School Sport and Activity Sector Partnership Spring Forum
On Thursday 03 April 2025, sector partners were convened online for the School Sport and Activity Sector Partnership Spring Forum. The agenda aligned with the sector pledges which have been established, and featured updates from the Youth Sport Trust, Sport England and The Association for Physical Education (afPE).
Gavin James, United Action Manager, welcomed all on the call and referred to the recent Youth Sport Trust National Conference. Gavin then alluded to Minister McKinnell’s address, in which she expressed her commitment to ensuring all children and young people have access to high-quality physical education and school sport, and her desire to work with experts to develop a new enrichment framework.
Emily Reynolds, Director of Children and Young People, provided an update on the ever-changing political landscape and the debates that have taken place. Emily spoke about the role of the sector partnership in advocating for the importance of physical education and sport in schools. She highlighted the need for the sector to continue to influence the curriculum and assessment review, the new enrichment framework, and the Children's Wellbeing in Schools Bill. Emily also mentioned the ongoing consultation on the youth strategy and the need for evidence on the value of sport and physical activity in driving educational outcomes. She encouraged everyone to engage in the consultation and to use key moments in their work programmes to advocate for the power of sport and physical activity in children's education.
Charlie Crane from the Children and Young People Policy Team at Sport England provided updates on the School Games Organisers Network Review. The review, which involved 60 stakeholders, aimed to assess the impact and value for money of the current network and explore options for a reimagined school sport network. The consultation process showed that the network is effective in engaging the least active children and has a positive impact on school sport and physical activity offers. The review also identified six parameters for a future school sport network, including national direction, leadership and governance, communications and branding, funding, data-informed decision-making, and a clear purpose and outcomes. The final phase of the review is underway, with a smaller group of partners developing tangible models based on these parameters. Reports from the review will be shared in May.
Charlie also highlighted the Physical Literacy Action Group's work in driving the physical literacy agenda and its impact on reducing inactivity and inequality. She mentioned the Patchwork Programme, where 36 organisations are testing and sharing ways to translate physical literacy theory into practice. Charlie also mentioned the upcoming listening circles and the National Virtual Conference on physical literacy. She encouraged partners to sign up for the Positive Experiences Collective and to use the Physical Literacy Toolkit and the Oak Curriculum resources. Charlie also mentioned the upcoming release of a short animation video explaining physical literacy and the creation of a PowerPoint slide guide on applying the lens of physical literacy to work. She emphasized the importance of youth voice in creating positive experiences and fostering a lifelong love of movement. Finally, she alluded to the DCMS survey to gather feedback from children and young people on support services and opportunities they need outside of school.
Kate Thornton-Bousfield, CEO of afPE, spoke about the call for evidence survey involving over 2,000 young people and 5,000 parents, which aimed to understand their experiences with physical education. The survey revealed that the status and value of physical education is often viewed as low, and the curriculum is not inclusive or equitable for all. The lack of clarity in the curriculum and the emphasis on sports-specific activities were also highlighted as issues. The survey also showed that certain groups, such as girls and children from deprived areas, are underrepresented in physical education. Kate mentioned that the next phase of the review will focus on four key areas: ensuring high standards for all, addressing subject-specific challenges, responding to social and technological change, and ensuring pathways beyond GCSE. She also mentioned that the interim report did not acknowledge the details of the issues raised, but the evidence collected by the panel suggests that change is needed.
Kate presented the PE journal concept, which is still in early stages. The next steps involve consolidating consultation responses, updating the curriculum paper, and sharing it with partners. The subject association will then discuss subject-specific issues. The Department for Education may bring together an expert panel to discuss these issues and provide solutions.
This was followed by some small breakout rooms, allowing partners on the call to discuss all the information provided in the updates, and share their experiences and questions.
Gavin then handed over to Wendy Taylor (National Manager – Women & Girls) from the Youth Sport Trust to discuss inclusive sportswear. Wendy highlighted the importance of improving young people's confidence and comfort in their PE kit, emphasising the need for choice. She mentioned that the sector is working on practical solutions to address this issue.
Wendy introduced Tess Howard, a Great Britain hockey player and Olympian. Tess has founded Inclusive Sportswear, a community interest company, to promote comfort and choice in sports kit across all levels of sport. The company has launched a charter with five underpinning principles to improve the experience of kit for everyone, not just girls. The charter is a commitment to support schools, governing bodies, clubs, and brands to provide clothing that supports these principles.
Wendy discussed the development of PE kit guidance for schools, accentuating the importance of pupil voice, choice of kit, and inclusion. The guidance is divided into three sections: why PE kit matters, how to create more inclusive PE policies and practices, and what this could look like. Wendy also spoke about the need for a holistic policy, considering factors such as uniform, engagement with MPs, co-curricular, student voice, and the reduction of branded school items. She mentioned the importance of addressing changing room anxiety and kit challenges, as well as considering suppliers and poverty-proof kits. The guidance includes case studies from schools to help practitioners reflect on their provision and make a case for change.
Wendy concluded by presenting the Inclusive Sportswear Charter, which provides guidance and resources for schools to promote inclusive sportswear. The charter includes expert guidance, advocate training, and a champion process for schools to self-review and develop an action plan.
The final presentation of the forum was delivered by Katie Phillips (Development Manager – Sport, Youth Sport Trust). Katie spoke about the Youth Sport Trust's work in the multi-sport space, including a multi-sport festival offer and a multi-sport club. Katie explained that the multi-sport festival offer is linked to the existing school games multi-skill format for year 3 and 4 students; however, it focuses on a new concept for those students in years 5-7.
She then spoke about the multi-sport club offer that has been in development for a short time now and has included support and engagement with 17 partners. This is a co-curricular ‘’youth club feel’’ offer for secondary-aged students, which is youth-led.
She described the journey so far; Phase 1: A co-design phase with 5 schools focusing on brand, activity and structure, Phase 2: Direct delivery to young leaders at a national camp with 6 NGBs involved, which involved testing a digital platform for young leaders and teachers and finally Phase 3: Cascading training to teachers across 5 geographical areas in 29 schools.
Katie expressed her desire to work with more partners on both elements and would like any interested organisations to reach out to her directly.
Before closing the forum, Gavin passed back to Emily Reynolds, who provided a live update on the funding for the School Games Organiser Network, confirming that it will continue into the next academic year.
Gavin concluded by confirming that the 2025 Sector Summit will be taking place at Pride Park (Derby County Football Club) on Thursday 25 September.
Below, you will find the individual presentations.
Presentations: