Gathering insight to understand local contexts

At the Youth Sport Trust, we are passionate about equipping educators and empowering young people, with the goal of ensuring that every child has access to the life-changing benefits of play and sport. However, we are also acutely aware that for many young people, particularly those in disadvantaged areas, access to these opportunities is often limited or unequal. That’s why we’re taking a more targeted approach, focusing some of our resources and efforts in areas where the need is greatest.

As part of this commitment, we have identified specific locations across the UK that will become key focus areas for the Youth Sport Trust to grow our understanding.  Initial focus areas for our work typically equate to a Local Authority area but a minority of the locations cover smaller geographical areas.

What did the insight tell us about the challenges facing young people?

From the perspective of school staff, the key challenges for young people in all initial focus areas include poor mental, physical and social wellbeing, plus lower levels of educational attainment for some young people, which was further exacerbated by Covid-19. Many of the young people in these locations also have challenging home lives, often related to poor living conditions, high levels of deprivation, poor social mobility, a lack of opportunities, and a lack of support from home. 

What did the insight tell us about the priorities for schools?

Key priorities for schools included the following:

• to improve young people’s wellbeing
• to improve young people’s engagement in school and wider community cohesion;
• to improve young people’s educational outcomes, including their educational attainment and life skills;
• to develop the curriculum, improve provision for young people, and support staff development;
• to improve the provision of PE, School Sport and Physical Activity (PESSPA), including an understanding of its value.