AppendixB
Key Sporting Points raised at Obesity Topic Group
Current Sports Provision
Sports Unlimited
Sports Unlimited (know as Livewire in Hertfordshire) isthe Sport England branding for the governments 5 hour offer, where semi sporty young people aged 11-19 have access and take part in up to 5 hours sport or physical activity per week. Funding has been made available from 2008-2011 in order for local programmes to be run alongside this.
The first term of the Sports Unlimited programme finished in December 2008. Young People aged 11-19 attended sessions run on weekday evenings at their school site, and weekend Multi skill sessions at Marriotts and Shephall Leisure Centre. For the 16-19 age group specifically there has been sessions run on a Thursday afternoon at various sporting venues in the town, attracting over 150 students from the school sixth forms and college each week. The programme has re started again for the 2nd term and hopes to attract even more semi sporty young people to take part. There is currently no charge for the activities on the programme for young people aged 11-16 with a small charge for the 16-19 activities dependent on the activity.We are all working towards young people having the opportunity to access 5 hours of PE and School Sport a week.In Stevenage our campaign for 5 hours is packaged as :
RU UP 45
School Sports Partnership
September 2008 welcomes the sixth year of the Stevenage School Sports Partnership SSP.Our aim is to increase sporting opportunities for young people between 5 -19 yrs. This is done through regular festivals from KS1-KS5 as well as afterschool and weekend clubs.
This year we are very proud that our coaching work force has grown. Our Partnership Coaches are 18 yrs of age and are with us for a year on a work placement within both their school and the SSP. Throughout that year they work closely with coach mentors developing their skills and attain many National Governing Body Awards, which enable them to move onto the next step.
Our Community Coaches are full time coaches who link with schools and clubs and deliver many additional Out of school hour coaching opportunities for our primary and secondary schools.
Our Senior Community Coaches are key coaches who play a major role in coach development and mentoring, delivering in both secondary and primary schools and in a community club setting.
It is hoped that by developing our own coaches we will be able to support schools in the aim to work towards at least 5 hours of PE and School sport for all 5-19yr olds.
94% of our young people in Stevenage schools are participating in at least two hours of PE and School Sport a week. This is a fact as shown by the Government PE and School Club Links survey undertaken in June 08.
When we hear on the news and in the media that our youngsters are a generation of inactive individuals, please take note of this quiet revolution that is happening in all schools around the country. Never before has grass roots delivery in both schools and the community been so joined up in their approach.
Active 8
Active 8 is another initiative delivered by the School Sports Partnership. For 2 days in the Easter holidays, children from year 6 in primary schools across Stevenage , come together to take part in variety of team and confidence building activities. Each child has been identified prior to the course as having problems in participating in PE, either due to health problems, confidence issues or disability. During the two days, the young people get to know one another, in the hope that some of the young people will find themselves moving on to the same secondary schools in the September. After the initial 2 days activities, further afterschool sessions are provided, specifically for young people who have been on the active 8 programme, to allow them to continue to improve their skills in the sports they had been involved in whilst also giving them further opportunity to build confidence and continue to meet with the new friends they have made. The project is free of charge to the child taking part.
Dads and Kids
In another successful partnership, Sport Stevenage and the Extended Schools Consortium for the South of Stevenage have united to offer the chance for Dads and their Children to spend some quality time together. Sessions are run every Saturday morning from 10.30-1.30 at Barnwell East campus and include a weekly sporting activity as well as arts and crafts, general play and parenting support. Once a month the group is also able to take part in a multi activity session at FairlandsValley, using the climbing wall and other outdoor education facilities. So far 10 dads and their children have attended the programme with more showing interest each week. After Easter there will also be a family cycling project which will run at the same time on a Saturday. The project will be designed for families to come and learn how to ride a bike safely to enable then to utilise the ample cycle ways that Stevenage has to offer in the future. Both projects are free of charge.
Health Action Day 2009
On Saturday, 14th February, Stevenage Borough Council Health Promotion, Stevenage Leisure Limited, Sport Stevenage, The Comet and Rotary Club of Stevenage will be hosting the third annual Health Action Day at the Stevenage Arts and Leisure Centre from 10.00 am – 4.00 pm. Last year’s event attracted over 2000 visitors who enjoyed a fun day for the whole family.
The purpose of the event is to stage an awareness day for the general public and to provide information regarding health support, diet and nutritrion, cooking, sports, clubs and activities in and around the Stevenage area.
There will be health talks from a variety of medical professionals. The public will be invited to attend these sessions (free of charge), and there will be a question and answer opportunity at the end of each presentation.
There will be a variety of stalls providing information on all aspects of health and fitness as well as interactive stalls including blood pressure checks, cholesterol and hearing tests.The public will be able to take part or observe a variety of activities that are programmed throughout the day.
Sport England Priorities and effect on delivery
In September 2008, Sport England announced their change in priorities for the period from 2008-2011. Sport England’s focus has moved away from physical activity and more towards sport for sports sake. Through their new model of GROW, ACHIEVE AND SUSTAIN, it detailed the need for more support sports directly and the need for investment in both grassroots and elite sport. This has meant that funding will now be changed, with a proportion of funds being directed through National Governing Bodies instead of County Sports Partnerships. Each National Governing Body was required to provide a whole sport plan, detailing how the sport would develop over the coming years. On the basis of these plans, and the allocation of priority sports, this funding has been divided between the National Governing Bodies.
Typically, until this point, funds had been distributed through County Sports Partnership, in order to fund not only sporting activities but also those of physical activity and health. The change in priority has meant now that direct funding cannot be obtained from this means in order to sustain or create new physical activity or health projects, meaning that there cannot be a health emphasis on the projects created. Physical activity money has started to be sought and distributed through the county sports partnerships, although it is unclear how this will continue in the future in terms of the amount of funding and the time in which this will be funded. Until this becomes clearer it will make it more difficult to produce a specific health related project for this particular age group. Whether that remains the case after 2011 is unclear.