31st January 2008
The time has come again for the annual Youth Sport Trust Sports Colleges Conference. As we enter a new year, this year’s conference theme of Different Perspectives: Different Possibilities is a particularly appropriate one. Offering all young people five hours a week of PE and school sport and positioning sport at the heart of our schools are ambitious and challenging targets. For us to achieve this we will have to look at things from different angles and try new ideas – looking at new perspectives and searching out new possibilities.
This year we have a first class line up of keynotes, workshops, networking opportunities and a major exhibition. Today we are joined by the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, the Rt. Hon Ed Balls. The Secretary of State announced the next phase of the Government's investment in school sport with £30milion over the next three years to help the most needy sports colleges build new pitches, install floodlights and provide better drainage so facilities can be used all year and round the clock.
He added that he wanted to see floodlit artificial turf pitches installed - so pitches could be used at night - and better drainage so grass pitches would not become waterlogged during winter.
Sports colleges are winning the race to give thousands of schoolchildren the best possible start in life, according to research published by the Youth Sport Trust.
A major report released today by the Youth Sport Trust reveals the true impact these specialist secondary schools, special schools and academies are having on whole school improvement.
The Youth Sport Trust research document, “Know the score”, found:
Raising academic standards
- Sports colleges achieved the largest annual increases in the number of pupils gaining five or more grades at A*-C compared to all specialist schools in 2006/2007 (an increase of 3.6 percentage points from 54.4% to 58%).
- In each of the last three years, sports colleges have now achieved annual increases at 5+A*-C above those achieved in all specialist schools.
- At 5+ A*-C, including English and maths, sports colleges recorded the largest annual increases in 2006/2007 compared to specialist schools and the national average (an increase of 1.9 percentage points from 40.1% to 42%).
Providing opportunities
- As many as 96% (over 373,000) of pupils at sports colleges are meeting the Government’s target of taking part in 2 hours of high quality PE and school sport per week compared to the national average of 86%.
- In the last year, there has been a nine percentage point increase in the number of pupils at sports colleges actively involved in sports leadership and volunteering (25% compared to the national average of 14% for all schools in 2007).
- Sports colleges are using the specialism to impact upon English, maths and science and are seeing improvements in pupil motivation, attendance, understanding, behaviour and concentration.
Nurturing talent
- A third (33%) of sports colleges surveyed had at least one pupil who was an athlete performing at international level.
- Almost two thirds of sports colleges (63%) ran an education, mentoring and support services programme to support their gifted and talented pupils.
- More than one in three sports colleges (38%) operated a sports performance academy on site.
The first 11 sports colleges came into existence in September 1997 and today there are now over 430, including academies with a sport specialism - together placing sport at the heart of the curriculum to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people across the country.
(Sports college case studies are available on request)
Steve Grainger, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said: “2007 was an impressive year for the sports colleges’ movement and 2008 looks set to be even better. The use of sport as a specialism has proven it can raise whole school standards and increase participation. With “Different Perspectives: Different Possibilities” which is the theme of this year’s conference, we can achieve even more. The 2012 Olympics and Paralympics coming to London is our chance to use the next four years to build a world class PE and school sport system that not only improves sporting opportunities, but also the lives of our young people.”
The two-day conference for 2,000 delegates at the Telford International Centre from Thursday, January 31 to Friday, February 1 will be opened by Ed Balls MP, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.
Other speakers at the conference, which is sponsored by Next, include Erin Gruwell, Freedom Writers Foundation, Sir Phillip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee, Peter Keen, Performance Director, UK Sport, and double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes, the National School Sport Champion.
Thursday evening will witness a glittering awards ceremony to celebrate the innovative work by sports colleges to encourage more young people to learn through sport and feature a parade of Olympic and Paralympic athletes representing 40 years of achievement, including Olympic gold medallists David Hemery and Jason Gardener.
(Ends)
Media Contacts
For more information, please contact the Youth Sport Trust Press office:
Sophie Borromeo, Tel: 0207 278 7208 Mob: 07825 065 179 or email sophie.borromeo@youthsporttrust.org
James Webb, Tel: 0207 843 2360 Mob: 07752 372151 or email james.webb@youthsporttrust.org
Katie Smith, Tel: 0207 843 2354 Mob: 07825 065 195 or email Katie.smith@youthsporttrust.org
Notes to Editors
The Sports Colleges Conference: The International Centre, Telford.
Programme overview
Day One - Thursday 31 January 2008
09.30 Welcome – Sue Campbell, Chair, Youth Sport Trust
09.35 Ed Balls MP, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families
10.00 Erin Gruwell, Freedom Writers Foundation
11.00 Breakout sessions, exhibition, mini-keynotes, workshops, networking
17.00 Close
19.00 Gala dinner and Innovation Awards featuring Gerry Sutcliffe MP, Minister for Sport, and a celebration of Olympic and Paralympic sport
Day Two - Friday 1 February 2008
09.00 Welcome – Steve Grainger, Chief Executive, Youth Sport Trust
Sir Phillip Craven, President, International Paralympic Committee
Peter Keen, Performance Director, UK Sport
11.15 Breakout sessions, exhibition, mini-keynotes, workshops, networking
13.00 Closing address, featuring Dame Kelly Holmes plus special guests
13.45 Close
Youth Sport Trust
The Youth Sport Trust is a registered charity established in 1994 to build a brighter future for young people through sport. Its mission is to support the education and development of all young people through PE and sport. For more information, please visit www.youthsporttrust.org
Sports colleges
Specialist sports colleges are at the hub of the Government’s strategy to enhance young people’s opportunities to participate in a wide range of sports as well as raising the standards of teaching and learning of PE and school sport. Specialist sports colleges position PE and sport at the centre of the curriculum, using it as a vehicle to develop and improve learning opportunities for all. The Youth Sport Trust assists these schools in every aspect of the application process and works with them to realise their potential once they have successfully achieved specialist sports college status.
Retailer, Next, are this year’s headline sponsor for the 2008 Sports Colleges Conference
Supporting sponsors for the 2008 Sports Colleges Conference
• Technogym
• PGL
• School Trends