HS/S3/09/3/A

HEALTH AND SPORT COMMITTEE

AGENDA

3rd Meeting, 2009 (Session 3)

Monday 26 January 2009 The Committee will meet at 1.30 pm in the Court Room, Cottrell Building, University of Stirling. 1. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether

to take item 3 in private. 2. Pathways into sport inquiry: The Committee will take evidence from—

Rob Hardie, Partnership Manager, SportCentral; Brian Samson, Partnership Manager, SportTayside and Fife; Bob McGowan, Services Manager, Schools, Stirling Council; Peter Bilsborough, Director of Sports Development, and Alan Lynn, Senior Teaching Fellow in Sports Coaching, University of Stirling;

and then from—

Stewart Harris, Chief Executive, and Mike Roberts, Director of Sports Development, sportscotland.

3. Pathways into sport inquiry: The Committee will discuss its recent fact-finding visits.

Callum Thomson Clerk to the Health and Sport Committee

Room T3.60 The Scottish Parliament

Edinburgh Tel: 0131 348 5210

Email: callum.thomson@scottish.parliament.uk

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The papers for this meeting are as follows— Agenda Item 2

Note by the Clerk

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Submission by SportCentral

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Submission by SportTayside and Fife

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Submission by Active Stirling and Stirling Council

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Submission by the University of Stirling

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Submission by sportscotland

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Additional supplementary evidence from Charlie Raeburn

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Supplementary submission by sportscotland

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Agenda Item 2 HS/S3/09/3/1 26 January 2009

Health and Sport Committee

3rd Meeting, 2009 (Session 3), Monday, 26 January 2009

Pathways into Sport Background

1. The Committee agreed on 10 December 2009 that the second phase of its inquiry on pathways into sport should concentrate on the following issues:

• Sport in school time, in particular: o what the current position is with regard to schools meeting the ‘2

hours PE target per week’ vis-à-vis the introduction of the Curriculum for Excellence;

o what the barriers are (for example, lack of physical facilities) to this target being achieved and what recommendations for how they might be overcome should be made; and

o who is responsible for meeting the PE target. • Sport outside of school time, in particular identifying best practice for local

authority sports strategies in terms of: o maximising use of school facilities by the wider community; o improving links between community sports clubs and schools, in

particular in relation to extra-curricular sporting activities; and o establishing the optimum role for active schools co-ordinators.

• Coaching, in particular:

o how access to good quality coaching can be improved; and o whether there is scope for governing bodies to work collaboratively

to improve the quality of coaching.

Last week’s meeting

At its meeting last week the Committee took evidence from:

• Suzanne Hargreaves, and Chris Wood, Secretary, Association for Physical Education (Scotland);

• Alan Armstrong, Director of Education Improvement, Learning and Teaching Scotland;

• Donald Macleod, HMIE Inspector, HM Inspectorate of Education; • Fraser Booth, School Leaders Scotland.

Some of the points raised in last week’s evidence included:

• Donald Macleod told the Committee that a HMIE school inspection report does not have to make specific reference to the provision of PE. If PE is not covered in the report the assumption can be made that HMIE is satisfied with the provision.

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Agenda Item 2 HS/S3/09/3/1 26 January 2009

• Chris Wood told the Committee that there were inconsistencies in the

information provided on PE in school report cards. • Suzanne Hargreaves told the Committee that there was a lack of

consistency in the provision of facilities. Falkirk Council has agreed to include the provision of a swimming pool in any new school built, whilst Glasgow Council has decided against this provision.

• Alan Armstrong said that the use of PPP schools by community sports

clubs varied across the country, due to the cost and timing of lets of school sport facilities. The cost of hiring school facilities can be prohibitive for new sport groups.

• Fraser Booth told the Committee that, with most PPP schools, the

school has priority use of the facilities until 6pm after which time they are for community use.

• Chris Wood suggested that the key point for assessing a child’s

physical literacy is around seven to eight years of age. Today’s Meeting

2. Today’s meeting will be held in the Court Room of the University of Stirling. The University of Stirling has been designated as Scotland's University for Sporting Excellence, in sports education, sports research, competitive sport and sports development. A number of sports agencies are based at the University, including the Scottish Institute of Sport, the Central Scotland Institute of Sport, the Commonwealth Games Council for Scotland, Scottish Swimming and Triathlon Scotland.

3. Prior to today’s formal meeting, some Committee members will have attended an informal meeting with professional, semi-professional and voluntary coaches across a variety of sports. The other members of the Committee will visit sports facilities in Stirling to asses the council’s “hub” approach to providing facilities.

4. Today is the third meeting of the Committee to take oral evidence on phase 2 of the inquiry. Two panels of witnesses will give evidence.

5. The first comprises Rob Hardie, Partnership Manager, SportCentral, Brian Samson, Partnership Manager, SportTayside and Fife, Peter Bilsborough, Director of Sport Development, and Alan Lynn, Senior Teaching Fellow in Sports Coaching. Stirling Council also hopes to send a representative, however the Council’s attendance could not be confirmed at time of writing.

6. The second panel comprises Stewart Harris, Chief Executive, and Mike Roberts, Director, sportscotland.

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Agenda Item 2 HS/S3/09/3/1 26 January 2009

Witness Details

7. Rob Hardie is Partnership Manager for SportCentral. SportCentral is a partnership organisation consisting of Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling councils, Active Stirling, the Central Scotland Institute of Sport, the University of Stirling, and selected Scottish governing bodies of sport. The partnership is also supported by, and works closely with, sportscotland. The partnership aims to strengthen sports infrastructure in the central area and bring about sustained increases in performance and participation in sport.

8. Brian Samson is Partnership Manager for SportTayside and Fife, a similar organisation to SportCentral, operating in partnership with Angus, Dundee, Fife and Perth & Kinross councils, Perth and Kinross Leisure and sportscotland.

9. Peter Bilsborough is Director of Sports Development at the University of Stirling. He has been involved in a study of patterns of physical activity among young people, is a member of the board of Scottish Swimming and is a Fellow of the Physical Education Association of Great Britain. Alan Lynn is Senior Teaching Fellow in Sports Coaching at the University of Stirling. He is a member of the UK coaching standards group and has been involved in developing the new UK Coaching Certificate Level 4 award. He is currently undertaking a PHD on the recruitment, education and development of elite coaches and their implications for coaching policy more widely.

10. Stewart Harris is Chief Executive of sportscotland. Sportscotland is the national agency for sport in Scotland. It allocates lottery and government funding for sport, brings together local government and sports governing bodies and operates three national centres as well as the Scottish Institute for Sport. Mr Harris has been Chief Executive since November 2005, having previously held other posts in sportscotland. Prior to joining the organisation he worked for 12 years as a PE teacher and was involved in basketball as a coach and board member of the governing body. Mike Roberts joined sportscotland in September 2008 as director of sports development following the merger of sportscotland with the Scottish Institute of Sport. Prior to this, he was Chief Executive at Scottish Gymnastics for five years.

David Slater, Assistant Clerk

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Agenda 2 26/01/2009 Pathways into Sport

SportCentral Background “A sports partnership is a network of organisations that work together to plan, co-ordinate and make decisions to develop sport at a local and regional level.” SportCentral co-ordinates and facilitates sports programmes and activities at a local and regional level, ensuring they are closely aligned to a national SGB plan for that sport. We help partners work together locally to improve opportunities for people to take part and progress in sport. This includes the co-ordination and facilitation of sports programmes and activities at a local and regional level, ensuring they are closely aligned to the national SGB plan for the sport. The work of SportCentral is locally focused on four areas: developing athletes and players, supporting and developing coaches, officials and volunteers, improving standards of clubs and improving access to facilities. We work in partnership with Clackmannanshire Council, Falkirk Council, Active Stirling/ Stirling Council, the University of Stirling as well as the Central Scotland Institute of Sport and 8 sports governing bodies. SportCentral develops pathways for participation and performance in the following sports: athletics, cricket, disability sport, golf, gymnastics, football, rugby and swimming. We co-ordinate and facilitate the regional and local programmes, in line with the national plan for each sport and we are currently funded until 31 March 2010 Current Aim: To strengthen the infrastructure of Scottish sport, to bring sustainable increases in participation and to improve the performance of developing athletes. SportCentral is required to bridge the gap between National and Local sport delivery. SportCentral will have the capacity to harness the expertise and experience available to them at a local, regional and national level. Children and Sport What level of sport and physical activity should be provided by primary and secondary schools? All children in Scotland should have the opportunity to participate in school based sport. It is essential that the content be appropriate for the development of the children. The experience of the Sports Partnership relating to Primary School activity is connected to the work of the 3 Local Authority partners, Active Stirling, Clackmannanshire Council and Falkirk Council. The most critical area here is to allow for an infrastructure to provide primary aged pupils with a broad range of basic skills, a degree of physical literacy and the

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Agenda 2 26/01/2009 Pathways into Sport

SportCentral opportunity to experience fundamental movement skill across and through a range of sports. Some authorities have committed resource to support this, for example Clackmannanshire Council’s PE project. In addition sports development, active schools and club development programmes help support the delivery of curriculum and after curriculum sport. Is lack of the right type of facilities in schools compromising sport education? Yes, although this will be covered by our Local Authority partners. Accessing at the appropriate times, for the appropriate cost is an issue. Who has responsibility for ensuring that there is adequate sports education in the schools system? This will be covered by our Local Authority partners. The regional partnership has a responsibility to coordinate and support the interaction between Active Schools, SGB’s and local authority sports development. This has worked particularly well in the two areas of Scotland where a pilot Regional Partnerships exist. Are there enough of the right facilities in schools to deliver appropriate levels of sports education? No, see feedback from our Local Authority partners. How can links between schools and sports clubs be improved? The partnership has a focus on this key area, developing clubs and the communication between clubs and schools is critical. The ability to support the local authority Active Schools teams, sports development departments and the SGBs is a key function of the partnership Key priorities of the Partnership include the following:

• The communication and club buy in from identified sports to work with the schools and authorities.

• Providing training and CPD opportunities for school staff, volunteers and coaches.

• Recruiting volunteers and developing their skills as coaches. • Developing the club infrastructure to enable clubs to be capable of

supporting the introduction of new junior members. The driver for this activity has been predominantly the sporting agencies for example Regional Partnerships, Sports Development and Active Schools.

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Agenda 2 26/01/2009 Pathways into Sport

SportCentral What differences have Active Schools Co-ordinators made to the links between schools and clubs? Active Schools Co-ordinators currently make an impact in developing the participation element in Primary school. The best examples of club related development links tend to be where Sports Development Units have worked closely with the Co-ordinators and where the Regional Managers have supported this. What are the barriers to universal access for children to sport, for example travel costs and the cost of equipment and kit? In addition to the comments made by our Local Authority partners, the biggest barrier is the cost of travel for participants on a regular basis. Those athletes who require to train frequently or require to make specific a journey to a training venue can be limited by cost. Community Facilities How effective has the National and Regional Sports facilities Strategy been in delivering facilities for community use? It has had considerable success in the SportCentral area, the new Sports Village in Stirling is an example of Regional facility investment which will benefit the delivery of a regional strategy, with integration in terms of core sport support, access, availability and cost. Do Local Authorities have their own community sports facilities strategies? Where such strategies exist, what role do community planning partnerships and community health partnerships play in developing those strategies? Covered by our Local Authority partners

What are the barriers to making better use of school and other facilities, such as by the wider community, and how can such barriers be overcome? SportCentral in conjunction with SportTayside and Fife would reinforce the views of our local authority partners and emphasise the urgent need for sport to access the school estate. It requires National and Local Authority policy and

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Agenda 2 26/01/2009 Pathways into Sport

SportCentral action to make the facilities available to the community and sports clubs who require access.

Coaching Are there enough Coaches and volunteers to support sport in Scotland? No. The regional partnership supports the development of coaches as a priority across eight sports. We continue to work with our stakeholders including SGBs and Local Authorities to develop existing and new coaches, through supporting a strategic approach to coach education, development and mentoring. We employ mentors and coach development staff to deliver programme supporting coaches across the Forth Valley. We have made considerable improvement in regional and local sport provision and quality through various programmes aimed at coaches, volunteer and officials. This must be a priority for sport going forward. What systems exist to make sure that best use is made of the coaches who are currently available? We have developed comprehensive support systems for existing coaches in the region. The strategic coordination and delivery of coach education courses on behalf of the eight Governing Bodies is in place on the Forth Valley. The success here is through the Regional Manager structure linking with Clubs, Local authorities and coaches, we can prioritise the programme to meet the needs of each of our eight sports. A SportCentral Coach Mentoring scheme has been developed to provide expert generic and technical support to a number of selected coaches across a number of sports. Currently over 28 coaches are on the programme. We work closely with the Coaching Scotland unit and network to deliver UKCC courses and the UKCC Framework. Rob Hardie SportCentral Partnership Manager SportCentral 21 November 2008

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Pathways into Sport Agenda 2 Active Stirling and Stirling Council 26/01/2009 1.0 Introduction

Stirling Council and Active Stirling have an integrated approach to the development and delivery of Physical Activity, Physical Education and sport across schools, clubs and local communities. This highly successful approach has resulted in an increase in opportunities and an increase in participation for local people and local communities across Stirling.

2.0 Single Outcome Agreement

References to Sport in Stirling's Single Outcome Agreement are as follows: Strategic Topic 4 of Stirling's Single Outcome Agreement is "We will make Stirling a place with improved wellbeing". The local outcomes we are working towards under this topic include i) Reduced health inequalities and ii) More opportunities for people to lead healthier lifestyles. Identified actions that are planned to achieve these outcomes are as follows: Encouraging well being and healthy lifestyles through: - Completing the Forthbank Sports Village and through Active

Stirling increasing participation in physical activities through sports development activities, and provision of sports facilities

- Implementing an Open Space strategy to improve public open

spaces where sports, leisure other activities takes place - Providing better access to and improved use of open space

across the Council area through the Access Strategy, the Core Paths Plan and Walks for All programme

- Promoting healthy lifestyles in all schools, nurseries and care

settings, including healthy eating choices. - Encouraging active travel, including active travel to school

through the Safe Routes to School initiative.

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Pathways into Sport Agenda 2 Active Stirling and Stirling Council 26/01/2009 3.0 Children and Sport 3.1 Q: What level of sport and physical activity should be provided by

primary and, separately, secondary schools?

Primary/Secondary schools should provide in the first instance 2 hours of quality Physical Education per week for school aged children.

Opportunities in schools for sport and physical activity should be wide ranging and provide variety in order to engage all children in activity. The Active Schools network had made a significant contribution to this area with the main focus on primary schools. The ASC (secondary) programme has been less successful mainly as a result of limited resources being available to make a real significant impact on participation. Ideally investment in full time Active Schools Coordinator Secondary would make a significant impact in the development in secondary schools. Breakfast clubs, lunchtime clubs and after school activity all provide an opportunity to increase and improve access to physical activity and sport.

3.2 Q: Is a lack of the right type of facilities in schools compromising sports education?

Absolutely, schools have limited appropriate facilities to provide a quality setting to children and young people. The new PPPs schools have improved the school estate however financial pressures has resulted in schools being built with improved quality facilities but less in terms of range and size. Greater consultation requires to be undertaken in the planning stages to ensure the facilities are fit for purpose. Particularly if the emphasis is on community schools. Limited spectating in the new PPPs schools does not encourage potential involvement or engagement in the process.

3.3 Q: Who has the responsibility for ensuring that there is adequate sports education in the school system?

If there is a national concern in the decreasing levels of participation

there must be a joint responsibility by national and local government to ensure that the maximum resource is allocated to improve the local

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Pathways into Sport Agenda 2 Active Stirling and Stirling Council 26/01/2009

stock of schools and local community facilities. An integrated approach is required in the development of a national/local facility strategy which reflects local needs and is realistic.

3.4 Q: Are there enough of the right facilities in schools to deliver

appropriate levels of sports education?

No, the answer is very clear.

3.5 Q: How can the links between schools and sports clubs be improved?

Stirling Council and Active Stirling (NPDO) have an integrated approach to the planning, programming and delivery of sport and physical activity. A cluster based model around the primary schools, secondary schools and local clubs has been created. Each cluster has a team of ASC(p), ASC(s) and SDO (generic/responsibility for clubs in cluster) and supported by SSDOs (for sports specific development) PE specialist, who work together to maximise opportunities for all children and young people across the cluster. The greatest improvement in the links between schools and clubs will be made by people. The right trained enthusiastic people will ensure links are created from school to club. The Stirling model has resulted in clear pathways been created and utilised, resulting in increased membership in local clubs and an increase in volunteers supporting clubs. Close links with Clubsport Stirling (local sports council) supports the framework.

3.6 Q: What differences have Active Schools Coordinators made to the links between schools and clubs?

Active Schools in Stirling Council area have increased participation in the primary school environment and increased the number of local volunteers involved in the delivery of a number of the programmes. SDO’s in Stirling are supported by the ASC and have improved the links between schools and clubs.

3.7 Q: What are the barriers to universal access for children to sport, for

example travel costs and the cost of equipment and kit?

• Facilities • Cost • Time – relating to parents time to commit to Sport/PA in

schools/clubs communities. • Perceptions

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Pathways into Sport Agenda 2 Active Stirling and Stirling Council 26/01/2009

• Peer pressure

4.0 Community Facilities

4.1 Q: How effective has the National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy been in delivering facilities for community use?

The National and Regional Sports Facility Strategy has provided a framework to assess local need but it requires to be integrated with local sports development in relation to planning and programming. It requires to be reviewed and become an integral part of the overall framework for Scottish sport. There is a need for an integrated approach across schools, clubs, communities and facilities. Facilities are buildings which facilitate the development of sport but require quality people to deliver quality services. The new £27.3m Sports Village development will create the ideal environment to develop a community club hub which will integrate local communities and individuals with schools, clubs and performance structure maximising the opportunity for all of Stirling to become engaged in sport and physical activity.

4.2 Q: Do local authorities have their own community sports facilities strategies? Where such strategies exist, what role do community planning partnerships and community health partnerships play in developing those strategies? Stirling Council/Active Stirling have an Sport and Physical Activity Strategy where facility development is integral to the overall development of local sport and physical activity. A Community Sport Facility Strategy should not be produced in isolation. Community Planning partnerships and CHP are integral to the whole strategic process and it is vital that all partners contribute in order to maximise resource and maximise capacity at new/existing facilities.

4.3 Q: What are the barriers to making better use of school and other facilities, such as by the wider community, and how can such barriers be overcome?

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Pathways into Sport Agenda 2 Active Stirling and Stirling Council 26/01/2009

• Lack of understanding of the PPPs contract by elected members and management.

• People • Perceptions • Vision • Philosophy

Overcome barrier: • Shared vision • Clear goals and outcomes • Clear and effective communication • Integrated programming and planning of all key partners. Identified

people with lead responsibility. • Consistent message which is articulated at all levels.

4.4 Q: How can examples of best practice in the provision of facilities be learned from and rolled out on a wider basis?

Workshops, Meetings, web links

4.5 Q: What lessons can be learnt from the way in which community sports

facilities are used in other countries?

Great to see how other countries operate but we require a ‘Scottish’ solution for Scottish communities.

5. Coaching

5.1 Q: Are there enough coaches and volunteers to support sport in

Scotland?

No, we have considerable numbers of people who coach and volunteer but we require more. However it is not about quantity, it is about

quality. This area requires to be reviewed and adequate resource allocated to make a significant difference to delivery of sport and physical activity at all levels.

5.2 Q: What systems exist to make sure that best use is made of the

coaches who are currently available?

The recruitment, deployment and development of the right coaches and the right volunteers are essential for future development and engagement of children and young people.

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Pathways into Sport Agenda 2 Active Stirling and Stirling Council 26/01/2009

Currently too many systems exist and there is no national identity or uniformity around the area of development. Quality coaching and quality coaches is critical to increasing participation and engaging young people in sport and physical activity. This is an area which has been under resourced under valued and requires to be professionalised.

5.3 Q: What are the barriers to more people coaching, and volunteering to support, sport in Scotland?

• Time • Commitment • Awareness and understanding • Fear • Funding • National Framework • Continued Professional Development

Lack of professional pathway for coaches. Lots of excellent young people get involved in coaching but there are limited part-time/full time positions to develop a long term career in coaching. The professionalisation of coaching and coaches requires to be addressed the concept is not new but it is vital that there are adequate resources and a clear vision to move forward.

Key areas to be developed:

• Integrated local strategies for PE, sport and physical activity • Development of robust and sustainable progressive club structures

(current overemphasis on developing a sports base in schools) • Professionalisation of coaching • Quality coaching development – mentoring programmes

Summary Stirling Council and Active Stirling believe there has to be integrated approach to the development of PA, PE and sport. Robust progressive and sustainable club structures require to be developed. Greater emphasis and support must

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Pathways into Sport Agenda 2 Active Stirling and Stirling Council 26/01/2009 be given to coaching and coaches if we are to make significant change to our Pathways into Scottish Sport for Scottish children, young people and communities.

Linda Nicol Management PA Active Stirling 24 November 2008

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Agenda 2 26/01/2009

Pathways into Sport University of Stirling

The Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Christine Hallett has asked me to respond to the call for evidence in relation to the Pathways into Sport Inquiry. I hope that you find the information below helpful.

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this inquiry on behalf of the University of Stirling, Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence (SUSE). The University of Stirling takes its role as Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence very seriously and believes that a key function of this role is to help shape the development of Scottish sports policy. In this regard, we strongly welcome the opportunity to respond to this Pathways into Sport inquiry. We hope that our observations, which are founded in the findings of current evidence-based research, are both constructive and insightful. We have organised our response around the key themes outlined in your letter dated 10 October 2008. We have sought to focus on the issues where we feel we can offer the most insight and evidence: therefore, we have not answered every question asked in the letter. The remainder of this response seeks to respond to key questions within theme one (children and sport) and theme three (coaching). Children and sport Parliament should note that there are very few, if any, longitudinal studies focusing on sport and physical activity in Scotland. The evidence provided in response to the questions below is drawn from a three-year study into physical activity patterns in primary and secondary schools, led by the University of Stirling in conjunction with Stirling Council. In this study, the physical activity patterns of 140 children were measured over a three-year period during their transition from P6 to S1. The data obtained through this study inform some of the questions included in the Pathway to Sport inquiry. It is also important to note that sport and physical activity are very different to physical education. Whilst they are very important activities and certainly have an important role to play in schools this should not be at the expense of physical education. Physical Education is central to achieving the aims of education. This argument has been made convincingly by the PE profession and in recent times the subject has assumed a more important position in the curriculum. Sport and Physical activity achieve very different aims; aims which are not always central to education. It is important that the emphasis being placed on sport and physical activity is not at the expense of physical education’s role and importance within the education process. What level of sport and physical activity should be provided by primary and, separately, secondary schools? Sport and physical activity are essential in both primary and secondary schools. They should be provided in addition to curricular physical education, be fully supported by physical education specialists, active school coordinators and sports coaches in extra curricular time.

The benefits of physical education, sport and physical activity in primary school are well known. It is accepted that children who do not learn basic movement skills are alienated

from sports and physical activities, with negative consequences for their subsequent participation in sport, basic health and self esteem. It has also been argued that children who do not learn these basic skills find fine motor skills such as writing difficult and as such can be alienated further from the education process as a whole. It is well known that the participation of children in sport was in decline for a number of years. In part this was due to reduced numbers of primary physical education teachers and a reduction in time devoted to the subject in primary schools. Children who do not receive a positive physical education, sport and physical activity experience in primary schools are less likely have the skills and/or desire to participate in later life.

Physical education, sport and physical activity should also be fully supported in secondary schools. The transition from primary to secondary school is a key issue to address as it is known that many children drop out at this time. Time should be spent on activities which are culturally and educationally significant in both curricular and extra curricular time.

Is a lack of the right type of facilities in schools compromising sports education?

Yes. Many primary schools have inadequate facilities to promote sports education. Concrete play areas and car parks are not suitable outdoor spaces for sports participation. Grass areas and multi sports surfaces should be provided to encourage a wide range of outdoor activities. Moreover, many indoor spaces are also inadequate. Gym halls are outdated and are frequently required for other purposes (e.g. lunch halls, assembly rooms and general teaching spaces). Inevitably this further reduces the time available for teaching time and for extra curricular clubs. Who has the responsibility for ensuring that there is adequate sports education in the school system?

Curricular physical education should lie in the hands of physical education specialists. Responsibility for extra curricular school sport and physical activity should also lie with educationists, given its inextricable links with schooling. Physical education teachers are specialised and highly trained and should be fully supported to provide curricular physical education and extracurricular activities. It is not appropriate to rely on their goodwill to volunteer to deliver extra curricular work as this is likely to result in inadequate and disjointed provision. Instead there should be consideration of how educationalists can be supported to deliver all activities in school time and surrounding school time. However, this is not to say that framework of the Active Schools programme should be removed or that sports coaches do not have a part to play in the delivery of extra curricular school sport.

Are there enough of the right facilities in schools to deliver appropriate levels of sports education?

No, see comments above. How can the links between schools and sports clubs be improved? What differences have Active Schools Co-ordinators (ASCs) made to the links between schools and clubs? In general, ASCs have had little influence on pupils joining sports clubs outside school. Most encouragement given to pupils to join sports clubs came from someone in the pupil’s family, one or more of their friends or they were sufficiently motivated to do it themselves. Somewhat in contrast, ASCs generally had more impact encouraging pupils to join sports clubs in the schools in which they worked. However, their influence remained less significant than friends and the pupils themselves. It is of course likely that some individual ASCs have made a very positive contribution. However, given the wider remit of active

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school co-ordinators and their line management, it seems likely that there has also been a plurality of provision between local authorities. What are the barriers to universal access for children to sport, for example travel costs and the cost of equipment and kit? Pupils were asked the extent to which 10 items acted as barriers to participation in physical activity. Four of the items were identified by more than 20% of the pupils. There were no significant differences between boys and girls: The weather is too bad P6 (30%) P7 (40%) S1 (42%) I do not have the right equipment P6 (29%) P7 (22%) S1 (25%) It is difficult to get to places P6 (26%) P7 (24%) S1 (33%) where I can do it I have insufficient time P6 (19%) P7 (29%) S1 (32%) Over a third of pupils were deterred by the weather. Over a quarter could not access the right equipment and a similar percentage found it difficult to get to sports venues. Their parents did not have the resources or did not want to provide transport for their children. Having insufficient time implies that pupils have chosen or are required to spend their time on other activities of more significance than sport. It is therefore clear that there are many barriers in terms of universal participation. Certainly financial barriers in terms of equipment, clothing, access and travel will inevitably preclude or restrict the participation of children in disadvantaged communities or families. Particular challenges also arise in rural communities given the lack of facilities and hence the greater need for travel expenditure. However, not all barriers will be financial – cultural and social barriers, both at community and family level can be as significant. Overcoming these barriers will not be addressed quickly or through financial intervention. This is an area that would benefit from detailed research in future. Additional evidence-based findings from the three-year study Other research findings suggest the questions posed by the Pathway into Sport Inquiry are rather narrow. The research found that pupils’ frequency of physical activity (at least 1 hour) was high outside school in informal settings in their locales. Over 60% were active four or more times per week after school and before their evening meal and 51% after their evening meal. 59% were also physically active on both weekend days. Their gardens, the street, local bits of open ground and local play area/parks were the main sites. Recreational physical activities consisted of “playing out”: walking, cycling, playing on swings and playing recreational football. It is not structured around rules and regulations. Moreover, pupils reported they may “play out” more often and in more numbers if their spaces were not vandalised so much. As two noted: “The teenagers down the park make it unsafe and sometimes there is drinking so my parents don’t let me go at certain times.”; and “When I play in the park my mum comes and gets me when the big ones come because she thinks they are trouble.” These types of activity, these significant amounts of physical activity and barriers to them are not being considered in this inquiry. Nevertheless, they are significant parts of pupils’ physical activity patterns and experiences.

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Coaching A recent report published by the Institute of Youth Sport at Loughborough University1 addressed ‘coaching issues’ on a ‘UK’ scale and came to some disturbing conclusions. The report found that the ‘culture of volunteerism’ in UK sports coaching creates a self-perpetuating social exclusion wherein it is mainly white middle-class men who can afford to volunteer their time, leading to an absence of role models for sportspeople from other groups. The lack of remuneration and clear career progression within coaching also risks a brain-drain of promising young British coaches to other professions, creating a reliance on importing foreign coaches to elite positions in UK sport. The report concludes that unless a radical overhaul is made to investment in coaching, the UK risks missing its stated aims of becoming the best place in the world for coaching by 2016; and the British Olympic Association its goal of Team GB rising from 10th in the medals table at the 2004 Athens Olympics to 4th by London 2012. With the GB Olympic team out-performing its target in Beijing, this last point may become moot; however, the parallels with Scotland & Glasgow 2014 are obvious. With specific reference to the questions on ‘coaching’ raised as part of the Pathways into Sport Inquiry, the following comments are offered: Are there enough coaches and volunteers to support sport in Scotland? One of the main problems with this question is the lack of objective data on the numbers of coaches and volunteers who operate in Scottish sport. An ongoing research project2 commissioned by Skills Active and managed by sportscotland is conducting an audit of the coaching workforce in 19 Scottish Governing Bodies of sport (SGBs) and subsequently preparing Workforce Development Plans (WDP) for these organisations. Without clear, specific and evidence-based targets of how many coaches are required by sport in Scotland it is equally difficult to address the concept of having ‘enough’ coaches, but what is clear from the tentative conclusions of the WDP research is that the vast majority of the coaching workforce are volunteers (circa 85%3). Most SGBs do not report large shortfalls in quantities of coaches (largely because they do not have aspirations of significantly increased demand requiring more coaches), but they do report considerable skills gaps4 in the quality of coaching provision available. What systems exist to make sure that best use is made of the coaches who are currently available? The general pattern is that SGB services (i.e. within the voluntary sector) are delivered within a voluntary coaching commitment. This means that there is no coaching ‘career’ in a progressive employment sense, and this must impact on the WDP in terms of incentives and motives for recruitment and training/education. In some sports (swimming is an obvious example here), there are a significant number of coaches in local authority employment who 1 Sportnation research (2008). “Are we missing the coach for 2012?” Institute for Youth Sport, Loughborough University. 2 The contract was warded to John Lyle Consulting and has had significant contribution from University of Stirling academic, Alan Lynn. 3 The most recent data from England has this figure at 70% - sportscoachUK, November 2007 4 This is presented in two main forms; (i) lack of qualifications/training for the role undertaken, (ii) lack of competence to discharge their function.

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are full-time employed, or nearly so, but there is currently no evidence that this forms part of a structured career framework. A further characteristic of coach education/workforce development planning is to base demand on developmental aspirations without a realistic assessment of their likely successful outcome5. This is particularly important when the availability of coaches and the developmental outcomes are mutually dependent. Workforce development planning is a challenging concept in a truly ‘amateur’ SGB. For example: To date there has been limited planning of the workforce, either in the sector or in individuals sports. The expressed intention has been to attract as many coaches as possible to come to courses, and to join clubs. There is an assumption (with some evidence from studies already conducted) that coaches are ‘generated’ from within the sport. Although not subject to complete generalisation, SGBs have tended not to have sophisticated databases of coaches, and this impacts on the setting and monitoring of targets. Without a licensing system, it is difficult to estimate ‘churn6’ in the workplace (exacerbated by coaches in some sports operating without being in membership of their SGB). These factors result in some real challenges for SGBs: intrinsic incentives, absence of recruitment strategies, limited demand analysis, and limited supply monitoring. In general SGBs do not operate with a pool of trained labour available for employment/deployment. This is exacerbated by coaches not generally being recruited from extended FE/HE courses. SGBs may have difficulty in providing training against future growth because there is no incentive for individuals to engage in training without immediate deployment. (This may be a little different for upskilling practices, where ‘better service’ objectives can be more clearly established.) Workforce development planning may therefore tend to be reactive in the SGB sector7. Workforce development planning in SGBs has an additional issue in that (generally) employers (clubs) can only attract at the new-entrant level8: (a) there is limited movement between clubs, (b) coaches do not ‘switch’ sports in mid-training, and (c) individuals do not (directly) qualify at middle levels (even if potentially APEL-able). As a result, there is a time lag in increasing provision across levels. The environment is always fluid (but no different to business or local government sectors – see the appendix for an example). However, because of a reliance on government funding, the sector is constantly subject to development initiatives, partly because of government policies and because sports participation is never sufficient to match policy objectives. The outcome is an often uneven and discontinuous demand for coaches, usually through public sector-led initiatives. In sport, the service/product can be amended to match the provision (coaching) available. This is different to a fixed service level agreement or a task analysis-led production quota. The tendency, therefore, is to ‘work with what you’ve got’ (and, by implication, to cloud the relationship between growth or provision and coach numbers.

5 The aspirational nature of strategic and development planning is characteristic of much of sports planning. While it has become a feature of sports planning, it is not helpful in the context of service provision planning, wherein assumptions of growth are important for setting targets (and committing resources). 6 ‘Churn’ here refers to the notion of replacement of coaches who no longer are part of the workforce. 7 Agencies such as sportscotland and SkillsActive may wish to consider how proactive recruitment and training can be separated from extant demand. Current consideration of the role of FE/HE in the development of coaching may be a pointer to future developments. 8 Unless there are personal circumstances related to employment or domestic circumstances.

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The voluntary nature of coaching may be an issue in the extent to which coaches can be attracted to take part in continuing professional development activity. Traditionally SGBs have limited influence in this because of (a) the restricted reward environment, (b) absence of a career pathway, and (c) modest if any performance monitoring. What are the barriers to more people coaching, and volunteering to support, sport in Scotland? If the Health and Sport Committee wishes to lead the debate on this final issue, it could consider the following: 1. A national debate is urgently required on the right balance between volunteers and

professionals in the existing coaching system: the Sport nation panel recommended that while adding a quarter of a million additional paid coaches between now and 2016 (across the UK) may be too ambitious, a ‘quantum leap’ in the number of paid for professional coaches is required, and the current Sports coach UK targets of 42,000 additional paid professional coaches would not be sufficient to ensure sporting success or break the cycle of social exclusion in sport.

2. Schools are the best mechanisms with which to reach the greatest number of children most efficiently with professionalised sports coaching: the issue of family cohesion is too big for sport alone to tackle, but schools can be the ‘glue’ that hold communities together in terms of providing a level playing field in access to sport. An immediate investment in full-time equivalent professional coaches spread across school based ‘multi-sports hubs’ would make an immediate difference to participation and performance sport in local communities.

3. A qualified endorsement for a coaching model in which untrained volunteers are recognised as ‘sports helpers’, not coaches, and which enables clear career progression from grass-roots to elite level sports. While the role of volunteers is acknowledged, a significant shake-up of the current coaching system is advocated, recognising that we may not have the right people within the current system and ‘dead wood’ would need to be stripped out, rather than just paying existing volunteer coaches. It is vital that coaching models are inclusive and take account of the pathways in both sport and disability sport.

Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence It is pleasing that the Scottish Government has sought the assistance of the University of Stirling, Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence, in assisting with the formation of sports policy in Scotland. The University has a leading role to play in terms of applied and specific research and knowledge transfer; preparing the workforce; informing public policy; supporting sports providers and preparing athletes. The work of Scotland’s University for Sporting Excellence is highlighted in a November 2008 edition of Holyrood Magazine. The University looks forward to welcoming the Health and Sport Committee in early 2009. Once again, thank you for the opportunity to respond to this inquiry. Should you require any further information, we would be delighted to assist, and would be pleased to provide oral evidence to the Committee if required. In addition, we are content that our response is published as part of the Committee report. Professor Grant Jarvie Deputy Principal University of Stirling 18 November 2008

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Appendix The most recent and comprehensive document is the Sector Skills Agreement9 produced by SkillsActive. The table that follows is a selective review of the objectives outlined in the Sector Skills Agreement, accompanied by a commentary related to sports coaching. Scotland Sector Skills Agreement Objectives Commentary on Sports Coaching

Improve quality and range of services Engage employers in addressing the skills and training needs of the sector

The role of SGBs and clubs vis-à-vis volunteers needs to be taken into account.

Align training and qualifications in the sector to the drive to meet government agendas and customer expectations

There needs to be a clearer identification of the rationale for training.

Disseminate good practice to employers and training providers across the sector

There is limited tradition in sharing best practice across Governing Bodies

Improve recruitment and retention The good advice in this category needs to account for the fact that training is not characterised by being pre-service or based in FE/HE. There needs to be recognition of the part-time voluntary characteristic of many coaches. This suggests that there may be specific sub-sector recruitment and retention issues. Match training supply to employer demand Improve interaction between the sector and training providers

SGBs are the training providers, but ‘employers’ are very diverse

Improve the relevance and responsiveness of FE/HE provision

Need clearer research on coaching pathways

Embed sector qualifications in further and higher education

Improve standardisation and transferability of skills and qualifications

The sports specificity of technical skills limits standardisation. However, the multi-skills, multi-sports agenda for ‘community coaches’ may impact on this

Professionalise and upskill the existing workforce

Address the skills and training needs of the existing workforce (paid and volunteers)

Improve the take-up of vocational qualifications by volunteers

Most coaches are volunteers. The MORI survey (more later) suggested that a very high proportion (90%) in Scotland were unqualified. This is an unlikely figure.

Make qualifications more accessible to people seeking to develop their skills

Previous experience suggests that there are barriers to provision. There is general agreement that a form of public subsidy for training would improve uptake, particularly in the context of UKCC costings.

9 SkillsActive (2006) The Action Plan for Scotland: Sector Skills Agreement.

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Address the personal training and qualification needs of employees

Coach education has tended to be provided at the ‘system’ level, although the UKCC-endorsement framework has inspired more targeted provision.

Increase sector investment in our people Make volunteering experience count towards career development

Although identified in policy statements, there is no clear evidence of a transition pathway from volunteering to paid employment

Encourage employers to embed training in their business plans

This may be common with local authority employment, but voluntary sector clubs may have limited resources.

Source funding for training Attract funding to address employers’ workforce development needs Re-direct funding from public sources to meet the skills needs of sector employers

sportscotland is currently exploring ways of providing subsidy to the costs of coach education and training.

Reduce barriers to accessing training – more local, flexible work-based training provision

This is an accepted principle but, although coach education is increasingly experiential, the voluntary sector may not be well placed to support this.

Many of the developmental aspects of professionalisation and the development of education and training are embraced by the policy document, UK Coaching Framework (sports coach UK, 2007). Sports coaching is characterised by distinctive roles and levels of qualification. Moving within levels is a way of upskilling, although this may not lead to a different role. Experience suggests that SGBs and local authorities can identify skills gaps. It is less clear that this perceived lower quality of service impacts on the level of demand.

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PS47

HS/S3/09/3/6

Agenda 2

26/01/2009 Pathways in to Sport

sportscotland

Introduction

1 sportscotland is the national agency for sport in Scotland. Our mission is to encourage everyone in Scotland to discover and develop their own sporting experience, helping to increase participation and improve performance in Scottish sport.

2 We passionately believe in the benefits of sport, from the enjoyment and sense of achievement that participation brings to the shared pride that national success generates. And we believe that there is no other recreational activity which has the same potential to contribute to the range of national and local objectives right across Scottish Government’s National Performance framework.

3 We welcome the Health and Sport Committee’s inquiry as it helps to raise the profile of sport in Scotland and explore some of the issues that need to be addressed if we are to realise the full potential of sport for individuals, communities and for Scotland as a nation.

4 In this response, we set out the strategic context before focusing on the specific questions raised by the Committee in its call for evidence. If we can provide any further information, then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Strategic Context

5 Reaching Higher, the national strategy for sport, published in 2007, provides the strategic direction for Scottish sport. It sets out two clear aims of increasing participation and improving performance and four national objectives, the building blocks, which need to be in place to achieve our aims - Strong Organisations, Well trained people, Quality Facilities and Sporting Pathways.

6 Reaching Higher recognises that increasing participation and improving performance are inter-related and we need to develop a comprehensive sporting infrastructure which delivers sporting pathways.

7 Effective sporting pathways will create opportunities for people to participate and develop in sport at any level and for life.

8 Pathways need to be planned on a sport by sport basis, with Sports Governing Bodies identifying the optimum long term player development needs of their sport.

9 There will be areas of commonality, in the need to develop fundamental physical abilities and confidence in our children at an early age.

10 Once the player development needs are identified for a sport, the people including coaches, organisations and facilities required to deliver the pathways can be determined. And by mapping pathways across sports, areas of commonality and opportunities for joint services can be maximised.

11 Delivering sporting pathways, therefore requires effective strategic planning by the agencies involved in sports delivery, and in particular the key agencies identified in Reaching Higher – Scottish Government, sportscotland, Scottish Governing Bodies and local authorities.

12 Over recent years many Scottish Governing Bodies have made significant strides in identifying the long term player development needs for their sport, but many others still have a long way to go.

13 sportscotland is working with SGBs to strengthen their infrastructure and support their planning.

14 The quality of planning at a local authority level is also variable throughout the country. Local authorities and leisure trusts have a key role to play in ensuring that the right opportunities are available to local people (whether delivered by the authority or other local stakeholders) to enable them to participate and go on to make the pathway development link in that sport. Reaching Higher sets out key responsibilities for local authorities in developing sports plans, including facility strategies and incorporating the contributions of all key local stakeholders.

15 Since Reaching Higher was published, the high level strategic context for local government has of course changed with the COSLA/Scottish Government concordat and introduction of Single Outcome Agreements. However if sport is to develop, the need for effective and comprehensive local planning is key. These strategies can not only sit under the SOA, but can help deliver many of the objectives within it. 1 Over the coming months there is a need for community planning partnerships to develop their outcome agreements and it is hoped that these will provide a starting point for realising the full potential of sport at a local level.

16 sportscotland is committed to working with partners to support the development and implementation of their plans and to provide linkages between them. We are also in the process of reviewing our own plan and re-structuring to enable us to enhance support to partners.

17 Having strategies in place provides the impetus for working together. It allows partners to realise shared objectives, determine priorities and highlights how the contribution of all partners and resources can be maximised.

18 Effective strategic planning is of course only the starting point. Sufficient investment and partnership working is essential to deliver the plans and put in place the pathways required to generate young people’s participation and importantly sustaining that participation for life.

19 The following section provides specific comment and evidence on key issues identified.

Children and Sport

Q1 - What level of sport and physical activity should be provided by primary and, separately, secondary schools?

Level of activity

20 sportscotland would like to see increased sport and physical activity in primary and secondary schools.

21 Physical activity from a very early age is absolutely essential for the health and wellbeing of our children. From a sports development point of view, physical education is also necessary to develop physical literacy in order to furnish children with the fundamental skills and abilities that are necessary to participate and develop in a full range of sports.

22 In Scotland we have been making good progress with extra curricular sport since the introduction of the Active Schools Network. 353,000 activity sessions were delivered in 2007/8 with over 23,000 leaders involved in delivery.2

23 Scottish Government’s physical activity strategy is currently being reviewed. The current strategy sets out that every child should benefit from two hours of quality PE provision in school and we are hoping that not only is this target maintained, but also built upon.

24 In 2004/05, the average curriculum PE times were 70 mins per week in primary schools and 98 mins per week in the S1-S4 classes of secondary schools, with 5% of primary schools and 7% of S1-S4 classes in secondary schools meeting the two hour recommended minimum provision.3

25 Since then feedback from HMIE inspections suggest progress is being made across the country regarding the provision of PE. The contribution that PE, physical activity and sport can make within schools has been further heightened by the guidelines for the Curriculum for Excellence – Health and Wellbeing and the commitment to delivering this in the Concordat between Scottish Government and local government.

26 In England, Government has set the challenge of five hours sport and physical activity for every child and they are making strides towards achieving their goal. The percentage of 5-16 year olds taking part in 2 hours of high quality PE and school sport each week is 86%, surpassing the target of 85% in one year less than projected.

27 The two principle objectives of the “5 hour offer” are to increase the number of 5-16 year olds taking part in at least two hours of high quality PE and sport at school each week, and create new opportunities for them to participate in a further three hours each week of sporting activity, through school, voluntary and community providers.4

Quality of Activity

28 It is not only the quantity of sport and physical activity that is important, it is also the quality of that activity.

29 Primary delivery needs to help develop fundamental physical literacy in our children. All children should have the opportunity to develop, enjoy and live a healthy lifestyle enabling them to apply their physical, emotional and social skills to pursue a healthy lifestyle.5

30 It is also essential that sport and activity sessions are safe and fun. A bad sporting experience at any age, can turn people away from sport for life. The school sport experience needs to be positive, with well trained teachers and other deliverers and the right facilities and equipment used.

31 This also involves effective targeting of opportunity. It is essential that staff are trained in providing effective opportunities for disabled children, who are often excluded from school sport and yet can equally benefit from it. Research and good practice also highlight the benefits of a targeted approach to engaging girls, who are less likely than boys to participate in sport, particularly at secondary school.6 With less female and disabled adults participating than men and non-disabled people throughout life, effective engagement at a young age is critical to impact on participation overall.7

32 Offering a wide range of sporting opportunities across a range of sports including outdoor opportunities, will also generate enthusiasm and help our children discover the right sport or sports for them.

Curriculum integration

33 As well as more quality sport and physical activity in the school curriculum in its own right, sportscotland believes we would benefit from sport and physical activity being integrated across the curriculum. Much of our participation problems are cultural and using sporting examples in history, geography or physics could help normalise and increase the profile of sport, encouraging more people to realise it’s value

Q2 - Is a lack of the right type of facilities in schools compromising sports education?

34 While there are many schools with exceptional sporting facilities, across the full estate there is no doubt that not having the right facilities compromises sport education. For example in some schools, sport is still played in multi-purpose or converted areas originally designed for other uses that are not conducive to the sport. Also a limited range of facilities impacts on the range

of sports that schools can offer and on their ability to target, which are both key objectives.8

35 In many, but not all cases, there are opportunities to utilise community facilities and the outdoors which schools should be encouraged to do.

36 As well as quality facilities being easily accessible, good sports education is also down to having the right people - well trained teachers or coaches who can engage children of all abilities, including disabled children, is absolutely critical to positive sporting experiences. This can be as big a barrier as accessible facilities.

Q3 - Who has the responsibility for ensuring that there is adequate sports education in the school system?

37 Education services have the key responsibility for ensuring that there is adequate sports education in the school system, and this is clearly an element of delivering the curriculum for excellence.

38 Local and National government also have a role in ensuring that the benefits of sports education are understood and that sufficient resources are in place to enable delivery.

39 As set out in the Concordat between the Scottish Government and local government, local authorities have committed to develop and deliver the Curriculum for Excellence. It is therefore the responsibility of local authorities, education services, schools and their partners to deliver the Curriculum for Excellence, informed by national guidance through bringing the experiences and outcomes together and applying the national entitlements to produce programmes for learning in ways which meet local needs.

Q4 - Are there enough of the right facilities in schools to deliver appropriate levels of sports education?

40 This varies on a school by school basis, but as previously outlined it should not be essential to have all of the right facilities within the school, as long as they are easily accessible to the school.

41 sportscotland has published a range of guidance on the school estate and we also consider investment in school sports facilities where it benefits both the school and the wider community.9

Q5 - How can the links between schools and sports clubs be improved?

42 Strategic leadership and guidance nationally can provide support and a framework, but effective links between schools and sports club need to be generated at a local level and on a one to one basis.

43 This involves schools and clubs working together to determine shared objectives and agree an approach which benefits both parties. The key barrier to this is of course personnel. The club infrastructure is vulnerable10, with the

majority of club officials and coaches being volunteers who are stretched and not always readily available and school resources are also stretched, particularly at secondary level and especially at the critical hours between 1600 and 1800 (weekdays).

44 This is where further investment in Active Schools Coordinators at secondary level could have an impact as could more club development officers based in local authorities or regional partnerships. It should also be noted that where local / regional sport specific posts exist there is a growing body of evidence to suggest integrated planning, strong liaison and sustained delivery taking place.

45 Regional Sports Partnerships have a significant role to play in improving links. One of the main aims of the Partnership is to promote and support sporting pathways in their local area by working with stakeholders including schools, Active Schools Network and sports development professionals. The Partnership also provides support to clubs, officials, coaches and volunteers in addition to offering assistance in developing facilities and access to resources. Further information on the work of Regional Sports Partnerships is detailed in the Sport Tayside & Fife and SportCentral submissions to this Inquiry.

Q6 - What differences have Active Schools Co-ordinators made to the links between schools and clubs?

46 Over the last 4 years Active Schools, funded by the Scottish Government, has been instrumental in providing young people with a wide range of sporting opportunities which have introduced many to new activities and stimulated their interest in and commitment to sport.

47 The evaluation of the Active Schools network highlights the constraints that Active School Co-ordinators in Secondary Schools face due to lack of time. As previously stated further investment in this area could afford Coordinators to focus on improving links.

48 In line with sportscotland’s commitment to developing improved links between schools, clubs and the wider community in our Corporate Plan 2008-11, each of the 32 Active Schools Partnership Agreements for the next phase of Active Schools Network (2008-2011) have set objectives around developing and or improving school to club pathways.

Q7 - What are the barriers to universal access for children to sport, for example travel costs and the cost of equipment and kit?

49 Potential barriers to children accessing sport would be individual to the school and the child. Transport can be an issue in some areas, particularly where children rely on public transport to school which may only be accessible at school hours. Likewise, in some areas it may be difficult to access non school facilities and sports opportunities in the outdoors by transport. Only a minority of children will have parents who can run them to and from sporting opportunities due to parental work commitments, affordability and access to a car as well as the parents valuing sport enough to give their time.

50 Transport should be a consideration within local community sports plans and explored by the school, however in many cases overcoming the barrier will involve resources.

51 For families, particularly from more deprived backgrounds, the cost of accessing facilities, clubs and purchasing equipment can be a barrier. There will also be differences between sports, with some sports being more expensive than others, for example snowsports compared to football.

52 Again, there is much that can be done through effective planning, pricing strategies and targeting to reduce the implications, and there are several public funding schemes, for example Awards for All, that can support local clubs and organizations to provide equipment.

53 Promoting the value of sports to individual children, families and communities in itself will help overcome some of these issues, as sport is often just seen as a hobby with a cost rather than as a value and right of every child.

Community Facilities

Q8- How effective has the National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy been in delivering facilities for community use?

54 As none of the national and regional sports facilities have been completed to date, it is not possible to measure their effectiveness. However, the business plans of all facilities receiving investment as part of the strategy included school and community use.

55 These will be monitored on a regular basis in line with sportscotland’s standard investment practice.

Q9- Do local authorities have their own community sports facilities strategies? Where such strategies exist, what role do community planning partnerships and community health partnerships play in developing those strategies?

56 A minority of Councils have sports facilities strategies. The latest audit of local facility strategies that sportscotland carried out in May 2008 found that:

56.1 14 Local Authorities had completed Pitch Strategies

56.2 5 Local Authorities had completed Facility Strategies

56.3 6 Local Authorities had Pitch Strategies underway

56.4 7 Local Authorities had Facility Strategies underway

57 The majority of strategies tend to focus on major Council facility types such as swimming pools, multiuse leisure centres, and pitches. Few consider the full stock of facilities in local authority areas, including those in the commercial and voluntary sector using all these to strategically meet the aspirations of local clubs or communities. This is not to say that Councils do not enter into

partnership or support specific projects from time to time that arise from the community.

58 As a general rule, Community Planning Partnerships and especially Community Health Partnerships play limited roles in respect of facility strategies, although there are some examples of good practice.

59 There is a real opportunity with the development of Single Outcome Agreements for Community Planning Partners to consider the full potential of sport in their area and to develop underpinning facility and sports strategies which address local needs.

60 sportscotland offers advice and support in the development of strategic approaches to facility provision, including the application of the Facilities Planning Model which considers supply and demand issues for various types of facility. Further advice and support on design, build, management and development is also provided by sportscotland in respect of specific facility projects, and of course we also have funding programmes which can support the upgrading and development of community facilities.

Q10 - What are the barriers to making better use of school and other facilities, such as by the wider community, and how can such barriers be overcome?

61 sportscotland’s audit of sports facilities, highlighted some of the key challenges with our current stock of sports facilities, and maximising the use of the school estate is one of the ways that such issues can be addressed.

62 The key challenges that need to be addressed to maximise use of the school estate are programming and opening times, cost, and of course ensuring that the facility is of a suitable quality for community use in the first instance and properly maintained.

63 The advent of PFI and PPP operated schools has had variable impacts, unfortunately sometimes detrimental, largely dependent on how the contracts were written in respect of community access and charging regimes. In traditionally operated schools, i.e. managed and operated in house by the Council, there can still be challenges. For example, where Property Services departments may have a practice of block booking school games halls over the summer holiday period to undertake annual planned maintenance of the school facilities, which may only last a week.

64 Many types of Council retain historical letting policies based on either a first come first served basis, or a system of block bookings for specific customer groups, which reduce overall access.

65 The costs of ensuring that the school is accessible out of hours including staff cover is often seen as a challenge.

66 sportscotland has produced guidance for these different management regimes within school sites. 11

67 We are aware of many areas where innovative solutions have been developed, often the result of effective facility strategies which provide the framework for identifying the full range of local facilities and prioritising school use and programming.

68 It should also be noted that there are several local authorities who already have a policy of full community use of the school estate. However access is not necessarily enough to generate community use, with people and clubs based out of schools being vital to generate local participation programmes.

Q11- How can examples of best practice in the provision of facilities be learned from and rolled out on a wider basis?

69 sportscotland has produced guidance on the planning, design and management of school sports facilities for community use. This guidance has been distributed widely to local authorities and is available on our website.

70 It would be beneficial for such practice to be accepted as a norm rather than as guidance. Investment in school sports facilities made by sportscotland is conditional on community access during out of school hours, including holidays.

71 Investment in community sports facilities made by sportscotland is conditional on the recipient establishing formal links with Active Schools where ever appropriate.

72 In addition, information on best practice is provided through sportscotland’s facilities advisory service on general and project by project bases. Also, information is disseminated at conferences, seminars and the like e.g. the recent SAPCA Conference at Hampden.

Q12- What lessons can be learnt from the way in which community sports facilities are used in other countries?

73 This is not straightforward because of cultural and structural differences in other countries. For example club structures in the Netherlands and Denmark are very different from ours, with good access to school sports facilities for clubs but not for pay as you play/casual use.

74 In most countries with well developed sports facilities infrastructure (mainly Western Europe) there is a major issue regarding the quality and cost of refurbishing the existing stock.

75 Given our culture is most closely aligned to other home countries, perhaps it is most valuable to explore lessons that can be learnt from our own experiences and those of our neighbours. Reflection on the infrastructure in England may provide useful information. The Physical Education and School Sport Strategy for Young People in England links ten work strands (including Club Links) with an associated human infrastructure. School Sport Partnerships are supported

by Further Education Sport Co-ordinators, County Sports Partnerships, National Governing Bodies, the Youth Sport Trust and Sport England.12

Coaching

Q13- Are there enough coaches and volunteers to support sport in Scotland?

Coaches

76 Research identified a perception that there was insufficient depth in both the quantity, and in particular, the quality of coaches in Scotland, with relatively fewer coaches in Scotland than in the other home countries.13

77 There are lower numbers of female coaches compared with males, particularly in more senior coaching positions, although the gender ratio varies from sport to sport.

78 Certainly it is clear that Scottish coaches are already stretched and there would be limited capacity to support greater participation.

79 High quality coach educators are essential to ensuring the production of quality coaches. Continued investment in the training, development and ongoing support of tutors, assessors and field-based trainers is paramount.

Volunteers

80 A large proportion (in excess of 70%) of coaches work on a voluntary basis. However it is important to note coaches make up only 30% of the volunteer base working regularly in Scottish sport.

81 Sport 21 held a target to sustain 150,000 volunteers between 2003 and 2007 in order to underpin the delivery of Scottish sport. An analysis of the Scottish Omnibus Survey shows that the number of adults volunteering in sport at least once a month has indeed been sustained over this period.14

What systems exist to make sure that best use is made of the coaches who are currently available?

Coaches

82 Coaching needs to be planned on a sport specific basis. Currently, both sportscotland and sports coach UK are working with selected sports to enhance the way in which they deploy coaches across the player pathway by supporting a coach workforce audit and the creation of a workforce development plan. This is part of the Coaching Scotland action plan.

83 In Scotland 14 sports have benefited from being part of this programme, with five further sports currently coming on board.

84 Part of Coaching Scotland’s implementation has seen the appointment of coach education and development officers to Scottish governing bodies of sport and local authority officers to assist with the strategic development of coaches and coaching in sport across Scotland.

85 An important part of deploying effective coaches is the need to continuously improve their skills which is underpinned by the new UK Coaching Certificate. At present there are 16 sports running level 1 courses, 11 sports in Scotland running level 2 courses and four sports piloting level 3. It is estimated that by March 2009 3,000 Level 1 and 750 Level 2 coaches will have gained a UKCC qualification.

86 The UK Coaching Certificate sits on the SQA framework and is widely acknowledged to equip the coach to a more appropriate level than its preceding qualifications and having been developed across the UK by all relevant governing bodies provides a standardised UK qualification which can also be benchmarked against other sports.

87 The UKCC is expected to evolve across the player pathway, allowing sports to develop for example, a specialist level 3 qualifications for coaches working with children which would differ, but offer a similar status as the level 3 qualification for coaches working with elite athletes in the same sport.

Volunteers

88 Research shows that there are both successes and challenges involved when it comes to maximizing the quality and quantity of voluntary effort in sport. One of the significant challenges is the availability of the right level of investment.

89 The 2006 Evaluation of the Regional Development Officers for Volunteering in Sport highlighted that direct, sustained intervention and support on volunteering issues has a greater positive impact than e.g. sharing good practice. Scottish Swimming has recently piloted a Volunteer Development Manager post at SGB level. Early indications are that this post is having a positive impact on raising the profile of swimming volunteers and addressing training, support and development needs.

What are the barriers to more people coaching, and volunteering to support, sport in Scotland?

Coaching

90 In research studies of existing coaches, the two most frequently cited reasons for not continuing qualifications were time constraints and lack of opportunity. Lack of opportunity includes the lack of locally run courses or having reached the highest available coaching level the sport offered. In addition, cost, bureaucracy and the feeling that the coach was adequately equipped for the level they operated at were cited.15

91 The right level of financial resource made available remains a significant challenge. It should be noted that even accounting for up to the 75% subsidy that sportscotland awards SGBs against the cost of running UKCC courses, the cost to the candidate is still significant and increases with each level of qualification. This in itself should be deemed a barrier to the individual coach to pursue self-development.

92 Coaches are primarily driven by recognition, achievement and leadership

Volunteering

93 Volunteering research found ‘not enough time’ and ‘paid job demands’ were the main concerns of existing volunteers with potential volunteers highlighting ‘do not have the right skills/experience’ as a barrier to their participation. Moving location or taking on full-time employment is commonly cited as the reasons that people stop volunteering.

94 In terms of people who volunteer with children, a high percentage is parents and many stop volunteering when their child moves on from junior participation.

95 The vast majority of sports coaches and volunteers are recruited following their involvement or their family’s involvement in the sport. Increasing and supporting the coaching and volunteer base requires a strong sporting infrastructure to recruit and support our coaches and volunteers, in particular at a local level.

96 And of course, by increasing participation in sport, the pool from which our coaches and volunteers of the future can be drawn will be greater.

Conclusion

97 sportscotland is grateful for the opportunity to submit evidence on the committee’s inquiry.

98 Sport and physical activity have the potential to make a significant impact on the lives of our children, and on all people in Scotland. However if we are to realise the potential and address the challenges that the committee have identified, it is clear that we need more effective strategic planning nationally and locally and complementary investment to put these plans into effect.

99 2012 and 2014 are once in a lifetime opportunities and if Scotland is to realise the benefits a step change in the profile and delivery of Scottish sport is required.

Alistair Milner

Sportscotland

21 November 2008

1 The Potential of Sport, Maximising sport’s contribution to national and local outcomes. sportscotland 2008 http://www.sportscotland.org.uk/ChannelNavigation/Resource+Library/Publications/The+Potential+of+Sport.htm 2 Sportscotland: Active Schools – Monitoring – Feedback analysis 3 Scottish Executive Education Department Progress towards the recommendations of the Physical Education Review Group. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive, 2006. Results for S5-S6 classes will be lower, but there is uncertainty about the fullness of returns for these. 4 The “5 hour offer” http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/PE%20&%20Sport%20Strategy%20leaflet%202008.pdf 5 Curriculum for Excellence http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/publications/Buildingthecurriculum1/healthandwellbeing/intro.asp 6 Sportscotland: Active Schools – Monitoring – Feedback analysis 7 Participation Fact sheets by Local Authority http://www.sportscotland.org.uk/ChannelNavigation/Resource+Library/Publications/Participation+fact+sheets+by+Local+Authority.htm 8 Audit Scotland – Improving the School Estate http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/docs/central/2007/nr_080320_school_estate.pdf 9 sportscotland School Estate Design Guidance http://www.sportscotland.org.uk/ChannelNavigation/What+we+do/TopicNavigation/subsites/Facilities/Design+and+construction.htm 10 Reid Howe Associates the sustainability of local sports clubs in Scotland. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive Education Department, 2006. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/08/25144425/0 11 Guide to Community Use of School Sport Facilities http://www.sportscotland.org.uk/ChannelNavigation/Resource+Library/Publications/Guide+to+Community+Use+of+School+Sports+Facilities.htm Managing School Facilities for Community Use: Practical Guidelines (Publication Update – November 2008 – reference Sportscotland website) The Use of School Sports and Cultural Facilities: A Review of the Impact of Policies and Management Regimes (Publication Update – November 2008 - Research Report No. 107 – reference sportscotland website) 12 Summary and Update of English system http://www.youthsporttrust.org/downloads/cms/bulletin-pessyp/PESsYP_Bulletin_1.pdf

13 Vega Associates (2006) Coaching Scotland: research report no. 103, Edinburgh: sportscotland. Townsend R, and J North (2007) Sports Coaching in the UK II, Leeds: sports coach UK. 14 2002-04 2003-05 2004-06 2005-07

127,000 143,000 146,000 147,000 15 Vaga Associates (2006) Coaching Scotland: research report no. 103, Edinburgh: sportscotland.

Coaching - Bibliography (paragraphs 77 – 97)

Davis Smith, J (1998) The 1997 National Survey of Volunteering. London: National Centre for Volunteering Greenaway, L (2008) Developing Volunteering in Sport. An evaluation of sportscotland investment in the post of Volunteer Development Manager with Scottish Swimming: research digest no. 106, Edinburgh: sportscotland.

Lyle, J, M Allison and J Taylor (1997) Factors Influencing the Motivations of Sports Coaches: research report no. 49, Edinburgh: Scottish Sports Council.

Nichols, G, P Taylor, M James, K Holmes, L King and R Garrett (2005) Pressures on the UK sports sector. Voluntas, 16 (1) 33 - 50.

sportscotland (2003) Shaping Scotland’s Future. Sport 21 2003-2007 The National Strategy for Sport, Edinburgh: sportscotland.

Taylor, P, G Nichols, K Holmes, M James, C Gratton, R Garrett, T Kokolakakis, C Mulder, and L King (2003) Sports Volunteering in England, Sport England, London.

Taylor, P, G Hart, L Donlan, T Panagouleas and G Nichols (2008) Child Protection Legislation and Volunteering in Scottish Sport: research report no. 102, Edinburgh: sportscotland

Vaga Associates (2006) Coaching Scotland: research report no. 103, Edinburgh: sportscotland.

Agenda Item 2 HS/S3/09/3/7 26 January 2009

Pathways into Sport

Supplementary Submission by Charlie Raeburn

Scottish PE and School Sport Associations SSF - Scottish Schoolsport Federation. This was established in 1988 in the shadow of the teachers’ industrial action when volunteering to take after school activities was withdrawn as part of the scheme. The federation comprises about 14 Scottish school sports associations and governing bodies of sport and 18 local authorities. The SSF has been a lobby group for school sport - and has called for a Review of School Sport for many years. It has membership of the International Schoolsport Federation (ISF), which arranges a range of events in a wide range of sports worldwide. The SSF hosted its first ISF event in April 2008 for Orienteering (NB Christine Graham kindly co hosted on behalf of the Scottish Parliament the opening and closing ceremonies at Holyrood). The SSF has also acted as a networker for school sport, traditionally staging an annual conference. SLANOPE - Scottish Local Authority Network for PE. The Network was formerly the PE Advisers Association, until local government reorganization and the demise of PE advisers. Membership is open to Local Authorities, who can be represented by up to three staff. Associate membership is open, and held by Universities, sportscotland, and HMIE. All 34 Councils have membership. SLANOPE stages quarterly networking meetings. Agendas have included issues such as the PE Review, sportscotland updates, various organisations (sport, dance, equipment, safety et al), requesting an input to local authorities, developing curricular materials. SLANOPE has staged two joint conferences with SSF – the latest held in June 2008.

AfPE - Association for PE. This is a professional membership Association. Very recently established in Scotland, and part of the UK wide AfPE. The aspirations are to develop good practice of PE.

Agenda Item 2 HS/S3/09/3/8 26 January 2009

Pathways into Sport

sportscotland supplementary evidence

Active Schools Programme

Introduction

The origins of Active Schools can be found in two sportscotland initiatives which were put in place in the 1990s, both designed to get Scotland’s pupils more active; the School Sport Coordinator Programme and The Active Primary School Pilot Programme. As a result of the successes achieved in these programmes, Active Schools was officially launched in 2004.

Aims and outcomes

The fundamental aim of Active Schools is to offer children and young people the motivation and opportunity to adopt active, healthy lifestyles now and into adulthood.

The key outcomes of the Active Schools Programme are: • to continue to increase opportunities for all children and young people to be

engaged in physical activity and sport • to strengthen pathways to participation and performance through sustainable

school to community links

Active Schools is designed to supplement the school PE provision, strengthening extra curricular activity and developing links to local community sport.

At the end of year three, the number of schools involved in Active Schools had almost doubled since the end of year one. Today, there are approximately 2,500 schools involved and the Network consists of approximately 680 staff. These staff are not in place to deliver activity but are responsible for recruiting and supporting other staff and volunteers to deliver activities. Last year there were nearly 20,000 people delivering Active Schools activities across Scotland, which is an average of nine deliverers per school involved.

sportscotland’s contribution sportscotland works with local authorities to support and develop the Active Schools Programme by:

• working with local authorities to invest in and maintain the staffing infrastructure that is the Active Schools Network which delivers the Programme;

• developing the Network to support it to: o recruit, support and sustain volunteers to deliver quality activity sessions o develop improved links between schools, clubs and the wider community o connect children to Scottish Governing Body pathways o provide targeted activities to increase opportunities for those groups with

typically lower than average activity rates • delivering a programme of training and support to the staff in the Network

including the development of the Active Schools Community website • continuing to monitor and locally evaluate the Active Schools Network • working towards long term strengthening of the Network

Agenda Item 2 HS/S3/09/3/8 26 January 2009 Defining the roles Below is a general description of roles specific to the Active Schools Network as well as key roles that work in partnership with Active Schools staff both in schools and local authorities. It is important to note that these are generic descriptions which do vary across local authorities. There are also differences with regard to the number and availability of positions as well as the degree to which they work collaboratively.

Active Schools Managers and Coordinators develop and support a more extensive infrastructure for Active Schools within the school and the wider community. They do this by recruiting, supporting and sustaining a network of coaches, volunteers and teachers who in turn deliver physical activity and sport before school, during breaks, after school and in the wider community. This is over and above the two hour PE target. Active Schools Manager The Active Schools Manager is responsible for driving effective management, coordination and implementation of Active Schools throughout primary and secondary schools and the wider community within the local authority area. Active Schools Coodinator The main remit of the Active Schools Coordinator is to develop current, and identify new opportunities, to get primary and secondary school pupils to participate in generic physical activity, with sport being a part of this, on a more frequent basis at school and in the wider community. Coordinators are employed as both full-time and part-time officers with the former more likely in the primary sector and the latter more likely in the secondary sector. The local sporting infrastructure Active Schools is only a small part of the wider sporting infrastructure in schools and communities. A few examples of other key roles are outlined below but other organisations can also be delivering at a local level including local sports councils and private providers. Physical Education Teacher PE teachers teach, through a wide range of indoor and outdoor sports, physical education to young people of mixed abilities during school time. They organise and supervise groups, coach in various skills and motivate young people to take part in physical activities and sports. They are responsible for preparing students for national exams. PE teachers may also contribute to the wider Active Schools delivery network, usually as volunteers. Away from their daily teaching duties, PE teachers carry out a wide range of other tasks, including preparing lessons, taking pupils on educational trips and outings,

Agenda Item 2 HS/S3/09/3/8 26 January 2009 doing administrative work such as keeping records and writing reports, attending staff meetings and preparing for and attending parent-teacher meetings. Sports Development Officer Across a local authority area, Sports Development Officers are responsible for increasing participation levels for children and young people, developing physical literacy skills, providing sports and physical activities for a range of out-of-school clubs and groups and ensuring provision is regular and feeds into a seamless, lifelong pathway. A Sports Development Officer can be generic across all sports or sport-specific. The latter may be used to deliver Active Schools sessions. Some of the major Governing Bodies also employ development officers who operate in a local or regional area, and they too may be used to deliver Active Schools sessions. Clubs and club coaches There can be a vast variety of local clubs in any one local authority. The majority tend to be small and run by volunteers but more and more these clubs are linking with schools including through the Active Schools Network. They can be involved in delivering Active Schools activities as well as their own club sessions. Club coaches are responsible for developing successful players and teams by using their own coaching skills and the sport’s competition structure to progress and enhance club members. Some may be responsible for improving the delivery of volunteer coaches and instructors by delivering and promoting best practice. Some can be responsible also for promoting their sport in the wider community to increase participation. All coaches must continuously develop their own coaching skills by meeting all sports governing body criteria for skills development, mode of teaching, safety and enjoyment for the appropriate grade or age group level coached.