Sport England Update

Sport England – strategy consultation

Following the announcement towards the end of 2007 by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport that he wished to see a more focused role for Sport England in the future, Jennie Price, the Chief Executive, wrote to a wide range of sporting stakeholders on 2nd January 2008 seeking their views on the future direction of Sport England’s Strategy for 2008-2011.

View the Strategy Consultation Feedback Summary (PDF)

Sport England responds to Regional Economic Strategy consultation

Following initial responses made to the strategy review consultation last year, Sport England in the West Midlands has now responded to the request for feedback on the 'West Midlands Economic Strategy Delivery Framework'.
Please view our original responses to the strategy made in February 2007 and the consultation response to the 'Delivery Framework’.

Partnerships for Schools – 2 BSF Guidance Notes

BSF design guidance PE & Sport - click here to view the leaflet

PE & School sport in BSF fact sheet click here to view the fact sheet

Sport England publication – Sport: A positive activity

Sport: A positive activity. Guidance for local authorities’ children’s services working through their children’s trust partnership arrangements.

Download the publication

Sport England Research Bulletin

View the Issue 3 Feb 2008:

Sporting Market Segments – regional maps and information

A series of Sporting Market Segments geographical maps for the West Midlands are now available from the Sport England West Midlands webpage:

There are 19 maps showing the distribution of each segment across the region and also 19 maps for each County Sports Partnership geographical area. These are all available for download.

Further maps will be available for Local Authorities in the near future, i.e. 19 maps per LA, more information will follow about this shortly.

Regional case studies are also available from the website and we aim to develop this section in the future to include further case studies.

Please contact Rachel O’Reilly 0207 273 1835 if you have any queries.

New data on children’s height and weight published

The National Child Measurement Programme began in 2005. Children in Reception (4-5 year olds) and Year 6 (10-11 year olds) have their height and weight measured in schools as part of the NCMP, which takes place every year.

View some key points from the data:

Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet - National Statistics

The report contains data that incorporates Active People, Health Survey for England, DCMS Taking Part Survey, PESSCL and School Travel data in the physical activity section.

Read the overview of the report to help you summarise what it is about and the weblink for the document. The report is huge so please refer to the briefing!

House of Commons and Lords questions week commencing 4 February 2008

Reminder – new format for this section – brief intro and then full text in attached document:

Foster, D - Sport

Mon, 4 February 2008 | House of Commons - Written Answer
Contents

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made towards his Department's public service agreement target to increase the take-up of cultural and sporting opportunities by adults and young people aged 16 and above from priority groups; and what steps he has taken to ensure this target is met. [182700] ……………………………………….

Foster, D - Planning Permission (Playing Fields)

Mon, 4 February 2008 | House of Commons - Written Answer

Contents

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate his Department has made of the change in the number of playing fields of an area of less than 0.4 hectares in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [183923] ……………………………………………………………………

Foster, D - Planning permission (playing fields)

Tue, 5 February 2008
Contents

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2008, Official Report, column 19W, on planning permission: playing fields, if he will break down the planning applications considered by Sport England by region. [183924]

……………………………………………………..

Hoban - Active Places Website

Mon, 4 February 2008 | House of Commons - Written Answer
Contents

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many (a) total hits and (b) unique visitors the active places website had in each of the last three years. [182741] ………………………………………………………

Foster, D - Sport England (finance)

Tue, 5 February 2008
Contents

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to his Department's press release of 12 October 2007, how much funding Sport England will receive from the comprehensive spending review settlement in (a) cash and (b) real terms until 2011. [172824] ……. ……. …….

Taylor, R - Water sports (canoe access agreements)

Wed, 6 February 2008
Contents

Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement on canoe access agreements; and how much his Department has spent on researching such agreements. [184246]……………………………………….

Drew - Cycling

Tue, 5 February 2008
Contents

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to provide funding to complete the Sustrans network as part of the Government's cycling strategy. [183046] …………………………………

View details:

House of Commons and Lords questions 7 February 2008

Taylor - Water Sports: Finance
Thu, 7 February 2008 | House of Commons - Written Answer
Contents
Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on the sport of canoeing in the last five years. [184245] ……….

Hoban - Secondary Education: Sports
Thu, 7 February 2008 | House of Commons - Written Answer
Contents
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2008, Official Report, column 1906W, on secondary education: sports, what sports and activities are covered by the terms (a) high quality PE and school sports and (b) inter-school competition. [184804] ………………………………………..

Robertson - Legacy of Olympic Games 2012
Thu, 7 February 2008 | House of Commons - Written Answer
Contents
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he expects to bring forward proposals to develop the legacy for mass participation in sport which is expected to result from the London 2012 Olympics. [184386] ……………………………………….

Southworth - Sports: Learning Disability
Thu, 7 February 2008 | House of Commons - Written Answer
Contents
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to improve opportunities for adults and children with a learning disability to (a) participate in sport and (b) develop their skills to enable them to achieve their sporting potential. [184332] …………………………………………………….

View the detailed responses:

Sport and Health

Government publishes Obesity Strategy

The Government has launched the obesity strategy, Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives which puts in process the first stage of reforms designed to combat the rising number of overweight adults and children. At the centre of the strategy is increasing physical activity; something which will be directly relevant for Sport England. The report also mentions the possibility of creating Active England, a new body which would work alongside Sport England to increase physical activity.

The strategy aims to pull in input from a number of different sources, with responsibilities given to the Department of Health, the Department for Children, Schools and Families as well as a number of non governmental bodies such as Ofcom (with responsibility over junk food advertising) and schools to ensure that healthy meals are offered.

The Secretary of State for Health, the Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP said:

"Tackling obesity is the most significant public and personal health challenge facing our society. The core of the problem is simple – we eat too much and we do too little exercise. The solution is more complex. From the nature of the food that we eat, to the built environment, through to the way our children lead their lives - it is harder to avoid obesity in the modern environment.”

The Obesity Action Plan is available here

Cycling receives funding boost

The Department for Transport has unveiled a £140 million investment into cycling. The aim of the investment is to see over half a million more children involved in cycling by 2012. The money will go towards improving the National Cycle Network, with the specific target of creating of 250 more Safe Links to Schools. This announcement forms part of the DfT’s wider proposals to reduce carbon emissions through creating more sustainable transport initiatives. It also forms a part of the Government’s obesity strategy.

Further information is available here

NICE issue guidelines for increasing physical activity

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has produced guidelines on creating or promoting physical environments which are more likely to encourage physical activity. The guidelines include a number of proposals such as ensuring that the need for physical activity is key component of new planning proposals. The report also issues advice on creating more access to healthier ways of travelling to and from work, such as better walking and cycling routes.

Further information on the guidelines is available here and a full copy of the report is available here.

Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: a Cross-Government Strategy for England

On Wednesday 23 January, a new £372 million cross-government strategy on obesity, Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives, was published by the Health Secretary, Alan Johnson and the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls.

The main aim of the obesity strategy is to help the UK become the first country to successfully reverse the trend of rising obesity levels. The government aims to see the levels of obesity return to levels of the year 2000 by the year 2020. Following on from the Foresight Review of Obesity, published in 2007, the new obesity strategy forms the first stage of the Government’s approach to support people in maintaining a healthy weight. The report also lays out plans to publish an annual assessment of progress made in reducing obesity levels.

The report specifies that responsibility for tackling obesity lies not only with the individual but also with government and wider society. The plan aims to demonstrate a vision for the ways in which schools, the food industry, employers, health services and others can tackle the obesity epidemic. Below is a table taken from the report, mapping out the responsibilities of the relevant sectors.

Sport and the Olympics

Think tank criticises British coaching system

A report has been released by the sports think tank Sportnation which condemns the British coaching system for employing too many voluntary coaches. The report, Are we missing the coach for 2012, which was commissioned by Loughborough University, claims that within British sport there is too much reliance on "white, middle-class men who are giving up a bit of time" and that it is necessary to employ more permanent coaches if any progress is to be made in improving Britain’s medal tally by 2012. The report called for further investment in British Coaching in order to sort this out, saying that there is a need for an extra 160,000 paid coaches to be in place by 2016.

A full copy of the report is available here

Sport England gives evidence to Olympics inquiry

The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee took evidence from Jennie Price, Chief Executive of Sport England and Sean Holt, London Director of Sport England on Tuesday 22 January 2008 as part of the ongoing inquiry into the London 2012 Olympics Games. The MPs focussed their questioning on the structural arrangements of Sport England, the definition of sport and the impact of the Olympics funding on grassroots sports. Other issues raised included the feasibility of reusable venues for the Olympic Games and the community legacy of the Games. Rosemary McKenna MP (Labour, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East) raised concerns about the level of funding for netball, given its status as a non-Olympic sport.

Following the session with Sport England, the Committee took evidence from the Minister for Sport, Gerry Sutcliffe MP. He was asked about the barriers to participating in sport and how government could encourage lifestyle changes. The Minister suggested that choice and diversity of sporting provision would encourage more people to take up sport. He confirmed that responsibility for healthy living does not reside with Sport England, and the healthy living agenda is being driven forward by a Cabinet Committee led by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

In response to a question about the selling off of playing fields the Minister replied that Sport England will be publishing a report on the issue soon and confirmed that Sport England has a key role in the planning system where playing fields are at risk. The Chair of the Committee asked about the role of Sport England in relation to sports governing bodes and about the role of other departments in funding physical activity.

The Committee will hold the next session on Tuesday 29 January when the Minister for the Olympics, the Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP will give evidence.

Olympics Minister gives evidence to Commons Committee

The Olympics Minister, the Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP gave evidence to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on Tuesday 29 January, as part of the inquiry into the London 2012 Olympics.

When asked about her responsibilities, the Minister said she felt that her role was very clear. Her position was to coordinate input from a number of departments, including the Cabinet Office and the DCMS on the Olympics. However, she noted that the Olympic sporting legacy was the responsibility of the DCMS and a number of other departments and agencies, including Sport England, while the Cultural Olympiad was a shared responsibility.

Sport England was also directly mentioned on the subject of temporary venues for the games. When asked how the temporary venues would be reallocated, the Minister said that Sport England was leading on the consultation, conducting market research throughout the year on the best locations for the venues. Local Authorities will be asked to bid for the venues as part of this process.

A large section of the discussion was on the issue of funding the Olympics. The committee queried the amount of money that would be spent on the Olympics, and the amount which would be returned, The Minister outlined a number of figures which can be seen below. She also went on to say that the agreements were not legally binding, but that they formed part of the ‘memorandum of understanding’:

The return from the sales of land for the Olympics was estimated as £1.8 billion.
Land sales have no bearing on the £9.325 billion Olympic budget.
Inflation may play a role in the final figures, although land inflation tends to be very resilient.
There is an attempt to make sure that firms outside of London are awarded contracts as well
There is a £2.7 billion contingency budget and she does not expect any cash flow problems.

Repayments would be in three tranches:

The first tranche of £650 million will be repaid to the London Development Agency (LDA), which is the cost of land acquisition.
Seventy-five per cent of the next tranche of £531 million will go to the Lottery and 25 per cent to the LDA.
From the third tranche, 25 per cent will come back to the Lottery, completing the repayment of the Lottery, and the remainder will go to the LDA.

The legacy ‘master plan’ for the site will be published in 2009.This is being steered by a committee chaired by the Mayor, with the five London Borough leaders, the LDA, Tessa Jowell and the Minister for Housing and Planning also sitting on it.

Ministers announce review on ‘Olympic School’

In a joint statement from the Schools Minister Jim Knight and the Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, it was announced that a review will be undertaken to explore the possibility of establishing a specialist school at the site the Olympic stadium after the 2012 Games. The review’s terms of reference are “To advise Government on potential options for securing an educational legacy at the Olympic Stadium site after the 2012 Games”. The review will consult widely among stakeholders including sports governing bodies and Sport England.

The review will form part of the Government’s strategy to ensure a post 2012 legacy, combining both sport and education. Led by Ian Stewart (the former CEO of Cambridgeshire County Council) the report will be issued this summer. The panel has been asked to provide final advice by June 2008, and state which, if any, options it considers would be viable, and how they might best be managed and financed.

The Olympics Minister, the Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP said:

“The stadium has the potential to inspire future generations with the Olympic ideals of young people striving for excellence. A school designed to nurture sporting and related achievement could be an excellent legacy embodying those ideals.”

For further information please see here

Sport and young people’s participation

On Friday 1^st February the Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a speech to the Specialist Schools Colleges Conference in Telford calling for a new drive to encourage children to do more sport and to encourage more young people to compete in a fun environment and showcase their sporting talent.

The Prime Minister called for a national team effort by parents, teachers, sporting talents and volunteers to help make sport a central part of every child's life and unlock their talent.

The key parts of the speech related to:

A National School Sports Week, taking place from the 30th June 2008
The introduction of five hours of sport a week for school pupils
A national school league table website
Better access to sports facilities outside school hours

The Prime Minister was joined by Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Andy Burnham, and School Sports Champion Dame Kelly Holmes. Gordon Brown praised the success of sports colleges and teachers who "motivate and inspire" young people across the country. He said he believed that sport can "do more to raise the level of aspiration among not just some pupils but all pupils in our schools". He also said that involving parents was key.

The Prime Minister said:
"Competition is the spice of life and it finds its purest expression in sport. It does not matter if you are not the best just as long as you are always striving to be better. It does not matter if you do not win, just as long as you are always giving everything to be the winner.

"I know that we can tap into that spirit of competition in school sport. In fact, we are already tapping into it and it is not only improving the health and the attitude of our nation's children, but lifting their self-esteem and their educational achievement too.

"So, in the run up to the 2012 Olympics, I want not just to continue to nurture specialist sports colleges but also to restore sport to its proper place in all our schools - not as an after-school option for the able and enthusiastic few but as a central part of the experience of every child."

House of Commons and Lords questions 18 – 20 Feb (received to date)
Sports

Mon, 18 February 2008 | House of Commons - Written Answer
Contents

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of progress towards his Department's public service agreement target to increase significantly the take-up of sports opportunities by users from priority groups; and if he will make a statement. [185845] ………..

Sports: Young People
Mon, 18 February 2008 | House of Commons - Written Answer
Contents

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what mechanisms are in place to provide support to outstanding young athletes in relation to elite sport. [185320] ……………………………….

Youth Sport Trust: Finance
Mon, 18 February 2008 | House of Commons - Written Answer
Contents

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding the Youth Sports Trust has received from his Department in each of the last three years; and whether such funding has been targeted to particular programmes. [184614] …………………

Addington - Sporting Legacy of 2012 London Olympics
Wed, 20 February 2008 | House of Lords - Oral Question
Summary

The following questions regarding the planning for the sporting legacy of the London 2012 Olympics, were answered by Lord Davies of Oldham.
Contents
Lords Answer - 20 Feb 08
Olympic Games 2012: Legacy
3.16 pm
Lord Addington asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made on the planning and accountability for a sporting legacy from the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games in the elite and participatory sectors………………………………………..

Culture Media and Sport – Sports
Written answers

Wednesday, 20 February 2008

Don Foster (Bath, Liberal Democrat) | Hansard source

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of people who participated in one active sport at least 12 times a year in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07, broken down by region.

View the detailed responses:

House of Commons and Lords questions – 22 Feb (received to date)

Written answers
Friday, 22 February 2008
Children, Schools and Families

Sports: Finance

Jeremy Hunt (South West Surrey, Conservative) | Hansard source

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been drawn down by each local education authority from New Opportunities for PE and sport funding; and how many projects have received funding.

View the detailed response.

Funding Boost for Sports Pitches

In a speech at the Specialist Sports Colleges Conference, the Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families announced additional funding for increased use of schools’ sports pitches at night and throughout the winter. The announcement of £30m investment over the next three years will provide schools with the funding to install floodlights, improve drainage systems and build new facilities. This announcement forms part of the Government’s drive against a ‘no ball games’ culture, that was initially set out in the December 2007 Children’s Plan. The investment will be directed at those Sports Colleges most in need and for whom the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme is still some way off.

Ed Balls also announced plans to issue a ‘strategy leaflet’, which will outline the best ways to increase the numbers of children participating in more than two hours of exercise a week. In his speech the Schools’ Secretary also urged local authorities to take on new initiatives that encourage activities in the evenings, such as “Midnight Basketball”, an idea taken from the United States.

For further information please see here.

Conservative Party – strategy on children

Click here to read the second report of the Conservative Childhood Review, ‘More Ball Games’.

The main proposals included in the review include:

Increasing accessibility to sports and other activities within and outside school
Making outdoor space safer and more protected
Dealing with bullying

Click here to read the press release and the text of the speech delivered.

Conservative Party publishes ‘More Ball Games’ report

The Conservative Party have published a report entitled ‘More Ball Games’ which sets out their plans to increase physical activity for young people. The report is the second from the Childhood Review led by Shadow Innovation, Universities and Skills Minister, David Willetts. One of the main objectives of the Willetts Review team is to explore the reasons for the decrease in activity among young people over the last few years. The report outlines three key proposals: making outdoor space safer and more protected; dealing with bullying; and increasing accessibility to sports and other activities within and outside school.

Of specific importance to the sporting sector is the emphasis on increasing accessibility to sports and other activities. The report notes that it does not believe that the current policies will be able to reach the target of five hours of participation a week for children. The report also states that the numbers of those competing in competitive sport is even lower and that this is something which should be addressed. At the heart of the debate is the apparent lack of access to sport in the community; something which is attributed to a large amount of funding being taken from grass roots sport in order to pay for the 2012 Olympics.

Scout Association survey reveals low levels of activity

A survey commissioned by the Scout Association has found that the 90% of young people are not taking the amount of exercise that is advised by the Department of Health. A survey of 2,000 found that the majority of young people and adults alike did not know safe areas in the community where they could participate in outdoor exercise.

This report was published to coincide with a new campaign launched by the Scout Association which looks to get more young people involved in outdoor activities. The campaign is called the ‘Kids Outdoors’ Campaign, and aims to educate young people about the places where they can go to participate in sport and other outdoor activities. The campaign also looks to provide alternatives to TV and computer games.

For further information please see here

Culture and sport improvement toolkit - IDeA

Consultation with the sport and cultural sector has revealed a strong desire to create a single improvement tool and rationalise existing service-specific tools. The toolkit was piloted in eight local authorities during 2007 and independently evaluated by IDeA. Please view

Vinspire.com

v. It’s the first letter in volunteering. It's also the name of the independent charity championing youth volunteering in England.

Click here to read more about this charity.

Everyday Swim News (national)

February 08 edition of Everyday Swim News is now available on their website

New - Membership scheme from the LTA

Set to be the UK’s largest tennis membership programme to date when it launches in March, British Tennis Membership has something for everyone, whether you like to play, watch or compete in the country’s favourite game.

Yet British Tennis Membership is more than your average membership scheme. It is one of the LTA’s many steps this year to improve British tennis and find our nation’s next big winners. It is designed to promote competition and in particular, increase the number of regularly competing juniors by giving support to players, parents and coaches so they can get the most out of competitive tennis in their area and beyond.

Membership packages can be purchased in preparation for the March launch date. All members of affiliated clubs are being offered the core package for free, as are children who are eight or under. Those who are not affiliated to a club can purchase their package for just £25 (adults) or £5 (juniors nine and over).

To find out more about British Tennis Membership or to purchase your package, simply visit www.lta.org.uk/membership or call 0845 873 7202.

A Sustainable Future for Cycling

To view the full strategy from the Department for Transport

Sporting Equals

February Newsletter: Contact Sporting Equals for more information

StreetGames

January e-alert:click here to view

February e-alert: click here to view

29 February e-alert: click here to view

RegenWM

February newsletter:

2012 Activity Calendar

Latest edition: click here

2012 in the West Midlands

Giving it our all – newsletter

Advantage West Midlands, the West Midlands Business Council are running FREE ‘Prepare for 2012 Workshops’ – 25 April workshop

From the invitation:

In association with Advantage West Midlands, the West Midlands Business Council are running FREE "Prepare for 2012 Workshops" to inform and engage with businesses with the opportunities from the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games in a range of areas, including procurement.

We have arranged for one of these workshops to take place at Cannock Cricket and Hockey Club (http://www.cannockcricketandhockeyclub.co.uk/) on

Friday 25 April 2008 from 9.30am to 12.30pm followed by a buffet lunch.