Children and young people's Sporting Future

Before Christmas, the Government published Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation. Members of the Alliance team have been blogging about key areas covered and as there is so much in the Strategy to digest, this continues into the New Year with Hannah Dobbin looking at what the Sporting Future holds for children and young people.

Sport England’s remit
One of the big changes to come from Government’s new strategy reflects something that the Alliance asked for in our consultation response - Sport England's remit is extended to start at age 5.

This is important as we know that if children are engaged at an early age they are more likely to continue to be active as they grow up and develop a sporting habit for life. Expanding the remit also allows for greater integration of community and school sport from the earliest age and better coordination across Government departments.

Linked to this, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will work with Sport England, Department for Education and others such as Public Health England in the first half of 2016 to develop an extension to the Active Lives (replaces APS) method for measuring children’s engagement in sport and physical activity.

Physical activity among 0-5s is covered off by reference to the upcoming childhood obesity strategy.

Swimming and cycling
45% of 7-11 year olds cannot swim 25m. So Government will set up a working group ‘to advise on how to ensure that no child leaves school unable to meet a minimum standard of capability and confidence in swimming, including disabled young people and those with Special Educational Needs’. The Group will report at the end of 2016.

Cycling also gets a specific mention with a Government commitment to explore how to ensure that all children have the opportunity to learn to ride a bike through the Bikeability programme.

School sport and workforce
There are a couple of specific references to school sport. Government will:
•tContinue to invest in the Primary PE and School Sport Premium
•tSeek to better understand the drop-off in engagement from primary to secondary as well as identify good practice
•tWork with Sport England and Youth Sport Trust to assess the effectiveness and future priorities of the School Games. Alongside this, it will also consider the work of School Games Organisers

And in terms of workforce, Sport England will develop a new coaching plan by early 2016 and also support the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) to implement a single set of standards for all sport and exercise professionals starting in January 2016.

Duty of Care
Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson will chair an Independent Working Group on a new Duty of Care for participants in sport from grassroots to elite. This will impact on all participants, including children and young people, as it will consider a range of issues such as a welcomed focus on safeguarding and preventing concussion, as well as identifying heart problems and providing assistance in case of sudden cardiac arrest.

Key performance indicators
The strategy sets out five outcomes under which outputs will be measured by key performance indicators (KPIs). Several of the KPIs relate to children and young people including:
•tKPI 4 – Increase in the percentage of children achieving physical literacy standards
•tKPI 5 – Increase in the percentage of children achieving swimming proficiency and Bikeability Levels 1-3
•tKPI 6 – Increase in percentage of young people (11-18) which a positive attitude towards sport and being active
•tKPI 23 – Relevant indicator to be developed as part of Duty of Care review

Other opportunities for children and young people
Although not specifically mentioned, opportunities for children and young people may emerge through the implementation of different elements of the Strategy such as volunteering, public and mental health, as well as at the more elite end through talent pathways. Children and young people may also benefit from reinvestment in grassroots, new funding mechanisms such as Social Impact Bonds or apprenticeships.

What next?
The Strategy raises many opportunities for children and young people, as well as challenges for those who deliver to this age group. We hope to hear more about the detail underpinning many of the actions in the Strategy over the next few months so we can see how best we can work together to ensure that all children and young people have the opportunity to be active in whatever way they want!

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