Agenda item

To receive a report by the Cabinet Member for Community Services, the Corporate Director for Growth, Environment and Transport and the Director of Environment, Planning and Enforcement which gives an overview of the current position regarding PE and School Sport in the county and how it contributes to KCC’s strategic outcomes.

1.            The Head of Countryside, Leisure and Sport, Miss Holt, introduced a report with an overview of the current position regarding PE and School Sport in the county and how it contributed to KCC’s strategic outcomes.  The report also described how the current Primary PE and Sport premium  funding from the government was utilised by schools as they determine; and describes how inter school competitive sport was delivered, how talented athletes of school age were supported and other physical activity opportunities available to support young people in schools.  Miss Holt agreed to forward the dates of the Kent School Games 2016 Finals to Members.

2.            The Department for Culture, Media and Sport had published a new Sport Strategy headed “Sporting Future - a new strategy for an Active Nation”.

3.            The Cabinet Committee watched a film on Northdown Primary School, Margate and the “Primary School Sports Premium”.    http://youtu.be/5yRlDhp1A4o

4.            Miss Holt, Mr Day and Mrs Winkler responded to questions by Members as follows:

a)     Miss Holt advised that SEND children were integral to how the Sport and Physical Activity Service approaches any and all programmes.  All programmes were fully inclusive.  Mr Day added that whilst Special schools were also eligible to receive the Primary School PE and Sport Premium, this had not been specified in the report.

b)     Mr Day advised that there was no measure of participation in sport in schools for young people.  He said that the programme of the Kent School Games could be measured by the fact that there were now 8000 participants in the Finals compared to approximately 2000-3000 when the games started.  He advised that national participation figures produced were based on adults’ participation which peaked in 2013 following the Olympic Games.

c)      Miss Holt and Mrs Winkler advised that the Kent School Games were held on the basis of winning and losing although there were Kent schools that had differing opinions about how to teach sport ie competitive versus fully participative.  It was entirely a decision for the school.  Northdown Primary School looked at “value” and the way students interacted with their peers and personal resilience was a large part of what pupils benefit from with PE being built into the national curriculum.

d)     Mrs Winkler advised that PE was taught inside schools and sport was taught outside school. She explained that sport was organised with rules and performance outcomes. Mrs Winkler considered that this appeared blurred with the government encouraging sports coaches to go into schools to deliver PE. 

e)     Mr Day explained that the government had given funding directly to schools with an expectation that the school would produce a balanced programme. KCC did not have control over this delivery.  Secondary, Primary and SEND schools participated in the Kent School Games and were competitive.  The Secondary schools had trained specialist PE teachers and some schools had satellite clubs linked to those schools on site. The specialist PE teachers formed a curriculum that encouraged and engaged teenagers by broadening their curriculum.  Miss Holt added that there were studies about the psychology on encouraging the least active children to participate in sport, and that these studies have proven the participative ‘festival’ element of sport works best for initial engagement.

f)       Miss Holt advised that the Sport and Physical Activity Service had managed to absorb the significant budget pressures to date by looking at staffing priorities and holding a service review on the operating model of the Service which sees one combined team of KCC staff and Sport England staff.

5.            RESOLVED that the responses to questions by Members and the report; and the work jointly undertaken with partners to support PE and sport in schools be noted with thanks.