact on their academic achievement. The loss of PE, sport and physical activity from school timetables means that young people do not have an outlet and a release from the pressures of rising expectations and heavy bias on academic achievement.
  5. Research indicates that the biggest barrier to achievement is declining pupil wellbeing and that young people are finding it increasingly difficult to achieve their outcomes due to this decline in physical and emotional wellbeing. Almost half of young people with fewer than five GCSEs graded A* to C said they ‘always’ or ‘often’ feel down or depressed compared with 30% of young people who are more qualified. In order for these young people to successfully meet the requirements of the Ebacc they will need greater support to manage and improve their emotional wellbeing.
  6. Young people who are aerobically fit achieve higher academic scores and participation in extra-curricular activities has also been shown to have a positive effect on attainment. In addition to this the growing body of UK and international research, which has found a positive association between participation in physical activity and academic performance, identifies that active young people have an improved capacity to learn. Active young people also have better attitudes to school and improvements in their psychosocial health help to create a more conducive mind-set for learning. The net result is improved academic performance.
  7. Conversely, the loss of time for PE, sport and physical activity from the timetable will have an adverse effect on pupil’s health, wellbeing, physical growth and development of healthy habits for life. Without access to regular physical activity pupils cannot benefit from its proven qualities of boosting self-esteem and promoting a sense of achievement and motivation. Increasingly young people are part of an education system that is impairing their access to the means of cutting the risk of depression by up to 30%, by limiting the time devoted to PE, sport and physical activity.
  8. The Chief Medical Officers recommendation of 60 active minutes a day in order to develop strong bones, muscles and joints, refine motor skills, strengthens the cardiovascular system and helps to maintain a healthy weight. Currently only 21 per cent of boys and 16 per cent of girls meet the minimum recommended guidelines for physical activity and only 28 per cent of pupils are members of out-of-school sports clubs and only 16 per cent of girls compete in a non-school context. It is for this reason that the curriculum offering of PE and school sport is so important. It provides powerful tools against the obstacles to a young person’s education and against those health inequalities children arrive at school with.
  9. The Youth Sport Trust advocates for a provision that ensures all children are receiving an education that is rich, broad and balanced, giving appropriate attention to all curriculum subjects, including those that are not included in school performance measures. As a consequence the Youth Sport Trust believes that all young people should be entitled to a minimum of 2 hours high quality PE each week to develop intrapersonal skills and behaviours, as well as the physical attributes and attitudes to develop health bodies, minds and habits.

 

 

 

 

January 2016