SPORT ENGLAND: Active schools
SCHOOL SPORT CO-ORDINATORS
1. PHILOSOPHY AND KEY PRINCIPLES
The purpose of this initiative is to increase sports
opportunities for more young people through co-ordinated physical education,
school sport and out of school hours learning activities that effectively
link with local community sports facilities and development programmes, particularly
in areas of disadvantage. It is recognised that schools can play a significant
role in neighbourhood renewal and that sport can be particularly effective
in addressing disaffection among young people. In accordance with the recommendations
of Policy Action Team 10, the support available through this initiative will
be flexible and local control over the design and development will be encouraged.
The initiative is based on the following key principles:
- Support for Physical Education
- Integrated Sports Development and Partnership
- Focus on Disadvantage and Inclusion
- Schools working together in Families/Clusters
- A whole school approach
2. THE OBJECTIVES
The key objectives for the School Sport Co-ordinators
are:
Strategic Planning - to enhance the physical education
and sports development strategy for the school with agreed targets and performance
measures reviewed each term, as part of the school development plan.
Primary Liaison - to establish and develop linked PE
and sports development programmes for local primary and special schools targeting
the Key Stage 2/3 interface.
School to Community - to build and support school/club
links and ‘education for leisure’ programmes within the school,
targeting the 14-16/18 age group.
Out of School Hours Activities - to develop and support
out of school hours and intra-mural sport programmes with local clubs, governing
bodies of sport, school sports associations and sports development officers.
Inter-school competitions will be an integral part of this objective. This
will link closely with the out-of-school hours learning (study support) objectives
of DfEE.
Coaching and Leadership - to develop leadership, coaching
and officiating programmes for senior pupils to gain appropriate skills and
qualifications to enhance their future role within the sporting community.
Raising Standards - in addition to the ‘education
for leisure’ programme, to support schools in reviewing the current PE
and sport programmes in the light of Sportsmark and Activemark requirements.
3. THE OUTCOMES
These are:
- an increase in the level of committed participation
amongst school age children with specific emphasis on young people in areas
of socio-economic disadvantage, girls/young women, black and ethnic minorities
and young people with special needs. This will require the collection of
information on current levels of activity within the school and linked feeder
primary schools;
- a raising of the measurable standard of performance
by children across a wide range of sports. This will require some sort of
assessment of the existing standards of performance within the school cohorts;
- Improved motivation and positive attitudes towards
schools leading to enhanced levels of pupils achievement in all aspects
of their school life;
- a greater number of active, available and qualified
coaches,
leaders and officials within the school, local primary
schools and local sports
clubs/facilities. Again, information on the current position will be
needed.
4. OUTPUTS
Strategic Planning
- the continued development and enhancement of a physical
education and sports development strategy as part of the whole school development
plan. This work will require close liaison with the Local Education Authority
and the Local Authority Leisure /Recreation Department and other partners.
Clear targets and performance measures will be established and reviewed
each term
Primary Liaison
- a physical education and sports development strategy
for each primary school with agreed targets and performance measures leading
towards an Activemark award and linked to other relevant developments such
as the National Healthy Schools Standard;
- linked physical education and sports development
support programmes for each feeder primary school, in liaison with local
sports development officers. These will focus particularly on Key Stage
2 pupils and make links to Key Stage 3.
- new out of school hours activity sessions - particularly
Key Stage 2 children
- the establishment of new competitive opportunities
within and between the primary schools.
School to Community
- the establishment of new and enhanced out of school
hours school sports programmes that stimulate participation by young people,
particularly those from black and ethnic minorities, girls/young women and
young people with special needs ;
- the introduction of new sports and new and improved
opportunities together with strengthened links with local facility providers;
- expanded school-club links across a range of sports/physical
activities;
- new "education for leisure" programmes,
targeting the 15+ age group, as part of the school curriculum in liaison
with local sports development officers and other partner agencies;
- wider dual use of school facilities as part of a
community development programme, particularly the use of school facilities
by local junior clubs/sections.
Out of School Hours Learning Activities
- an extension of the curriculum through the establishment
of new out of school hours learning activity clubs (before and after school,
break, lunchtimes and during holidays), in particular an expansion in the
range of sports on offer and clubs targeting girls/young women, black and
ethnic minorities and young people with special needs ;
- strengthening the links between the school day and
out of school hours provision to make connections between pupils’ participation
in out of school hours sport and all aspects of their achievements at school;
- the involvement of new coaches and leaders from
outside the school in these programmes;
- the promotion of coaching and officiating awards
within the existing school staff, particularly Coaching for Teachers;
- the creation of new intra-mural and inter-school
competitive opportunities, in liaison with local agencies and existing School
Sports Associations.
Coaching and Leadership
- new and enhanced leadership, coaching and officiating
programmes for senior pupils, parents/volunteers and teachers to gain appropriate
qualifications to enhance their role in the school and the local sporting
community.
Raising Standards
- to agree development plans to obtain Sportsmark
and Activemark accreditation for the school’s physical education and
sports development programme (and that of its feeder primaries) within three
years of appointment;
- to review cross curriculum provision to promote
equality of opportunity and improved links with community leisure provision;
- to extend and enhance the school curriculum provision
through a broad range of out of school hours physical education and sports
provision encouraging participation by all pupils.
- ELIGIBILITY AND APPROACH
Applications will be considered from schools, groups
of schools or LEAs which meet the following "readiness factors":
- The focus of the School Sport Co-ordinators programme
is on addressing educational and sporting disadvantage and all applicants
will have to demonstrate clear need. Applications in the first phase will
be solicited from selected schools or LEAs on behalf of named schools within
Sport Action Zones (SAZ), Excellence in Cities Areas (EIC) and Education Action
Zones (EAZ).
- All schools named in an application will need to give
evidence of their willingness to establish cross sector school links and to
work in partnership with sporting agencies and leisure services. This approach
will have been endorsed by all head teachers and governors and an outline
plan will have been prepared and submitted that reflects the needs of the
community and addresses each of the programme outcomes.
- schools are able to demonstrate that they have considered
any "special projects" which relate to areas of local need and interest
In the first phase the preferred model is to create
school sports partnerships which embrace a number of identified clusters of
primary, special and secondary schools led by LEAs or Specialist Sports Colleges
in targeted SAZ/EIC/EAZ areas. It reflects the need for strong local management
and effective school based co-ordination between primary and secondary schools
and the communities in which they are located. All partnerships will be expected
to consider specific work targeting girls, young people with special needs
and the promotion of racial equality. Set out below is a suggested structure.
This is illustrative in so far as the actual release of teacher time and scheme
details will need to be locally determined.
- An experienced teacher will be identified by the LEA
(preferably within a Sports College) to support and manage the development
of local school sports partnerships. This teacher would be taken off teaching
timetable for (say) 2 days per week and be known as a Partnership Development
Manager. Where it is not appropriate for the Manager to be based in a Sports
College this function might be housed within another school, for example,
a Sportsmark Gold awarded school or elsewhere within the Local Education Authority.
- Each Partnership Development Manager will work with
up to 4 partner secondary schools (depending of local circumstances). Within
each of these schools an experienced teacher will co-ordinate and drive development
in the secondary school and the associated family of primary/special schools.
This teacher would be taken off teaching timetable for (say) 2/3 days per
week and be known as the Schools Sport Co-ordinator.
- Each Schools Sport Co-ordinator will work with up
to 5 primary/special schools (depending on local circumstances). Within each
of these schools an experienced teacher will ensure that the programmes are
planned and delivered and that links are built with other schools and organisations
across the partnership area. This teacher could be taken off teaching timetable
for 1/2 days per month and be known as a Primary Link Teacher.
Flexibility would be required in the release of teacher
time as it is expected that much of the Co-ordinators work would be undertaken
outside of normal school hours.
Thus a typical partnership might consist of one Partnership
Development Manager, up to 4 School Sport Co-ordinators and up to 20 Primary
Link Teachers. This team of people will drive the work to achieve the objectives
set out in Para. 2 working with sports organisations and Local Authority sport
and leisure agencies in the local community.
7. OTHER MODELS
In those areas where LEAs and/or Specialist Sport Colleges
are not well placed to take on the Partnership Development Manager role and
it is not yet appropriate to develop this broader schools sport partnership,
School Sport Co-ordinators and primary link teachers may be appointed to a
single cluster of schools identified within SAZ/EIC/EAZ areas. Applicants
will need to demonstrate appropriate support arrangements for their work,
and this might come from HE institutions, Sportsmark/Gold awarded schools
or Sports Development Units etc.
Additional projects which feature particularly creative
local approaches by local authorities and schools, may also be solicited,
always ensuring they meet the agreed objectives of the programme.
All applications will need to demonstrate mechanisms
to link a strong local school based management system with school based Co-ordinators
and identified personnel within primary/special schools.
8. MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE
- The Young People and Sport Forum brings together
(twice a year) a wide range of agencies concerned with the development of
physical education and sporting opportunities for young people. A Forum
meeting will be convened in Summer 2000 to disseminate information on the
programme and to gain partner support for the initiative. The members of
the Forum will thereafter receive reports on the progress of the initiative
and will provide advice to the Management Group on future development.
- Sport England, in agreement with DCMS, DfEE and
NOF will determine the strategic approach for the location of School Sport
Partnerships and other models, and for the subsequent development of the
programme. Sport England will establish and lead a Management Group including
membership from the above agencies, to guide the development and implementation
of the programme. The Management Group will assume the responsibility of
the current Steering Group.
- Sport England Lottery funding will be made available
to fund the infrastructure posts and some operational costs. NOF funding
is available through the Out of School Hours Learning programme to fund
operational and project delivery costs.
- The Youth Sport Trust will provide design and development
support to school sport partnerships in establishing the infrastructure
and in the implementation of the programme. This may be through an extension
to the existing contract between DfEE and YST for the provision of support
to Specialist Sports Colleges. (Subject to confirmation that this contract
can be extended -proposals for funding this work to be provided). The Management
Group will be responsible for setting the specification and objectives for
the design and development work to be carried out, and for monitoring delivery
by YST.
- BAALPE and PEA(UK) will lead the training and CPD
programme for the co-ordinator and other appointments, drawing on the expertise
of the sports development profession, higher education and organisations
such as Education Extra. This work will be undertaken under contract with
the DfEE (subject to confirmation). The Management Group will be responsible
for setting the specification and objectives for the training and CPD work
to be carried out, and for monitoring delivery by BAALPE and PEA (UK).
9. FUNDING AND LOTTERY PROCESS
Initial costings for the delivery of the infrastructure
and some related operational costs have been prepared. These are based on
the preferred model outlined above and assume a cost of £125 per day for buying-in
teacher time. Two options are proposed. The first option envisages the school
partnerships receiving funding at 100% for a three year period. The second
option envisages a phased reduction in the funding, which is intended in part
to prepare partnerships on a more managed basis to develop arrangements to
sustain the projects beyond the funding provided by Sport England and NOF.
Where the preferred model is not adopted, it is assumed that a similar level
of funding will be provided to deliver the infrastructure support for a cluster
of schools.
The costings also assume that Lottery funding will
be made available for a three year period; and that over the course of the
programme, to be delivered on a phased basis, funding will be provided to
support work in 600 secondary schools and 2600 primary schools. Any changes
to the funding period and /or to the number of schools would need to be reflected
in the required funding.
In order to make the process as simple as possible,
whilst maintaining appropriate levels of accountability, it is proposed that
applications will be solicited from the school or LEA which will host the
Partnership Development Manager. Funding will be payable to the school or
LEA who in turn will be responsible for making funding available to the cluster
schools, as appropriate. Funding will be payable in advance, and Sport England
will carry out appropriate compliance and reconciliation checks.
Sport England will be responsible for the monitoring
and evaluation of the delivery of the outputs and outcomes through the infrastructure
posts, and each cluster will be required to agree to participate in all elementSchool
Sport Co-ordinators initiative must be to create a seamless link between physical
education, school sport and lifelong participation in the community. s of
the monitoring and evaluation programme. Monitoring and evaluation reports
will be presented to the management Group and to the Sport England Lottery
Panel, and will form part of the information used to assess the continued
funding of awards throughout the envisaged funding period.
10. CONCLUSION
The focus of the Research evidence still suggests
that bridging the gap between school and community remains one of the main
problems for young people particularly in disadvantaged areas. The deployment
of up to 600 School Sport Co-ordinators who are school centred but development
orientated will be a major step forward in a collective drive to widen access
and opportunities for young people across England to realise their full potential.
(Agreed by DfEE/DCMS/NOF and Sport England
— 06 April 2000)
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