22

FEATURE

24

06

10

WELLBEING

LEADERSHIP

ACHIEVEMENT

MATs — Multi Academy Trusts or More Achieved Together in sport? How changing school structures are providing new opportunities.

It’s all about timing — how one school changed the school day to raise healthy participation in sport for all its pupils.

Are all girls really from Venus? New research that helps schools plan their offer for the needs of different groups of girls.

Tackling social mobility — how a primary school used PE and sport to turn around the behaviour, attendance and achievement of all students.

INSPIRELEADING INNOVATION IN PE AND SCHOOL SPORT

YOUTHSPORTTRUST.ORG | AUTUMN 2016 | @YOUTHSPORTTRUST YST SCHOOLSCOMMUNICATIONSPARTNER

MEMBERSHIPYST

This session looks at how schools can:

• meet the requirements of the government’s new childhood obesity plan

• develop their understanding of the evidence and research underpinning active approaches in schools

• boost wellbeing, behaviour and attendance by building physical activity into the whole school day

• introduce physical activity into the school classroom to raise concentration and application levels

This is the third event in our very popular ‘The Power of...’ CPD series. These seminars were so successful that we’re extending the Power of an Active School to primary schools too. All sessions are delivered and run across England from October 2016.

Free for Level 2 and 3 members as part of their comprehensive member benefi ts package. For Level 1 members the cost is £75.Register: membership@youthsporttrust.org Book now: www.youthsporttrust.org/poas

The Power of an Active SchoolThe Power of an Active School is a half day CPD session that will support schools to increase physical activity throughout the school day to boost health and academic achievement for their students.

SGO NATIONAL SUMMIT 2016THE SCHOOL GAMES: FOR LIFE

#SGOsummit @YouthSportTrust @YourSchoolGames

The Youth Sport Trust will be delivering the National Summit for all

School Games Organisers in Telford on Thursday 10th November.

This closed conference will bring this national network together to

share practice with colleagues and learn more about the new goals

for the School Games. If you are one of the 450 schools across

England that host a School Games Organiser please encourage

them to put the date in their diaries and sign up to the event.

@YOUTHSPORTTRUSTAUTUMN 2016

BARONESS SUE CAMPBELL CBEChair of Youth Sport Trust

WELCOME CONTENTS

04 Reflections on the foundationsfor success

06 Girls Active: valuing diversity

09 Young people deserve a gold medal

10 PE and sport turned our school around

12 Pupil turned teacher talks about the benefits of Sky Sports Living for Sport

14 Sports leadership: how do we make it relevant, accessible and meaningful?

16 The only barriers in life are the ones we put up ourselves

18 Promoting a culture of collaboration and professional dialogue

21 Membership spotlight

22 Multi-academy trusts

24 Shift in school day boosts after-school sports clubs

26 Headteacher’s thoughts

Welcome back to the autumn term, I’m delighted to introduce the autumn 2016 Inspire magazine brought to you in partnership with our school communications partner, DELL. I hope your memories of happy summer holidays have seamlessly morphed, aside the initial shock of returning to school, into excitement for the year ahead and the possibilities of what you and your colleagues can achieve with your pupils. Like me, I’m sure you will have been gripped by the record overseas medal haul for our Olympic and (hopefully) Paralympic athletes in Rio and, just as our athletes have strived for sporting success (see how we deploy their unique skills to develop students on pages 12-13), your dedication in schools will have seen your efforts rewarded in your young people’s exam results and achievements.

As schools examine their academic performance, it is important to remember PE and sport remain vital contributors to that success. Ensuring young people’s physical and emotional wellbeing will in turn ensure that they have a healthy approach to school and a successful approach to their studies. The same is true for hard working school staff. Moreover, just as schools now look forensically at their pupil progress data, we have been drilling down to understand what best engages girls in PE and sport. The results are very interesting (see pages 6-7), including what really drives girls with disabilities and those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

A new school year, just like a new set of politicians and policy makers, brings opportunities, challenges and change. At the Youth Sport Trust we will be looking to build strong relationships with new politicians and policy makers in order to represent the views of our member schools. To help schools respond to the new Childhood Obesity Plan, the Youth Sport Trust Membership will be running a series of free events for all member schools throughout the autumn and spring terms to help you focus on making your own schools more active. This will focus on the benefits of developing activities outside of lessons, developing movement in lessons, right through to active approaches to teaching

subjects themselves such as numeracy, literacy and science.

Developing young people’s character and future employability also remain a major focus for us at the Youth Sport Trust and the article on pages 14-15 looks at how sport can be used to develop young people’s leadership skills for their onward journey in life. I’m also delighted that Nottingham Girls Academy who have been working with us on our Department for Education (DfE)-funded character in PE programme - My Personal Best - won a DfE 2016 regional character award for excellent work in this area.

Regardless of the political turmoil of the summer, the direction of travel for some policies quietly continues. Multi-academy trusts continue to grow, and we take a look on pages 22-23 at how some of the larger academy chains are approaching PE and school sport across their groups. The Primary PE and Sport Premium also continues and could be doubled in 2017 as the sugar tax funding comes on stream. Strategic and sustainable use of this funding in primaries now becomes even more important.

Finally, as all of us continue on life’s own marathon, a special thank you to Tony Draper, immediate Past President of the NAHT for making us the NAHT’s charity of the year last year and for completing the London Marathon to raise money on our behalf (page 26). It was truly an amazing personal effort and one that will benefit so many young people.

On behalf of everyone at the Youth Sport Trust I wish you the very best for the coming academic year, may all your best laid plans come effortlessly to fruition!

Have you subscribed to YST News — our monthly round up of young people, health, sport and education stories, commentary and blogs? If not, head to our website to sign up: www.youthsporttrust.org

YOUTHSPORTTRUST.ORG

0405

ALISON OLIVERChief Executive Officer, Youth Sport Trust

Youth Sport Trust Chief Executive Ali Oliver considers how school leaders can use the approaches of elite sport to deliver high performance and transfer them to a school environment.

With another memorable Olympic and Paralympic Games recently coming to a close the endeavours of the world’s elite athletes are once again at the forefront of our minds.

Success or failure for a country at either Games is broadly determined by the place it finishes in the medals table and the number of gold medals it secures. With the Olympics and Paralympics finishing recently it will now be time for sports leaders to analyse the performances of their teams to fully understand where achievement was above expectation and where there is room for improvement.

There are many similarities here to the world of education, and comparisons school leaders make in terms of the performance of their own school. Over recent weeks you will have been assessing your school’s performance in relation to pupil progress, examination results and school league tables. You will be reflecting on how your results compare to previous years, identifying high performers and considering where there are opportunities to improve.

I found it interesting to ponder the approach UK Sport, the organisation responsible for supporting world

class performance, that invests National Lottery and Exchequer funding into Olympic and Paralympic sport, has taken to develop an environment for success through a robust review process. It tracks, checks, challenges and supports each funded sport on the Olympic and Paralympic journey, and by doing so ensures continuous development. This improves their ability to identify issues and find solutions before they have a negative impact on athletes’ performances.

UK Sport places significant importance on the health, wellbeing and performance of athletes; they ensure the staff, structures, processes, knowledge and expertise are of the highest level; and that a positive culture exists and is being nurtured for both staff and athletes.

By applying this approach to a school context there a number of comparisons that could be considered:

• Is the health and wellbeing of young people in your school being tracked and considered as a contributor to pupil attainment?

• How do your systems, processes and leadership underpin performance?

• Is the atmosphere, school ethos and the sense of belonging of pupils and staff strong enough to nurture potential and foster achievement?

The curriculum, teaching and learning strategies, assessment and data tracking, mentoring and coaching, and parental engagement are all common interventions. However, based on my observations, only a relatively small number of school leaders currently understand the contribution of daily physical activity, high quality PE and purposeful school sport to raising standards.

Our greatest challenge at the Youth Sport Trust is promoting PE, sport and physical activity as a legitimate and effective school improvement tool. We know there is a very direct relationship between physical, social and emotional wellbeing, readiness to learn, and achievement. Indeed a consensus statement, signed by 24 researchers from eight countries, published in the British Medical Journal in June 2016, highlighted that sport and physical activity not only helps improve children’s overall health, but lists a number of benefits to young people’s cognitive health and academic achievement. The statement recognises that physical

REFLECTIONS ON THE FOUNDATIONSFOR SUCCESS

@YOUTHSPORTTRUSTAUTUMN 2016

activity before, during and after-school promotes academic performance in children and that even a single session of moderate physical activity has an acute benefit to brain function.

So, is your school consciously addressing the health, wellbeing and physical activity of young people so that they can become high achievers in all areas of school life? The members area of our website contains a range of high quality case studies capturing the most effective strategies we have come across in our 21 years of work on this agenda. These, along with our innovative range of solutions can help you embed PE, school sport and physical activity interventions within your own school improvement plan.

We encourage schools to also consider how the pedagogy of PE and sport can be applied elsewhere in the curriculum. At the Youth Sport Trust we champion the role of PE and sport at the heart of education and the impact it can have across the school, but what does that look like in reality?

The approaches used in teaching PE can be transferred and used effectively in all areas of school life and should not be restricted to one subject area alone. In a recent Education Endowment Foundation funded project we explored the adoption of PE teaching techniques, including regular feedback loops within maths as a way of enhancing pupil progress. Equally, tactics such as cognitive warm-ups at the start of lessons (mirroring the physical warm ups we do in PE and sport), peer leadership and mentoring, and the extensive use

of group work, have all been proven to transfer to the classroom as effective teaching methods from PE and sport.

Beyond this, the context of PE and sport can be a powerful engager of pupils lacking enthusiasm or interest in specific subjects. Youth Sport Trust Business Honours Club member, Maths of the Day, has developed an online resource for use within primary schools, which uses PE and active learning as a vehicle to raise attainment in maths.

Equally, we have seen the amazing inspiration major sporting events can bring to a unit of work, a classroom or a whole school. Writing football match reports in English lessons, or examining in science how the body of an elite athlete works. The cross-curricular impact of PE and sport should not be underestimated and schools will be missing a trick if they don’t maximise such opportunities. Between 2017 and 2019 we will play host to three women’s world championships (cricket, hockey and netball). The Youth Sport Trust is partnering with the National Governing Bodies of each of these sports to deliver a powerful campaign entitled ‘TeamUp’, which will deliberately focus on a female-centred approach to team sport which is designed to engage, motivate and empower less engaged young women in education through team sport.

When considering the culture and climate of a school, PE and sport has a clear role to play in enhancing attitudes and aspirations. Ofsted’s common inspection framework sets out the expectations of schools in terms of the

personal development, behaviour and welfare of pupils. Within this inspectors should see ‘pride in achievement and commitment to learning, supported by a positive culture across the whole provider’. The scope for PE and sport to support this is unquestionable whether it be the building of positive character traits, leadership capability, awareness of personal health and safety or the development of a moral compass. In particular, school intramural sports and links to house systems can develop a sense of belonging to the school and responsibility to others. Youth Sport Trust member schools most often report to us that putting sport at the heart of their school has had its greatest impact on pupils’ sense of belonging, school ethos and pride in their school.

In closing, I want to touch on the importance of teacher wellbeing within all of this. Everything we know about young people being happier, healthier and better thinkers if they are physically active also applies to teachers. We cannot expect school staff to provide a culture of excellence and success if they are not also personally thriving in their own environment – after all, you would not expect an elite athlete to perform at their best if they did not have a motivated and engaged coach behind them.

So my final pause for thought is what investment of time and resource are we putting in to ensure there is a healthy work climate for those staff at the centre of a young person’s education journey? As a thought leading organisation, the Youth Sport Trust has identified this as a new priority for us for the future, so if you are doing any pioneering work in this area we would love to hear from you. Please contact tracey.healey@youthsporttrust.org

When you see Olympic and Paralympic athletes compete at the highest level, remember that it isn’t just the technical coaching, the hours of practice and the detailed knowledge of their event that enables them to perform at their best when it matters the most. It is a foundation of physical, social and emotional wellbeing that provides a solid platform on which everything else is built.

The academic performance of the young people in your care is exactly the same just as Maslow theorised back in 1943, we all have a hierarchy of needs on which self-actualisation is built – together lets ensure the most basic of needs aren’t forgotten in the frantic quest for exam success.

YOUTHSPORTTRUST.ORG

When it comes to engaging more adolescent girls in PE and sport there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. All girls are different, and understanding their different motivations and barriers is an essential ingredient in developing a relevant and attractive PE and sport offer.

As part of the Youth Sport Trust’s Girls Active programme, funded by Sport England and delivered in partnership with Women in Sport, participating schools have undertaken questionnaires with girls in Key Stages 3 and 4, resulting in individual school reports and a unique national insight into the attitudes of 10,000 girls towards PE, sport and physical activity. This survey has enabled us to gain a better understanding not only of teenage girls generally but also the differences in motivations between the groups surveyed, including very low activity girls, girls with disabilities, and girls from BAME communities. For example:

30% of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) girls say their school work is more important than sport and physical activity compared to 20% of other girls.

There is a large unmet demand among all girls for leadership roles but significantly more BAME (59%) girls indicate they would like to take on these responsibilities.

25% more black girls are motivated by competition than other girls.

Over a third more girls with a disability would like to be grouped by friendship group in PE.

49% of girls with a disability feel strongly they would like a say in the activities they do in PE and after-school clubs compared to only 39% of non-disabled girls.

Just 24% of the least active girls feel their school encourages them to take part in PE and sport.

21% of Key Stage 4 girls don’t like the activities on offer in PE, compared to 14% of Key Stage 3 girls.

When it comes to PE and sport, all girls are different. The Youth Sport Trust’s Ali Goodall looks at the results of our new Girls Active survey which provides insight into what motivates girls with disabilities and girls with different Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. We see how three schools have used this insight to better engage all their girls in PE and sport.

GIRLS ACTIVE: VALUING DIVERSITY

0607

ALI GOODALLResearch and Development – Inclusion and Diversity

@YOUTHSPORTTRUSTAUTUMN 2016

For more information or to sign up to Girls Active please visit: www.youthsporttrust.org/girls-active

While it is important not to make assumptions about the motivations of individual girls based on national statistics, by understanding and valuing the differences between groups, schools can and have developed tailored approaches to engaging less active girls.

Al Sadiq and Al Zahra Islamic Faith Independent School identified that their girls didn’t see the relevance of PE and sport to their lives, but that both the girls and the school’s senior leadership team would be motivated by leadership through sport.

Through Girls Active they were able to access a Youth Sport Trust Girls Lead the Field (GLTF) event for academic high achieving girls to develop their leadership skills, with help from an inspiring athlete mentor, leadership and team building activities and a follow-up sports leadership project to be run by the girls for other girls.

The results were inspiring with all the girls indicating they had increased their confidence, self-belief, empathy, team work, leadership skills and creativity as a result of the day. Their PE teacher Shabana Khatau said: “We are so looking forward to what happens next — all the girls are really excited.”

She added: “Girls Active and now Girls Lead The Field is making a huge impact on raising awareness of how important PE is.”

Slated Row Special School in Buckinghamshire recognised the potential of using student voice and leadership to gain commitment to PE and sport and increase student confidence. Through both the Young Ambassador Peer Leader and Girls Active programmes their girls have accessed new experiences through sport and boosted their confidence and self-esteem. After attending the residential Girls Active Camp, the girls said: “It was a great experience”, “when I had no confidence I couldn’t do that. But now I can run a group on my own” and “I felt good when I did the assembly. I don’t like standing in front of the whole school. I felt really positive about that”.

Heathland School in Hounslow has a high proportion of BAME students and recognised that many of their girls did not feel encouraged to take part in sport by their families, particularly their male relatives. Their solution was to create a dads and daughters event in the summer by inviting dads, brothers and uncles to take part in an evening of sports activities with their daughters. The badminton was so successful and enjoyable that a new after-school club was set up which regularly sees excellent numbers of girls who do not normally take part in extra-curricular sport.

The PE department is now working with their Girls Active Girls Leadership and Marketing Squad — a group of female

students who meet regularly to improve the participation of girls in physical activity - to develop a similar event for their feeder primary year 5 girls and their families to promote the value of PE and sport to girls, while supporting transition to secondary school.

Girls Active starts with the premise that when it comes to a lack of engagement in PE and sport, girls are not the problem, but the solution. By working with girls to identify the precise reasons why they feel uncomfortable about engaging fully and discovering the key drivers for taking part in any activity, their ideas can be a source of inspiration.

We are so looking forward to what happens next — all the girls are really excited...

Girls Active and now Girls Lead the Field is making a huge impact on raising awareness of how important PE is.”

Shabana Khatau teacher

YOUTHSPORTTRUST.ORG

“A high quality entry-level wheelchair that will help make a wide variety of sports accessible to young people.”

• Made in Britain

• Designed for disabled and non-disabled young people

• Stylish, lightweight & robust

• Available in 4 sizes and colours

• Suitable for Wheelchair Basketball, Tennis, Badminton and Boccia

BUY ONLINE £450(excl. VAT)

Tim Hollingsworth CEO of British Paralympic Association

youthsportdirect.org/multisportwheelchair

click & collect | matalan.co.uk

Sporting Promise is a partnership between

Matalan and the Youth Sport Trust

@YOUTHSPORTTRUSTAUTUMN 2016

HANNAH COCKCROFT MBET34 Paralympic wheelchair racer

09

By the time you read this I should be in Rio making my final preparations for the Paralympic Games. That is if everything has gone to plan! It has been another hard four years of commitment, sacrifice and tough decisions as I make sure nothing is overlooked in my quest to win Paralympic gold.

As an elite athlete you have to be confident in your ability, resilient when faced with injuries or other challenges, and understand how to perform at your best, especially when you are placed in high pressure and highly stressful situations. Believe me, when the media spotlight is on you and waiting to see your performance you can certainly feel it.

I am driven by a desire to be the very best and since becoming an ambassador for the Youth Sport Trust and visiting schools around the country, I have seen this same desire and determination in many young people. They are aiming for their personal best in school and life but, let’s be honest, school life can be tough and can come with all sorts of pressure.

It is interesting to see that the Youth Sport Trust, supported by Young Minds, has developed an innovative programme — Get to the Start Line — which supports

young people to manage their stress as they approach their exams.

Get to the Start Line draws on the experiences of elite sportspeople who have to manage pressure to be able to perform at their peak. Inspirational athlete mentors work with the selected young people and share a range of techniques that alleviate stress and enable individuals to perform at their best. The programme also encourages young people to participate in physical activity and adopt other healthy lifestyle habits — such as eating well, sleeping well and relaxing — to improve their emotional wellbeing.

A worrying number of young people are dealing with mental health issues as a result of prolonged stress. School and life become increasingly stressful as young people prepare for exams for example Key Stage 2 SATs or GCSEs. While this affects most young people, Get to the Start Line particularly targets those young people who are beginning to show signs of difficulty in managing that pressure. By supporting these young people early in the run up to their final exams, it enables them to manage their stress rather than struggle with distress.

Hannah Cockroft is a Paralympic gold medallist and an ambassador for the Youth Sport Trust. This month she is going for gold at the Paralympics in Rio and here she reflects on the similarities between performing at the highest level of sport and achievement in school life.

YOUNG PEOPLE DESERVE A GOLD MEDAL

For more information on Get to the Start Line please visit: www.youthsporttrust.org/get-start-line

So as I make final preparations for the Paralympics my stress levels will be increasing and my anxiety will be greater than ever. I know I have to overcome this to be the best and I hope that young people who feel the same way about their own challenges in life can do the same and win their own gold medal.

YOUTHSPORTTRUST.ORG

West Heath Primary School is a larger than average primary school that has used PE and sport to move from being in special measures to being rated as good by Ofsted in just over two years. PE Coordinator Adam Hooper reveals how they did it.

PE AND SPORT TURNED OUR SCHOOL AROUNDADAM HOOPER

PE Coordinator, West Heath Primary School

1011

WEST HEATH PRIMARY SCHOOL USED PE AND SPORT TO:

Improve behaviour — exclusion rates are now at zero whereas previously they have been at 10 times the national average.

Improve attendance — attendance has improved from 91% to 97%. Persistent absence has been reduced from 12.6% to 2.8%.

Change the mindset of pupils so they have a ‘can-do’ attitude.

Instil key values — creating sociable, honest, understanding pupils.

Raise levels of attainment — writing and maths scores have improved from 54% to 76%.

@YOUTHSPORTTRUSTAUTUMN 2016

In November 2013 West Heath Primary School was in a difficult place. The school had very poor attendance and attainment and was placed in special measures, it was a challenging time for everyone concerned. However, under the guidance of a new headteacher the school has completely changed its approach and PE and sport has become one of the school’s key curriculum drivers. The school is now rated as good by Ofsted and has ambitions to become outstanding.

At West Heath we aim to instil an ethos that with hard work and determination, children can achieve whatever they set their hearts and minds to. We want to inspire pupils to be the best they can possibly be and we believe that competition and sportsmanship develop confidence and key skills such as leadership, co-operation and communication. These are all skills that are required to be an active and responsible citizen who can contribute positively to society.

The turnaround of the school has been an interesting journey with a wide variety of factors contributing to our success. We have used our PE and Sport Premium funding to design a new PE curriculum and new assessment procedures, while also investing in extra-curricular activities. We design lessons where PE permeates cross-curricular links and core subjects and topics are integrated into PE lessons where appropriate. Importantly, we also designate time for

To find out more information please visit: www.youthsporttrust.org/primary-schools

teachers to observe their children in the PE environment and make comparisons with pupil motivation in class.

West Heath School has above average numbers of pupils with special educational needs and/or disability (SEND) and it has been important for us to provide specialist clubs to ensure all young people have the opportunity to take part in sporting activities. Sports coaches and a specialist teacher run most of our extra-curricular activities and members of staff also contribute to our enrichment programme. Currently we have more than 20 after-school clubs in addition to our lunch time provision, wrap around care and holiday programme. To promote inclusion at the school we also signed up to the Sainsbury’s Active Kids Paralympic Challenge which encourages young people to learn more about Paralympic sports and try them out, using the free equipment that comes with the programme.

Our journey out of special measures has also included us becoming involved in the School Games. The school now regularly participates in local competitions and has qualified for Level 3 winter and summer events. Multiple teams are run across a range of sports in order to provide as many young people as possible the chance to compete.

The variety of our school sport offer is something that was acknowledged by Ofsted in our report in June last year. It stated that:

The primary school sports funding is used well, and physical education and sport are strengths of the school. Most pupils take part in physical activity or represent one of the many school teams for boys and girls that include rugby, football, netball, gymnastics, athletics and cross country. Pupils’ physical skills are improving.”

So what is next for us? Well, we are determined to continue to build on the excellent foundations that PE and sport have given us and we have big ambitions to become an outstanding school. We want to inspire our girls to lead an active, healthy lifestyle through a new club, and we want to use sport to engage our community further through encouraging parents to engage in sport with their children. We also want to create some high quality club links in order to be able to signpost our children to the best community programme or, alternatively, establish our own. All of this for a school that in November 2013 was put in special measures. It has been quite some turnaround.

YOUTHSPORTTRUST.ORG

Jamie Turley, former Sky Sports Living for Sport participant, Young Ambassador, and pupil-turned-teacher at Prestatyn High School in Denbighshire has been crowned Sky Sports Living for Sport Teacher of the Year for Wales. Here he talks about the positive impact that the initiative has had on him as an individual and the students within his school, and how Sky Sports Living for Sport projects can really help transform secondary schools. Sky Sports Living for Sport is part of Sky Academy and is delivered in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust

PUPIL TURNED TEACHER TALKS ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF SKY SPORTS LIVING FOR SPORT

1213

JAMIE TURLEYActive Young People Officer, Prestatyn High School

@YOUTHSPORTTRUSTAUTUMN 2016

I’ve had a truly unique experience of the Sky Sports Living for Sport programme, having benefitted from it on both sides of the fence; as a student at Prestatyn High School and now as the Active Young People Officer and trainee PE teacher at the school.

Currently in my final year of PE teacher training, I feel I am a far cry away from my days in sixth form when – like many young people as they approach the end of their school years – I was troubled by my lack of direction and wondered where my future was going.

This changed when my PE teacher at the time, John Ellis, encouraged me to take part in the Sky Sports Living for Sport programme. The initiative uses sport to help young people build practical skills and experience like teamwork and confidence, with a team of Athlete Mentors working directly with students in schools to inspire them and help them to achieve their best. Despite my confidence issues, I felt that I should give it a go.

The more I worked on the project, the more my confidence grew and I felt able not only to plan my future but to see that my love of sport could be a part of it. With the support of my PE teacher, the headteacher, and the school’s sports council, I became a Young Ambassador and together we drove the programme forward to support other young people in need of some extra help.

One of the highlights as a Young Ambassador was working with Sky Sports Living for Sport Athlete Mentor Daniel Caines – former Great Britain 4x400m world champion - who continues to inspire me and my students with his own stories of how he rose to success.

There is something about meeting professional sportsmen and women that is truly inspiring. The ‘triumph over adversity’ stories, those personal as well as team endeavours to be the best they can; it’s infectious and rubs off on those they meet. This is central to the founding principles of Sky Sports Living for Sport - the belief that sport has the power to transform young people’s lives, and aims to help them build practical skills and self confidence.

Being awarded Sky Sport Living for Sport Teacher of the Year for Wales is hugely rewarding and a great honour but it is really the culmination of a great team effort of all those who have supported me on my journey, as well as the fantastic pupils we’ve worked with on a number of projects. These have ranged from smaller group sessions through to large-scale events which involve the whole school.

One of the joys of the Sky Sports Living for Sport programme is the flexibility in how we can work with our Athlete Mentors, and use sports themes in other areas of the curriculum. In July we ran an event inspired by the Rio Olympics and Paralympics with 1200 pupils taking part in a variety of experiences alongside the Sky Sports Living for Sport Athlete Mentors. In-line skater Jenna Downing, athlete Vernon Samuels, and Welsh rugby player Philippa Tuttiett held an athletes’ assembly to talk about their experience of sport before helping the students take part in activities with an Olympic and Paralympic theme. The day included demonstrations from local sports clubs invited to showcase various sports for the students to try out.

The Rio day not only celebrated enthusiasm for sport, but used the themes of Brazil, the Olympics and Paralympics to encourage learning in a number of areas of the curriculum, such as Brazilian arts and drumming workshops, sessions on the Olympic and Paralympic values and learning about this year’s refugee team.

To get involved or to find out more about the winners visit: www.skysports.com/livingforsport

Groups of students acted as reporters on the day, and produced a special newspaper as a thank you to the Athlete Mentors.

We feel it’s important to show our appreciation of our Athlete Mentors as they really go the extra mile to change the lives of our students in a way that goes beyond sport in terms of teamwork, raising ambitions, self belief and mental toughness and encouraging our students to be the best they can be in all areas of life.

THE AWARDS AND THE WINNERS

Sky Sport Living for Sport is part of Sky Academy, and delivered in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust. It uses sport to help young people build practical skills and experience like teamwork and confidence. It’s free and thousands of secondary schools across the UK and Ireland are taking part every year.

The Sky Sports Living for Sport Awards are run annually to recognise young people and teachers who have participated in the programme in a particularly fun and engaging way.

Throughout the summer term 2016, Sky Academy Ambassadors travelled the UK and Ireland to surprise winners with their awards.

The first surprise award went to Natalie Wilsher who was named the Sky Sports Living for Sport Teacher of the Year when Thierry Henry surprised her with the award live on Sky Sports News HQ. The final award presented by Jessica Ennis-Hill, who took time out of her Olympic training for the surprise, went to Christopher Badger as Student of the Year for England.

The winners who also received surprise visits were:

• Glesni Tegid — Student of the Year Wales, presented by Darren Campbell

• Shea Donnelly — Student of the Year Northern Ireland, presented by Nick Dougherty and Graeme McDowell

• Abbie McCallum — Student of the Year Scotland, presented by Sir Chris Hoy

• Patrick Fu — Student of the Year Republic of Ireland, presented by Katie Taylor

• Kirk Hallam Community Academy students — Project of the Year Award — presented by Jonny Wilkinson

Teacher of the Year awards also went to:

• Gillian Poole — Northern Ireland

• Brendan O’Malley — Republic of Ireland

• Chris Forber — Scotland

• Jamie Turley — Wales

YOUTHSPORTTRUST.ORG

As schools continue to develop their students’ leadership skills within and outside the curriculum, the Youth Sport Trust’s Ella Ferguson looks at how youth sport leadership can support young people to maximise their leadership potential.

ELLA FERGUSONDevelopment Manager, Youth Sport Trust

SPORTS LEADERSHIP: HOW DO WE MAKE IT RELEVANT, ACCESSIBLE AND MEANINGFUL?

1415

Leadership skills are often referred to as an essential ingredient contributing to young people’s success beyond school; PE and school sport provides a unique platform to learn and develop these essential leadership skills. Schools can therefore play a fundamental role in ensuring that the planning of leadership opportunities, the delivery of training, and the opportunity for reflection, are all appropriate and accessible for all young people aged 5-18.

The Youth Sport Trust has invested in youth leadership for over 20 years recognising and celebrating the potential that all young people have to lead and contribute to society. When trying to develop and define leadership we consider two types:

1. TAKING LEADERSHIP ROLES: This is when young people are given positions of responsibility, such as a sports team captain, school monitor, class representative etc. Where an organisation grants the individual the role, giving them duties and authority.

2. TAKING A LEAD: This is when an individual takes responsibility for trying to improve something they care about, either by themselves or through shared leadership with others. This might include setting up a club or group, social activism and campaigning, or volunteering. It might also mean making personal choices around self-improvement, like pursuing an interest.

@YOUTHSPORTTRUSTAUTUMN 2016

For more information please visit: www.youthsporttrust.org/LCV

LEA

RN

ING

TH

RO

UG

H P

E, S

PO

RT

AN

D P

HY

SIC

AL

AC

TIV

ITY

LEA

RN

ING

IN

PE

, SP

OR

T A

ND

PH

YSI

CA

L A

CT

IVIT

Y

The latter is often associated with students who are self-starters and stand out to other pupils and teachers as natural leaders. It is also often the case that these young people are then naturally awarded future leadership roles. Our challenge is how we support more young people to take the lead and encourage schools and practitioners to be more inclusive in awarding and creating leadership roles that are more appealing and appropriate for all young people.

The Youth Sport Trust Leadership Ladder is a framework for schools illustrating the importance of a clear and inclusive leadership pathway. The framework is built upon the foundation that all young people have the opportunity to learn to lead in the curriculum. This we believe equips young people with the confidence and aspiration to take on leadership roles and to take the lead.

Throughout the remaining upper stages of the framework young people should be supported to take on additional responsibility, given a platform to influence others and in some cases move into workforce specific roles, for example as a coach, official or club committee member. At each stage of the framework training and deployment opportunities are identified, allowing young people to apply their learning in a practical setting. In many cases this is through the act of volunteering, which has more recently been referred to as Youth Social Action.

Research shows 67% of employers report that entry level candidates that have volunteering experience demonstrate more employability skills than others, including strong teamwork, communication and community understanding (CIPD, 2015). OfSTED also place emphasis on the ‘need for schools and colleges to provide a curriculum rich in personal development to enable children and young people to contribute to wider society and life in modern Britain’ (Sir Michael Wilshaw, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, OfSTED). Both highlight the valuable role of leadership and social action in successfully developing today’s young people.

For young people who are involved in Youth Social Action, schools and colleges are the most common routes to get involved; with 74% saying they got involved in this way (Youth Social Action in the UK, IPSOS Mori). Through Youth Sport Trust membership we have developed multiple solutions to support teachers and school sport practitioners to develop leadership pathways in sport which address local need and provision. In the IPSOS Mori report it was also highlighted 41% of non-participants said getting involved in youth social action had never occurred to them or they don’t know how to get involved in it.

“At the start of my journey I never thought becoming a leader would be on the cards for me, but after being chosen by my peers and teachers I realised I had some potential.” Comberton Village College Student (Leadership, Coaching and Volunteering Lead School)

Our focus in the coming year is to challenge and support practitioners to create relevant and meaningful leadership opportunities. Leading the way in this work is the Youth Sport Trust Leadership, Coaching and Volunteering (LCV) Lead Schools who are beacons of best practice; delivering, empowering and advocating the importance of leadership at a local level.

Through the support of the LCV school, Westcroft Specialist Sport College in Wolverhampton, Colton Hill School hosted an English as an Additional Language (EAL) Leadership one day camp for 49 pupils from 17 different nationalities. This unique day brought together schools from across the county to empower and up-skill their young people to feel confident to take on a leadership role. Where previous provision had not existed, this camp will support young people to access both curriculum and extracurricular leadership opportunities.

Don’t miss the opportunity to apply for new leadership, coaching and officiating projects during the programme sign up window launching on 19 September.

INFLUENCING AND ADVISING

LEADING AND MENTORING

LEADING PARTICIPANTS

LEARNING TO LEAD

DE

VE

LOP

ING

IN

A

WO

RK

FO

RC

E R

OLE

YOUTH SPORT TRUST LEADERSHIP LADDER

YOUTHSPORTTRUST.ORG

For more information please visit: www.youthsporttrust.org/Inclusion-Schools

Peter Harding has always been very sporty and growing up he especially loved football and handball, he was on a national young talent development pathway for both. In 2012, he had just turned 15 when his life was suddenly changed forever because of a brain injury that left him unable to walk, talk, eat or drink. He does not remember much from that fateful evening, he had an accident at home and his heart had stopped. His mum found him and tried everything she could to get his heart started. In his eyes, she is his role model for being the person who saved his life.

He was in an induced coma in intensive care and his sporting career was bought to a halt, but once in recovery his football coach came to visit him and set him the target of being on the bench for his team. Peter achieved this later that year and was a sub on the bench in case his team needed him.

He tried playing with the 1st team again but felt unable to keep up,

PETER HARDING Surrey Young Role Model

The Youth Sport Trust works with a national network of 60 Inclusion Schools across counties in England. These Lead Inclusion Schools work on a Department for Education-funded project called Project Ability, which supports teachers, School Games Organisers and young people to be inclusive of those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in their PE and sport provision. Each county has selected a young role model who works alongside an athlete mentor to tell their own story to inspire their peers. Peter Harding was selected as the Surrey Young Role Model.

16 THE ONLY BARRIERS IN LIFE ARE THE ONES WE PUT UP OURSELVES

it was a tough time for Peter; he joined the 2nd team while trying to understand why his body was not reacting how he expected it to or how it used to; especially in terms of his spatial awareness and balance.

Later that year, the London 2012 Paralympics took place and his mum got tickets for the Cerebral Palsy and Brain Injury football. Peter loved that he could relate to a lot of the players and afterwards contacted Chelsea Football Foundation. After a successful trial, he has now represented South East England and Chelsea in International tournaments. When at the Camp Nou in Barcelona for an event, he got to high-five football icon Lionel Messi in the middle of the pitch.

Through the work of our Youth Sport Trust Lead Inclusion Schools, Peter was selected as the Surrey Young Role Model for their Step into Sport Inclusive Leadership Day. He was mentored by Changing Lives Athlete Mentor, Toby Garbett, who

helped him to share his story with other pupils. Additionally, Peter has recently set up his own campaign called ‘Why Can’t We?’ to raise the awareness of disability sport.

Peter believes in the power of sport, if you love something you shouldn’t let anything stand in your way. In May this year, he told his story at the Youth Sport Trust National Lead School Conference. He asked the audience to “please ask yourselves about how you would have reacted if you were me or how you could support someone in my situation. My life did not go down the road I expected but instead allowed me to experience new opportunities I would not have had before”.

YST Ability has given Peter the opportunity to access more sport, competition, volunteering and has given him confidence in his own ability to speak in public to inspire other young people to see that the only barriers in life are the ones we put up ourselves.

AUTUMN 2016 @YOUTHSPORTTRUST

the online planning and assessment tool

Upload classes and input activities to start tracking the progress of your pupils in physical education ALL FOR FREE!

Features:

• Access to the Skills2Achieve platform

• Upload unlimited classes

• Input activity results for all pupils and classes

• Create up to three extra-curricular clubs

• Access pupil and parent logins

• View example reporting features

Register at visit www.skills2achieve.org/lite/about

FREE ACCESS TO

MEMBER DISCOUNT*

CLAIM YOURYOUTH SPORT TRUST

EARLY YEARS PHYSICAL EDUCATION SPORT HEALTH & WELLBEING

www.youthsportdirect.org

High quality and great value products to aid delivery of physical activity and sport in your school.Contact membership@youthsporttrust.org for your discount code.

W: YOUTHSPORTDIRECT.ORG / T: 01509 226624

*Discount dependent on level of membership. *Discount not applicable to Level 1 members.

YOUTHSPORTTRUST.ORG

The Youth Sport Trust Innovation School Network was set up in 2015 to improve teachers’ ability to research and evaluate the impact of their own practice in PE and sport. Ali Sturla looks at how schools approached their research into how their PE and sport based interventions can raise achievement and outcomes across school and shares the findings of one of the schools involved.

PROMOTING A CULTURE OF COLLABORATION AND PROFESSIONAL DIALOGUE

In June 2015, around 60 schools from across the United Kingdom came together with colleagues from the Youth Sport Trust and project partners, Exeter University to develop a series of research questions that measured the impact of innovations in PE, sport and physical activity on outcomes for health, employability skills and the academic attainment of vulnerable groups of young people. The analogy of ‘better questions give better answers’ was at the heart of these conversations — time spent struggling with a precisely defined question with an appropriate scale and scope has led to far more reliable outcomes.

One year later, schools began to share their findings, looking at both the process of innovation and the impact of these innovations on teachers and students. All schools used the same format — a single-sided ‘poster presentation’ commonly adopted by university researchers as a way of presenting information succinctly and effectively to other practitioners.

The Innovation School Network sees a new way of looking at professional development — instead of relying on outside expertise, schools are

ALI STURLA Development Manager, Youth Sport Trust

1819

developing their own teachers as researchers. They have done this with the light touch support of the Youth Sport Trust providing opportunities for joint practice development via workshops and webinars. This is a far more sustainable, cost effective and powerful approach to the crucial question of ‘what works?’ It recognises that there is no silver bullet to improving outcomes for young people, and that what works in one context may not work in another. It also recognises the fact that the quality of implementation is at least as important as the innovation itself. Greater rigour in developing the research question and more collaboration in developing the innovation itself should, therefore, lead to greater impact.

The Youth Sport Trust is placing increased emphasis on thought leadership — taking the very best of what is happening in the most innovative schools and attempting to embed it system wide, whether it be through campaigning and advocacy, developing new programmes and resources or influencing policy. If you would like to be part of our thought leadership movement, we are looking for bold and creative schools and practitioners to join our innovation school network.

@YOUTHSPORTTRUSTAUTUMN 2016

For more information or to attend our Innovation Schools Network Event on 10 October 2016 please contact alison.sturla@youthsporttrust.org

INNOVATION SCHOOL CASE STUDY — HUNTER’S BAR JUNIOR SCHOOL, SHEFFIELD PAUL RYAN AND JACK GOODHAND

INTRODUCTION

We observed anecdotal evidence that the children at Hunter’s Bar were very engaged and motivated to improve in PE. We wanted to look more carefully at why our Year 6 learners engaged with the editing and improving process in PE and sport but not in other curriculum areas.

We set ourselves the research topic — could these techniques for pupils’ self and peer evaluation in PE be readily transferred to writing in order to improve pupils’ attitudes to editing and improving their written work?

INNOVATION

We introduced our intervention by doing the following;

• Introducing a common language of improvement across all curriculum areas

• Making explicit links between improvement in PE/sport and other curriculum areas

• Using ICT as a hook (using the same software and apps for coaching writing as for coaching in PE)

• Team taught lessons and modelling showing that PE editing and improving skills can also apply across the curriculum

• Linking success in writing to sporting success (bronze, silver, gold and PB).

DATA COLLECTION METHODS

We looked at various ‘off the shelf’ attitudinal surveys and questionnaires and chose ‘Thinking About Myself as a Writer’, subsequently editing it to use a common language that our children would understand. We also constructed a new section to include students’ self efficacy scores for improving their writing. The survey was conducted in three classes prior to an innovation taking place in one of the classes and we tested the process again three months later.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Looking at the graphs in figure 1, we saw a marked increase in positive attitudes to ‘editing and improving writing’ in the innovation class compared to the control groups. In ‘thinking about myself as a writer’ we again saw improvements in the groups where we used PE improvement techniques but to a lesser scale against one of the control groups.

Many vulnerable learners made a significant increase (+30%) in their self efficacy towards writing regardless of the innovation, suggesting a strong/positive focus towards writing in Year 6 has been beneficial. The target group (J11) made the most improvement in their overall scores, suggesting that the innovation strategy of using improvement techniques used in PE had a positive impact on children’s attitudes towards editing and improving their writing skills. Notably boys in the target group demonstrated a greater improvement than girls (Boys; 9.6 increase, Girls; 5.9 increase) so this is an area we might investigate further in the future.

Children’s attitudes when writing

Children’s attitude in PE

PRE INNOVATION SCORE

POST INNOVATION SCORE

THINKING ABOUT MYSELF AS A WRITER

CLASSES

J10CONTROL

J12CONTROL

J11TARGET

SELF

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SCO

RE

225

220

215

210

205

240

235

230

Fig.2

ATTITUDES TOWARDS EDITING AND IMPROVING WRITING

CLASSESFig.1

J10CONTROL

J12CONTROL

J11TARGET

SELF

ASS

ESSM

ENT

SCO

RE

72

70

68

66

64

78

76

74

It’s time for your adventure.Come to an Open day.

gre.ac.uk/opendays

Come along to one of our campuses at Greenwich, Avery Hillor Medway and talk to the academics who teach the subject you are interested in. See the facilities, learn about student support and hear about student life.

Visit us to fi nd out more:

Saturday 8 October, 10-3pm

Saturday 19 November 10-3pm

0333 321 2106 www.pgl.co.uk schools@pgl.co.uk

To realise the insidego outside

Courses for KS2◾ Multi-Activity – over 50 adventure activities at 14 residential centres in the UK◾ UK Explorer – activities and excursion-based trips◾ Primary to Secondary Transition – building confidence to deal with change◾ Discover More – activity and subject-based courses◾ French Language and Culture in northern France

Courses for KS3 & 4◾ Multi-Activity – fun and challenging activities at 14 residential centres in the UK◾ Year Group Bonding – build confidence through adventure◾ Revision Weekends - study complemented by adventure activities◾ Sports Weekends – netball, football coaching, street dance and cheerleading◾ Field Studies & Study Courses – curriculum-based outdoor learning◾ French Language and Culture in northern France◾ Watersports and Adventure in southern France and Spain◾ Skiing and Snowboarding in Europe and the USA

Bring out the best in your students with a PGL adventure course.

AUTUMN 2016 @YOUTHSPORTTRUST

Dominic Judge takes a look at Youth Sport Trust schools in the news, the influencing we have been undertaking on your behalf, and your members’ offer and calendar for the months ahead.

To find out more, please visit: www.youthsporttrust.org

DOMINIC JUDGEAssistant Director, Youth Sport Trust

21MEMBERSHIPSPOTLIGHT

LOOKING AHEAD SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2016

All member schools will have an opportunity in September to express interest in receiving priority access to Youth Sport Trust national programmes. Please look out for further information and ensure you maximise the opportunities available to you as Youth Sport Trust members.

WEDNESDAY 1 MARCH 2017

Save the date in your school calendars now for the Youth Sport Trust 2017 Conference at the Rioch Arena, Coventry. Level 3 Youth Sport Trust members will have a free place as part of your existing membership package. We look forward to seeing you there!

YOUR MEMBERSHIP AND LOOKING AHEAD

We have listened to members and have worked very hard on a compelling membership offer for all schools this year. The 2016/17 membership offer has been deliberately designed to support and add value to the work that you are doing locally. As your national PE and school sport partner we want to ensure our membership offers your school quality and challenges you to really enhance your PE, school sport and physical activity provision. We have a brand new membership CPD brochure highlighting popular courses on active numeracy and active literacy, and we would encourage all members to visit www.youthsporttrust.org to find out more about all the member benefits available.

Between October 2016 and June 2017, level two and three member schools will be able to enjoy some cutting edge professional learning through our national CPD seminar ‘The Power of an Active School’. The greatest barrier to achievement in schools is the declining physical and emotional wellbeing of young people. Increased daily physical activity will improve the physical, social and emotional health and wellbeing of young people and can improve their attainment and achievement. In this seminar we will show schools how to reduce sedentary behaviour and embed increased physical activity into the culture and structure of the school day. Look out for more information about your local seminar through your membership newsletter, or visit www.youthsporttrust.org/POAS.

YOUTH SPORT TRUST SCHOOLS IN THE NEWS

Congratulations to Woodlea Junior School in Lancashire and Phillimore Junior School in Sheffield who are the respective winners of the main Sainsburys’ Active Kids Paralympic Challenge prizes. Woodlea will be taking some pupils to the Paralympics in Rio in September and Phillimore will be having a major playground re-development – look out for a special feature article in the next edition of INSPIRE!

Congratulations also to Nottingham Girls Academy, part of the Greenwood Academies Trust. The school was part of the Youth Sport Trust’s My Personal Best pilot programme this year, funded by a Department for Education character grant. Through the great work of Head of PE Vicky Henderson, the school won the East Midlands DfE Character Education award, and were presented with their award by Edward Timpson at the Association for Character Education’s annual conference in Birmingham in June.

Finally, congratulations to Derek Peaple from Park House School who narrowly missed out on the TES ‘Headteacher of the year’ award. Park House in Newbury are now one of the top 100 non-selective schools in the country for GCSE results, an improvement Derek primarily puts down to using sport as a vehicle for positive change across the whole school.

YOUTH SPORT TRUST INFLUENCING FOR MEMBER SCHOOLS

We continue to represent Youth Sport Trust member schools with policy makers. This includes pushing for the sound and sustainable use of the Primary PE and Sport Premium, excellent transition between primary and secondary schools and for the place of PE in the secondary curriculum. Three of our Headteacher Ambassadors from our member schools attended a round table on the childhood obesity strategy at No 10, making the case for coherent Ofsted oversight of PE and school sport and supporting innovation in schools. A number of our London Heateacher Alliance heads also met with the Mayor’s office to discuss potential plans for PE and Sport in London.

YOUTHSPORTTRUST.ORG

2223

PE AND SCHOOL SPORT IN MULTI-ACADEMY TRUSTS

As the Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) model of school structure continues to gather pace, Dominic Judge takes a look at how these groups of schools are using their varied size and structures to adopt new approaches to PE and sport.

DOMINIC JUDGEAssistant Director, Youth Sport Trust

@YOUTHSPORTTRUSTAUTUMN 2016

For more information or to access our new PE and sport in MATs guide, please contact lisa.burgoyne@youthsporttrust.org

So, in this rapidly changing school landscape what does this move to establishing more MATs mean for curriculum PE and school sport? The Youth Sport Trust has worked closely with both large academy chains and smaller, local MATs over the last few years and have seen how these groups of schools are starting to look innovatively at their MAT-wide approaches to PE and sport.

Some MATs are seeing sport and the arts as enrichment activities for all and others are prioritising sporting excellence in itself, some are doing both. Interestingly, all see PE and sport as making a vital contribution to raising achievement across their challenging schools and many are making it a fundamental pillar of their school improvement strategy.

Opportunities of the MAT model fall into several broad areas:

INCREASED BUYING POWER

The procurement opportunities of buying kit and equipment at scale are substantial. Some larger MATs serving disadvantaged communities are using their economies of scale to provide PE and sport kit and ensure strong participation from their most disadvantaged pupils.

ALL THROUGH (0-18) OPPORTUNITIES AND TRANSITION

A growing number of MATs are becoming 0-18 or 4-18 institutions, responsible for the education of children for their full school journey. Some are using this opportunity to provide a sporting ‘passport’ (or a wider enrichment passport of activities/opportunities), that allows them to design and offer sporting (and cultural) experiences to pupils that span the entire school lifetime. The idea being that all their pupils have an ‘entitlement’ to a diverse set of educational opportunities and will have stamped their passports by the time they leave school.

Those MATs that include both secondary and feeder primary schools are focusing closely on how they handle transition in PE and sport from one school stage to another, including the transfer of PE

and sport data from primary teachers to secondary teachers in the MAT. Some are also running summer holiday sports camps for incoming Year 6 students that help them make a confident and successful transition into secondary school. This safeguards their participation in sport and physical activity, countering what we know to be a critical point of disengagement for some young people.

CHANGING STAFFING STRUCTURES

Some of the larger MATs have taken a good look at how their central and school based staffing structures are set up across the MAT to best facilitate PE and sport. These approaches range from having a Trust wide lead on curriculum PE that can drive and facilitate best practice adoption across all schools, to Directors of Sport setting a MAT-wide strategy for sport.

Some trusts have been able to employ ‘sports enrichment officers’ (often recent graduates) to properly coordinate extra-curricular sporting opportunities across a number of schools. Some have taken bold steps like employing a ‘Head of Wellbeing’ within their MAT to support students with their physical and emotional wellbeing as a pre-requisite for raising their achievement.

SPORTING COMPETITION AND SPORTING EXCELLENCE

Being part of a larger group of schools means that some schools are taking part in regional and nationwide MAT competitions (in addition to participating in their usual local sporting competition structures and the School Games). Some are focused on sporting excellence either through using their scale or forging relationships with sport national governing bodies (NGBs) to draw in specialist coaches for talented individuals.

Some are establishing sport-specific academies for professional clubs at some of their school sites (such as basketball or football). Many are able to consider how they now best use their land and facilities portfolio across their group of schools to develop sporting talent.

FREE SCHOOLS FOCUSSED ON HEALTH AND WELLBEING

The approval of new sponsors by RSCs and the current free school policy has led to a small, but growing phenomena of schools where sport, health and wellbeing are an overt part of their educational philosophy and curriculum. This is happening either through a newly approved MAT focusing entirely around health and sport, or new free schools being opened by existing MATs in response to local need who use the opportunity to embed a strong sports ethos from the very beginning of a Year 7 intake.

LINKING SPORT AND EMPLOYABILITY

A number of MATs who serve varied communities are thinking carefully about how, across their MAT, their PE and sport offer can position their students when they leave school - either for ongoing study or into the world of work. For example, a number of MATs are working with us on developing transferable character traits and life skills for pupils in PE (through a programme called My Personal Best) and others are piloting the Youth Sport Trust’s Youth Sport Award to look at how it might support university applications. Some MATs are using their links with local sport and health employers to undertake projects that equip them to move from school to workplace (e.g. developing pupils’ expertise with sports performance data).

Whatever the size of a Multi-Academy Trust, be it from four schools to 40+, this growing structure has exciting potential to change the way we use and deliver PE and school sport. Whether it is a MAT’s desire to produce Olympians from challenging backgrounds or using sport as a whole school tool to raise achievement, there are exciting possibilities ahead. The Youth Sport Trust work with a number of MATs to support the development of their PE and sport strategy or with MATs on strategic programmes focused on PE and sport. We have produced a specific guide for emerging MATs, including examples from a wide number of MATs large and small, which will be available from early autumn.

1

3

4

5

6

2

YOUTHSPORTTRUST.ORG

2425 SHIFT IN SCHOOL

DAY BOOSTS AFTER-SCHOOL SPORTS CLUBS

Wensley Fold CE Primary Academy is a Youth Sport Trust Level 2 member school. Headteacher Gaynor Stubbs reveals how they boosted attendance at after-school sports clubs by changing the times of their school day.

GAYNOR STUBBS Headteacher, Wensley Fold CE Primary Academy

@YOUTHSPORTTRUSTAUTUMN 2016

For more information on how we can support you please visit: www.youthsporttrust.org

Wensley Fold CE Primary Academy in Blackburn is gradually expanding with over 300 pupils now attending the school. A high proportion of our pupils are from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups and have English as an additional language. The school is rated as outstanding by Ofsted with progress and attainment of pupils above average and 100 per cent of our disadvantaged children are achieving expected progress.

However, the school faced a challenge in encouraging young people to attend after-school sports clubs and investigated the reason for this and what could be done to improve the situation. Discussions with members of staff, particularly with those that lived in the local community, drilled down into the barriers to attendance and participation and the cause soon became clear.

We discovered that the underlying reason was that many of the children had to attend a mosque after-school from around 4.30pm for two hours. As an integral part of their faith and culture it couldn’t be changed, but we were determined to find a solution that enabled our students to attend the mosque but also increase participation in after-school clubs.

To avoid this diary clash the school now starts at 8.45am, there is no afternoon break and the school day ends at 3.10pm. Our after-school clubs now run until 4pm which gives children time to go home after their sports club and get changed before they attend the mosque.

Through this approach we set out to:

• Develop healthy bodies, hearts and minds through embedding PE and sport throughout school life

• Ensure that all the school population has the opportunity to take part in after-school activities

• Improve attendance at extra-curricular clubs and make a greater commitment to those clubs.

At the beginning of every term we have a ‘clubs fair’ - similar to a fresher’s fair at university, where the children have to come after-school with their parents to enrol on the club. Tables are put around the hall that advertise what the club is all about and it is made clear that the children must make a commitment to attend. They can sign up to a maximum of three clubs and if they do sign for all three they only pay for two. We charge £5 for each club which runs for 10 weeks, regardless of how many sessions the young people attend. We decided to charge as it was felt that when clubs are free children and their families don’t value it as much, hence the lack of commitment and children dropping out. Those children on Pupil Premium do not pay and also have the opportunity to enrol first. The clubs are delivered by a mixture of coaches that we buy in, using our PE and Sport Premium, and school staff.

In each classroom there is a table highlighting those children that attend sports clubs at school, children that have been chosen to take part in competition and those that attend clubs in the community. This allows us to target children who are not attending the sessions we offer.

The results of this new approach have been really rewarding. At Key Stage 2 about 70% of children now attend an after-school club; the school no longer has children dropping out of clubs; attendance at the clubs is providing children with points towards their graduation from the Children’s University; and more children now attend clubs in the community such as football, swimming and martial arts as they now value and are inspired by PE and sport in school.

By moving our school day we have changed the whole culture of after-school clubs and attitudes to PE and sport. Parents now support their children and the school when they are participating in competitions and there is a feel-good factor felt by everybody across the school as we encourage them to share their experiences in assembly.

We are giving children new opportunities to take part in sport and physical activity and creating memories for our young people. We are also considering our next generation, as they become the parents of the future who understand the value and importance of PE and sport.

YOUTHSPORTTRUST.ORG

26

So, there I was, minding my own business, speaking to NAHT branches about the issues of the day when I was asked if I’d like to go to Loughborough to meet with Ali Oliver, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust.

As incredibly inspiring as Ali is, the most important lesson I learnt is not to accept an invitation to go to Loughborough for a ‘chat’ with her.

On seeing her, Ali soon dropped the bombshell. “Why don’t you run the London Marathon?” she asked. “Because I’m fat, hate running and I wouldn’t survive” I replied. Ali however soon sensed my weakening resolve and asked me to think about it, even promising to provide a training schedule.

That evening when we sat down to eat I told my wife and kids about my meeting and Ali’s suggestion. They all laughed, and I think that was the moment when pride kicked in. I’d show them! I’ve always hated running, I never saw the point, even when I played football at a high standard, I just couldn’t get to grips with it. However, what I did know was that to keep my pride intact I’d have to be disciplined. So I faithfully began to follow the schedule.

Things went well overall, a few painful injuries caused a bit of slippage, but by the day I felt as prepared as I could be. My running mate Paul had to pull out with an injury, so I was all alone.

HEADTEACHER'S THOUGHTS

NAHT Immediate Past President Tony Draper (a long time Headteacher Ambassador for the Youth Sport Trust) chose Youth Sport Trust as the NAHT’s president’s charity of the year for 2015-16. Little did he know that this decision would mean charity starting a little too ‘close to home’ for comfort! Here he reflects on his successful completion of the London Marathon, raising valuable money for the Youth Sport Trust. Thank you Tony!

The first 12 miles went bang on schedule but then an ankle injury picked up a couple of weeks previously flared up. The pain quickly moved up the calf and into the knee, and my pace went to pot. At about 15 miles a horrible ache started in my other knee. From here on in I was just determined to keep running, knowing if I walked I’d not get going again. I somehow managed to keep going but it was hard and the pain was excruciating.

I started to reflect on what I had learnt, determination and preparation were vital, it would have been easy to give up but I had a goal to support the Youth Sport Trust and to finish, my preparation had taught me that it would be tough. I’ve had to take many risks to be successful, and upon reflection later doing this at my age having had years of inactivity was clearly a risk.

Although I was still managing to run as I crossed the line down the Mall there were others walking faster and passing me. My family, friends and the crowds had enthusiastically kept me going, and I’ll be forever grateful for their support.

Upon finishing, my sense of achievement was enormous but I also told my wife that if I ever suggested doing it again to shout me down. However, after the pain had subsided, a good few days later, I started to think I could have done better and that London now owes me a time. Will I do it again? You know, one day I just might.

TONY DRAPER NAHT Immediate Past President

MEMBERSHIPYST

This session looks at how schools can:

• meet the requirements of the government’s new childhood obesity plan

• develop their understanding of the evidence and research underpinning active approaches in schools

• boost wellbeing, behaviour and attendance by building physical activity into the whole school day

• introduce physical activity into the school classroom to raise concentration and application levels

This is the third event in our very popular ‘The Power of...’ CPD series. These seminars were so successful that we’re extending the Power of an Active School to primary schools too. All sessions are delivered and run across England from October 2016.

Free for Level 2 and 3 members as part of their comprehensive member benefi ts package. For Level 1 members the cost is £75.Register: membership@youthsporttrust.org Book now: www.youthsporttrust.org/poas

The Power of an Active SchoolThe Power of an Active School is a half day CPD session that will support schools to increase physical activity throughout the school day to boost health and academic achievement for their students.

Working with Technogym can open up a wide range of opportunities for your school:

• Active learning, improved grades and cultivation of vital skills for future careers

• Facility design and development with world-class equipment

• Gyms tailored to suit any budget, with finance and leasing options available

• Data collection and access to personalised content for instant visual feedback

Email our dedicated team on uk_info@technogym.com or call free on 0800 316 2496 to speak to one of our Wellness advisors, and enjoy 25% off orders delivered in 2016.

www.technogym.com

Let’s move for a better world

Youth Sport Trust We are committed to building a brighter future for young people through PE and sport

HEAD OFFICE

SportPark Loughborough University 3 Oakwood Drive Loughborough Leicestershire LE11 3QF T 01509 226600 F 01509 210851E info@youthsporttrust.org Registered charity number: 1086915Registered company number: 4180163

YOUTH SPORT DIRECT

T 01509 226624 E information@youthsportdirect.org

SOCIAL MEDIA

YouthSportTrust @youthsporttrust /youthsporttrust /youth-sport-trust

This was my fi rst time at the YST conference in 14+ years of teaching, it was great! I left with a reignited passion to use the power of PE and school sport to change young peoples’ lives for the better — thank you.”

PE subject leader2016 Conference delegate

Find out morewww.youthsporttrust.org/conference

@YouthSportTrust #YSTconf

2017 CONFERENCEYST

March

SAVE THE DATE