It is a day which raises awareness of the issues and challenges that disabled people face and calls for action to be taken to improve the lives of people with disabilities.  This IDPD we want to highlight and reflect on the barriers faced by children and young people special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) within sport and physical activity and highlight actions that have the opportunity to ensure sport is a positive, inclusive and welcoming space for all.

Neurodiversity in PE and school sport

Neurodiversity is topic of growing interest within sport and there is a need to further understand neurodiversity and what sport means and looks like for children and young people who are neurodivergent.  Of children and young people currently experiencing school distress in the UK, 92% are described as neurodivergent and 83% as autistic, while 92.5% had symptoms of anxiety. The positive impact that sport can have on young people’s mental health suggests that sporting experiences could be used to help address the distress that neurodivergent young people often experience at school. By making PE and school sport accessible and engaging for neurodivergent pupils, this could help change their experience of school.

The Paralympic Legacy

The Paris 2024 Paralympics not only celebrated and showcased the sporting abilities and achievements of disabled people, but also served as a platform to drive change for young people with SEND in PE, school sport and physical activity.  ParalympicsGB launched their Equal Play campaign during the Games which aims to ensure that all young people with SEND have equal access to PE and school sport.  In their open letter to the Prime Minister they stated only 1 in 4 disabled children regularly participate in sport at school and this needs to change.  ParalympicsGB calls for changes to the PE curriculum, improved teacher training and increased representation of disabled people in teaching roles. While the Paralympics has started these conversations, this is not a matter that should be only discussed once every 4 years.  To ensure that current and future generations of disabled children and young people are not sidelined in PE and school sport, these conversations need to remain ongoing and never leave the spotlight.

Addressing attendance and behaviour through school sport

A current issue within schools is low attendance rates and poor behaviour.  Teachers have identified that having a sense of belonging in school improves attendance levels and overall behaviour for pupils.  One of the benefits of sport is the sense of belonging that participants experience from taking part in sport and physical activity. Therefore, why not use PE and school sport as a tool to improve attendance and behaviour in pupils? Youth Sport Trust’s My Personal Best for Alternative Provision Programme is a prime example of a programme for pupils with SEND which has driven positive change in attendance and behaviour through physical activity.  Read about the impact this programme has had here.

Resources for practitioners

With 18.4% of children in England having some kind of special educational need and more and more children having an Education, Health and Care Plan, the need for inclusive opportunities is more important than ever.  For practitioners to feel confident in effectively delivering meaningful and positive sport opportunities for pupils with SEND, there must be sufficient resources to educate practitioners.  The school workforce in England view SEND CPD as a priority for their own individual development as practitioners but also to improve schools’ overall provision for pupils with SEND.  However, to ensure sport is truly inclusive, collaboration must be at the heart of this change as no single individual or organisation can create this change alone. Sharing resources, training, and learning among practitioners is crucial to ensuring that pupils with SEND are provided with the opportunities which meet their needs.

The Chief Medical Officer’s physical activity guidelines for disabled people

In 2022, new physical activity guidelines for disabled children and young people were released.  These guidelines were the first ever guidelines specifically for children and young people with a disability.  Children and young people with SEND are less active than their non-disabled peers and these guidelines are important in addressing this issue.  Access to inclusive sport and physical activity opportunities which meet the needs of young people with SEND is critical for ensuring all young people have the opportunity to meet the recommended levels of physical activity.

Call to Action

This IDPD we challenge you to take action to help improve the inclusion and accessibility of PE and school sport for disabled children and people.  We encourage you to sign up to Youth Sport Trust’s Inclusion Live 2025 - a week of free online CPD that will address the topics in this article. Inclusion Live 2025 takes place from Monday 27^th January to Friday 31^st January 2025. Sign up to the sessions and find out more information about the week here: https://www.youthsporttrust.org/inclusion-live-2025