West Somerset Physical Literacy Interim Evaluation

The Youth Sport Trust research team were commissioned to deliver an 'Early Years physical literacy and social mobility project' which will ensure every child in the area of West Somerset gets the opportunity to achieve a good level of physical development linked to their language and literacy skills.

West Somerset is one of 12 Opportunity Areas across the UK. It is ranked the lowest in the Government’s Social Mobility Index which measures the chances that a child from a disadvantaged background will do well at school and gain employment. The West Somerset Opportunity Area has received funding through the Department for Education, with Somerset County Council commissioning the Youth Sport Trust (YST) to deliver Healthy Movers alongside Futures for Somerset.

Healthy Movers aims to increase children’s self-esteem and wellbeing, and develop their physical literacy skills, which all help children gain a better start to their life. The project is being delivered in 15 early years settings across West Somerset. It started in October 2018 and will continue until March 2020. YST Research is conducting an evaluation of the project. This report presents the interim
research findings.

Research Approach
The interim evaluation is based on the following research tasks. Further details on the research approach can be found in the appendix of the full report.

  • Three surveys completed by practitioners: at the start of the project, at the end of the training and at the interim stage of the project.
  • Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) data and Physical Literacy Progress Assessment1 data for a cohort of children involved in Healthy Movers at the start and interim stages of the project.
  • Three case studies, which can be found in the appendix of the full report.

West Somerset Physical Literacy Interim Evaluation

Here you can find the full evaluation.

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Published on 1 August 2019