Teaching Sport to ChildrenDiscussion PaperAugust 2017

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

To address the nationwide decline of sport in our communities and schools, and the increasingly low levels of physical activity of Australian children, the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has committed to reinvigorating sport and physical activity in children’s lives by ensuring that the people who teach sport to children are suitably prepared and supported in their roles.

In 2015 the ASC sought to further understand sport delivery to children, and the contribution of sport to whole-of-child development. In addition to reviewing existing research, the ASC convened a cross-sector forum in July 2016 with representatives from the sport and education sectors to discuss the role of sport and physical activity in children’s learning and development and implications for deliverers. Insights gained through research and consultations are reflected in this discussion paper.

The ASC proposes that to increase sport’s relevance in schools and the community, sport must be delivered in a way that enhances children’s development, complements the needs of schools, and contributes to education objectives. Therefore, ensuring people who teach sport and physical activity to children are equipped with appropriate knowledge and attributes is key to:

a. overcoming existing delivery challenges, which include a range of ‘disconnects’ between the sport sector, children and their families, schools and the education sector; and

b. re-positioning sport and physical activity as a critical component of children’s education and holistic development.

To build a more effective sport delivery network, this discussion paper seeks feedback from educators, sporting organisations (and representatives), Australian families and people currently teaching sport to children. The feedback will inform a draft plan that aims to assist sport to define, recruit, train and support a delivery network, which effectively teaches sport to children at home and within school and community environments.

For a sustainable approach to quality and consistency of teaching sport and physical activity to children the ASC proposes the following steps:

1. Establish principles for teaching sport and physical activity to children through broad national consultation.

2. Define competencies of those people teaching sport and physical activity to children.

3. Support the sports sector in the recruitment, training and development of a newly defined delivery network.

4. Co-develop a quality insights framework to monitor performance and support ongoing improvement.

TEACHING SPORT TO CHILDRENTHE STORY SO FAR

81 per cent of Australian CHILDREN are not

meeting the recommended physical activity guildelines and are living increasingly

sedentary lives

NEW INSIGHTS through the Australian Government’s Sporting

Schools Program into how sport engages with children, families

and the education systemThere is an increased spotlight on the way

sport and physical activity is DELIVERED

TO CHILDREN

In 2016 sport and education

representatives came together for a

TEACHING SPORT TO CHILDREN FORUM

This DISCUSSION PAPERwas prepared seeking

feedback on the merits of four proposed steps to enhance

delivery to children1. Facilitating national cross- sector collaboration to establish

PRINCIPLES FOR TEACHING SPORT AND PHYSICAL

ACTIVITY TO CHILDREN

2. Implementing a process to DEFINE THE

COMPETENCIES for sport deliverers working with children, their families

and schools

3. Co-designing RECRUITMENT, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

strategies to build an effective sports delivery network.

4. Developing aQUALITY INSIGHTS

FRAMEWORK to support ongoing improvements

To have your say on the Teaching Sport to Children proposals, please refer to the guiding questions contained at the end of the discussion paper, and either:

> Complete a short online survey; or

> Email a written response to the questions outlined above: yoursay@ausport.gov.au

For further information please contact:

Sally Underdown Assistant Director – Community Connections E: sally.underdown@ausport.gov.au P: 0437 700 417

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BACKGROUND AND INSIGHTS

For many children their first (and sometimes only) experience of sport and physical activity is at home or in school. In an age where our children’s health and national participation are in decline, these early experiences are critical to foster positive behaviours and establish lifelong active habits. Ideally all early experiences of sport and physical activity would be positive for children, families and schools. This is why embedding physical activity habits early in children’s lives requires a collaborative approach that involves families, schools and the sports sector.

Holistic child developmentAs a nation, we must strive for the holistic development of children. This is why the ASC wants whole-of-child development, in particular physical literacy, to be a core component of children’s development. ‘Whole-of-child development’ encompasses the social, psychological, cognitive and physical needs of children. Each aspect of a child’s development is interconnected, and participation in child-focused sports and physical activities has been proven to contribute positively to children’s holistic development. Beyond the physical health and wellbeing benefits, sport participation can enhance children’s mental health, cognition and academic performance.

A significant opportunity exists to re-focus teaching sport to children, to ensure it is positively contributing to children’s holistic development and aligned with the needs of children, families and schools. The ASC understands that there are a range of ‘disconnects1’ between sport, education and the community, which include:

> divergent views about the purpose of sport, with sport perceived as prioritising commercial goals over child development outcomes;

> sports’ focus on technical skill development and athletic performance in coach competencies, and limited knowledge of child development and behaviour management;

> the view in some schools, that sport is an extracurricular ‘transaction’ which focuses on the needs of sport;

> poor visibility of governing bodies over the quality and consistency of delivery;

> inadequate support for families, and professional development for teachers, to confidently deliver sport; and

> variance in standards and qualifications required to deliver different sports.

Physical LiteracyEarly childhood is the best time to develop movement skills and positive behaviours towards sports and physical activities. However, many children and their families cannot access the necessary information or opportunities - at home or at school - to regularly engage in developmentally appropriate sports and physical activities. Children are also not adequately developing across the early foundation stages before being introduced to community sports. Parents, as children’s first teachers, are key to ensuring that positive behaviours and patterns are fostered in these early years.

Currently most sports programs for children focus on participants acquiring specialised movement skills and applying them in a sporting context, with limited provision to support the exploration of movement and early development of fundamental movement skills (FMS). Extensive research tells us that the premature teaching of sport skills before children have mastered FMS can negatively impact on an individual’s confidence and performance ability. It can also compromise their desire to participate in sports and physical activity in the future.

At time of writing the ASC had engaged an expert panel of academics (working in and around Physical Literacy) to develop a unified definition of Physical Literacy in an Australian context. The work includes the development of an Australian Physical Literacy Standard to enhance children’s physical literacy, and aims to provide a nationally consistent platform that will enable more meaningful engagement between the education, health and sport sectors.

Teacher professional developmentThere is great potential for sport to complement the Australian curriculum and enable student learning opportunities, whether this is supporting students’ understanding about ‘self’ or about other school subjects through sports.

The ASC is aware that there is some inconsistency among educators in their understanding, interpretation and delivery of sport in physical education, and how they value and utilise sport to support broader curriculum objectives. Due to a decline in the number of trained Health and Physical Education (HPE) teachers, and limited training available for classroom teachers in relation to HPE, it may be beneficial for the sport sector to work more closely with schools to support teacher professional development with a view to strengthening school capabilities for internal sports delivery. The ASC’s 2016 Market Insights Report into the Australian Education Sector outlines a range of challenges and opportunities for sport delivery in the school environment. For example, although the HPE learning area is underrepresented in the education sector and competes in an already crowded curriculum, there are opportunities to link sport offerings directly to the HPE curriculum to strengthen the role of sport in schools.

Sport delivery roles and supportsResearch2 indicates that a large portion of the community sports workforce (who are generally unpaid volunteers) are not interested in formal training or accreditation. This is not surprising given the voluntary nature of the work they do. This is also true for many teaching sport to children who are most likely parents or drawn from school and community networks with varying capability, motivation and commitment to sport, and to their role as a sport deliverer.

In 2015 the ASC released new guidelines to assist sports in developing their coaching support and training frameworks.3 A key development is the increased focus on providing both formal (typically accreditation) and informal learning opportunities, which include self-

guided learning through books, the internet and learning, and support through mentoring and/or other face-to-face arrangements. Both formal and informal learning are important for deliverers of sport at all levels from grass roots to elite, but particularly important for community coaches who find the time and resources to undertake formal training challenging, and more often than not, it appears they prefer personal support.

Youth coaching and development frameworksRedressing the decline in sport and physical activity has been a focus within the Australian sport sector for at least the last two decades.

There is evidence of local reforms and positive innovations among some sports and schools, and increasing interest and opportunity to establish a shared national vision for teaching sport to children and better engaging parents in their children’s sport. Schools have indicated that they value sport deliverers who demonstrate positive attributes including enthusiasm, inclusivity, and flexibility to support child development outcomes and behaviour management needs.

In the United Kingdom the youth-coaching culture has been transformed through the introduction of a renewed coach training framework which prioritises inclusivity and child development (in particular physical literacy).

In Canada there is a sport-for-life coaching curriculum, which centres on a Long-Term Athlete Development pathway to improve national health and to increase community participation in sport and physical activity.

Within the Australian sport sector, a developmental framework known as FTEM (FTEM=Foundation – Talent – Elite – Mastery), is used to guide individual athlete training and organisational activity. FTEM is internationally recognised as a superior development framework, and could be more effectively used to guide foundational activities that contribute to child development. The role and contribution of parents is recognised within the FTEM framework.

1. Disconnects’ between the sport and education sector priorities were highlighted in the ASC’s 2016 Market Insights Report into the Australian Education Sector, and in interim 2016 findings of an independent evaluation of the national Sporting Schools Program

2. ASC Community Coaching Insights: How can Clubs Support Community Coaches? http://www.ausport.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/653666/Community_Coaching_Insights.pdf

3. The Coaching Framework Toolkit and related training program toolkit are available online at http://www.ausport.gov.au/participating/coachofficial/ncasnoas/framework_toolkit

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LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

The insights in the previous section highlight the need for sports to better align their programs and delivery with broader education and child development outcomes; and to support a delivery network that includes teachers, sport representatives, volunteers, parents, coaches and facilitators who teach sport and physical activity to children.

The ASC’s proposes to address three areas of focus:

1. How teaching sport and physical activity to children could be complementary to the interest of children, their families and schools;

2. The knowledge, skills and attributes required for consistent quality delivery to children; and

3. A monitoring process to assess the proposed change benefits.

The following section outlines the ASC’s proposed activities and next steps for your feedback. We believe that the proposed steps will enable Australian sport sector (and their delivery networks) to work more closely with families and school communities to improve the holistic development of children, while at the same time increasing participation. By offering a range of information, programs and an appropriately skilled delivery network, the proposed steps aim to:

> complement the teaching environment and curriculum;

> support sports to provide for the holistic development needs of children and families; and

> create pathways to new (and different) participation opportunities that appeal to the changing interests of children and their families.

Proposed principles would:

> Clarify for all stakeholders what sport delivery is seeking to achieve - with a strong focus on the unique needs of children, families and schools.

> Be informed by feedback from national engagement, relevant best-practice research related to teaching sport to children, and an Australian Physical Literacy Standard.

> Align with existing national and jurisdictional standards of teaching and sport delivery.

> Form the basis for the development of teaching sport to children competencies for deliverers.

The aim is that all people teaching sport to children understand the different environments in which the teaching of sport and physical activity to children occurs; have knowledge of child and family needs; and have the skills to work with children, families and schools to effectively contribute to the physical literacy of children. In particular deliverers should be able to:

> recognise variances and gaps in a child’s development;

> accommodate an individual child’s specific development needs; and

> support families, schools and teachers to work together to improve the physical literacy of children through sport.

Proposed Step 1: Questions for your feedback

> Do you believe that principles for teaching sport and physical activity to children will help to improve the quality of sport and physical activity delivered to children in our communities and schools? If yes, how?

> What are the key considerations in teaching sport and physical activity to children at different stages of development and in different environments including: in schools? community clubs? and during early pre-school years?

> What information should be considered in the development of principles for teaching sport and physical activity to children? How might the role of volunteer deliverers, including parents, be reflected in the principles?

The ASC is proposing to facilitate national engagements with sport, education and parent representatives to inform the establishment of agreed principles for teaching sport and physical activity to children.

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Although different sports can and do determine their own accreditation and training requirements, the minimum standard for coach training across the sport sector is often ASC’s Community Coaching General Principles. While this training covers broad aspects of coaching including role responsibilities, planning and preparation, working with others, and advice about practical organisation and applying knowledge, it does not include a specific focus on supporting whole-of-child development or details on working with children during their early development stages, families or within the school environment.

It is proposed that the competencies and role definition of people teaching sport to children should align to the proposed Teaching Sport and Physical Activity To Children Principles, and complement the needs and interests of the environments in which children experience sport. Some sport organisations may determine that the competencies are unique enough to warrant a new delivery network, while others may determine that review and amendments to an existing coach or teacher competencies would be required. For the home environment, sports may seek to build a partnership with parents as key deliverer of their sport, particularly in their child’s early years.

Proposed Step 2: Questions for your feedback

> Are there existing, relevant standards, models or best practice research that you or your organisation currently use to define the role and competencies of people working with children (e.g. AITSL teaching standards)?

> What could sports offer to support parents in their role as a child’s first teacher of sport and physical activity?

> Which sports would you like to see involved in the piloting of this initiative and why?

Following the establishment of Principles of Teaching Sport and Physical Activity to Children, define the competencies (and possibly role descriptions) of people teaching sport to children. These competencies would align to the Principles, and be tested through pilot sport initiatives with newly defined deliverers.

At present there is great variety, across sports and schools, regarding how those people teaching sport to children are identified, recruited, trained and supported in their roles. It is proposed that these processes should be reviewed and implemented in-line with agreed principles and competencies for Teaching Sport and Physical Activity to Children, and be informed by piloted initiatives.

For example, the ASC has produced a toolkit4 to help National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) develop coaching and officiating training and support frameworks, which reflects international best practice.

A guiding principle of the Toolkit is to ensure that the workforce is trained to respond to the needs of participants. Similarly, Sports UK in the United Kingdom provides an example of how the developmental needs of the child and desired positive outcomes of an effective sport experience can be used to develop the key capabilities of the deliverer.

Both the ASC Toolkit and Sports Coach UK’s youth coaching model could provide useful references in considering how principles and competencies for sport deliverers teaching sport to children can be developed.

Support the sports sector in the recruitment, training and development of deliverers to meet the newly defined Principles and competencies.

Proposed Step 3: Question for your feedback

> What type of support should the ASC provide to families, schools and the sports sector to improve the recruitment, training and development of a delivery network for children?

> How do you or your organisation currently support volunteer deliverers and parents? Are there existing resources or models you use?

4. The toolkit is available online at http://www.ausport.gov.au/participating/coachofficial/ncasnoas

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Just as positive student impact is at the heart of effective teaching, positive child impact should be a core component for teaching sport and physical activity to children. At present there is limited capacity to monitor the consistency and quality of delivery to children.

To support a continuous improvement, national and local sporting organisations need a mechanism to better connect with their delivery network and stakeholders. This would enable performance monitoring that supports ongoing improvement.

Proposed Step 4: Questions for your feedback

Support the co-development of a Quality Insights Framework. The Framework would seek to:

> better connect sporting organisations to those people and environments in which their sport is being delivered to children;

> provide a feedback mechanism between families, schools and sport stakeholders; and

> enable timely insights to inform continuous improvements to delivery of sport and physical activity to children.

Proposed Step 4: Questions for your feedback

> What indicators could be used to measure the performance (and success) of delivery to children? Are these indicators readily available? Eg: a physical activity or physical literacy measure?

> Which elements elements would you like to see in a quality framework? (e.g. recruitment, training and preparation, monitoring and evaluation).

> What are some of the barriers your organisation experiences in relation to:

- Connecting with sport, children and their families, and/or schools to effectively teach sport and physical activity to children?

- Receiving feedback about deliverers responsible for teaching sport and physical activity to children?

- Monitoring the effectiveness of sport deliverers responsible for teaching sport and physical activity to children?

- Providing feedback and striving for improvements in individual and collective deliverer practices?

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