Case study: Creating opportunities for students with special needs (Bexley School Sport Partnership)

The Youth Sport Trust works in partnership with schools and other relevant bodies. We help to implement and manage a huge variety of initiatives, designed to build a brighter future for young people through sport.

Below is just one example of how our work makes a difference. 

The problem

How can we create more opportunities for students with special needs?

The solution

  • Staff and helpers were offered extra training to increase their qualifications and confidence in delivering physical activity for young people with special needs.
  • A School Sport Co-ordinator (SSCo) was given specific responsibility for improving access to sporting opportunities for 335 pupils from three special schools and three primary schools with special units.
  • Provision has included the Youth Sport Trust’s TOP Sportsability programme, as well as lunchtime orienteering, football and dance clubs.
  • PE curriculum time was increased from 75 minutes to over two hours per week.
  • Special events are now run alongside mainstream events to increase students’ confidence, especially those from moderate learning difficulties (MLD) and severe learning difficulties (SLD) schools. Many disabled students took part in trials and finals.
  • Young Leaders from host secondary schools set up and ran TOP Link Festivals, with specifically adapted activities for both MLD and SLD students within the partnership.

The results

  • An increase from 8% to 57% of students in special schools taking part in inter-school sport.
  • In one MLD school over 60% of students now have increased access to Out of School Hours Learning (OSHL) activities.
  • Two young leaders have completed placements through Community Sports Volunteering involving work with disabled people. They are now looking for a career in this area.

It worked because…

  • Increased curriculum time allowed all students to gain experience and confidence.
  • A specialist SSCo took on the responsibilities of promotion and development.
The Head Teacher’s verdict: “The uptake of activities has been 60-70% higher than our expectations and we have lots of different children doing the activities, not just the same group accessing everything on offer.”