• Bridging the Gap tracks the progress of disengaged learners from three secondary schools in an innovative intervention to support physical, academic, social and personal development and re-engage in school life.

• Engaging and empowering young people through challenging physical activity experiences provides a platform for their social and emotional development.

• This case study highlights how challenging physical activity learning experiences can be used as an alternative strategy to re-engage young people in the learning process.

Sport WalesPLPS/PLF Case Study

Bridging the Gap

‘Engaging disengaged learners through physical

experiences ’

March 2016

© SPEAR, Canterbury Christ Church University

‘Engaging disengaged learners through physical

experiences’

Key Points

Bridging the Gap

1© SPEAR, Canterbury Christ Church University

ContextThe Physical Literacy Programme for Schools (PLPS) and Physical Literacy Framework (PLF) are funded by the Welsh Government, led by Sport Wales and delivered by PLPS regional consortia teams. The key aims of the PLPS are to improve the health and wellbeing of young people, contribute to whole school improvement, and encourage schools to use physical contexts for holistic learning. Through the Targeted Intervention Programme for Schools (TISPS), the PLPS also aims to support delivery of the Welsh Government’s strategic priorities for Closing the Gap and the Government’s commitment ‘to make physical literacy as important a developmental skill as reading and writing’. The PLPS has been linked with the Welsh Schools Challenge Cymru programme developed by the Welsh Government to support under-performing schools from the most deprived areas in Wales. PLPS teams are working with the 40 Pathways to Success Schools, their feeder Primaries, and an additional 15 schools to create bespoke interventions that address key priorities and support outcomes for young people.

The PLF is a tool for schools, staff, practitioners and parents to support the development of physical literacy. It identifies the skills that should be developed during a young person’s school life and illustrates the importance of developing confidence, motivation and knowledge within the physical domain. The PLF provides practitioners with clear expectations that help promote, inform and track the progress of every child along their physical literacy journey.

Bridging the Gap

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SPEARThe Centre for Sport, Physical Education & Activity Research (SPEAR) was commissioned from October 2014 to March 2016 to conduct an independent evaluation of the PLPS and PLF. Part of this independent review involves the collation, review, selection, secondary analysis and presentation of case studies evidencing and sharing a range of good practice across PLPS and PLF initiatives. As such, the narrative and analysis of this case study has been conducted by SPEAR with resources provided by Sport Wales and the PLPS teams. Consent to identify children, adults and organisations within this case study has been granted.

SPEAR is a cross school and cross faculty research centre at Canterbury Christ Church University established to bring together expertise across and outside the university and to facilitate collaborative working. In particular, SPEAR brings together expertise in Sport and Exercise Science, Physical Education, Education, Health and Tourism and Leisure. SPEAR’s research has helped guide and inform public policy to increase physical activity and sport participation among young people by identifying the processes most successful in increasing participation. It has provided a rationale for government investment, contributed to the wider evidence base used by policy makers, and steered programme improvements that enhance physical activity opportunities and experiences.

More details on SPEAR and its work can be found at: www.canterbury.ac.uk/SPEAR

Profile

‘Engaging disengaged learners through physical

experiences’

Bridging the Gap

© SPEAR, Canterbury Christ Church University 3

Levels of youth disaffection and disengagement have become a particular concern in contemporary society (Armour et al, 2013). Young people’s disengagement from education and training has been associated with low academic achievement, anti-social behaviour, unemployment and poor health outcomes (Lumby, 2012; Nelson and O’Donnell, 2012). The use of sport and physical activity as an alternative strategy to reengage disengaged learners in school life has been found to positively impact upon social inclusion, pro-social behaviour, academic achievement, and social and emotional wellbeing (Super et al, 2014). Sport and physical activity interventions have the potential to provide learners with authentic, relevant, and contextualised learning experiences that re-engage young people in the learning process and prepare them for life and work (Armour et al, 2013).

Blackwood Comprehensive School, Rhymney Comprehensive School and Ebbw Fawr Learning Community School are situated in socially and economically disadvantaged areas in the south east of Wales. The schools had been identified as facing a number of challenges and were placed on the Welsh Government Pathways to Success programme, increasing their focus on the Welsh Government priorities of improving literacy, numeracy and reducing the effects of poverty on children. PLPS enabled the schools to trial a challenging physical activity intervention designed to improve behaviour and develop social, emotional and personal skills in order to reengage young people in their learning journey.

Learners preparing for a day of caving

The Challenge

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Bridging the Gap

The Intervention

Bridging the Gap

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Blackwood Comprehensive School, Rhymney Comprehensive School and Ebbw Fawr Learning Community School collectively identified that the performance of boys within their respective schools was below that of boys in similar schools. This was also highlighted in the recent Rhymney Comprehensive School ESTYN Inspection report. The schools wanted to work with identified groups of disengaged learners across the board (both male and female) in order to re-engage the young people in their learning journey. In particular the schools were keen to develop an intervention that improved the confidence and self-esteem of learners, enhanced peer relationships, reduced incidents of poor behaviour and increased parental support

The schools identified groups of disengaged learners in Years 8 and 9 through analyses of behaviour records, learning progress data and communications between form tutors, progress leaders and curriculum leaders. The identified groups typically exhibited poor behaviour, low confidence/self-esteem, poor peer relationships and lack of engagement in the curriculum. The schools believed the development of a bespoke 12 week programme that delivered a range of challenging physical activity experiences could re-engage learners through the development of personal and crosscutting life skills.

Blackwood Comprehensive School identified a cohort of 18 disengaged learners (11 male and 7 female), Rhymney Comprehensive School had selected 11 disengaged boys and Ebbw Fawr Learning Community School identified a cohort of 22 disengaged learners (15 male and 7 female); all learners were from Years 8 and 9. Each school used a range of specialist external agencies (Brynbach Park Activity Centre, Caerphilly Adventures and Positive Futures Caerphilly) to deliver bespoke, 12 week programmes, which employed a range of physical activity experiences (mountain biking, gorge walking, climbing, caving and canoeing) as a vehicle to challenge and support learners in developing personal, inter-personal and life skills. The activities were designed to enable learners to take greater responsibility for their behaviour, as well as helping them achieve personalised targets. The aim was to create independent learners who were willing and available to engage in the lifelong learning process. A learner voice consultation workshop, organised and administered by the PLPS Manager and Young Ambassador Intern, was used to gather information about activity preferences and personal development needs for each of the intervention groups. This information was communicated to the relevant external agencies to enable the construction of bespoke physical activity programmes based on the preferences and development needs of the learners from each school. Ongoing monitoring and consultation with learners from each school (via YA Interns) ensured the project offered physical activity experiences that were stimulating, engaging and relevant. The ‘off-site’ learning experiences offered to the learners from each school were complemented by a mentoring programme run by each school and feedback from the external agencies was used to inform the mentoring programme within each school. ‘Evidence based’ approaches were adopted and used to inform key principles of the programmes across all three schools. The overarching evidence based approaches included:

• Empowerment of learners – Learner voice consultations• Parental support – Parental engagement workshops• Relationships for learning – Mentoring and peer mentoring programmes

A range of measures were implemented both pre and post intervention within each school to monitor any changes in behaviour (school SIMS records and Teacher Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) teacher report and teacher observations), confidence and self-esteem (Bulters Self Image Profile), peer relationships (Teacher Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and teacher observations) and parental support and engagement (teacher observations and attendance at workshops).

Learners completing a day of canoeing and kayaking

Learners completing a day of challenging climbing activities

Impact: What changed for Rhymney Comprehensive School?

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Bridging the Gap Bridging the Gap

© SPEAR, Canterbury Christ Church University 7

Impact: What changed for Blackwood Comprehensive School?

The 12 week programme provided learners with a variety of challenging activities that developed a broad range of holistic skills. As a result the school observed marked improvements in learner attitude and willingness to learn, which heightened engagement, raised aspirations and allowed the young people to take ownership of their behaviour. The Teacher Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire identified a 20% reduction in emotional problems exhibited by the learners involved in the programme. The intervention also elicited a 33% reduction in conduct problems and a 29% reduction in the levels of hyperactivity of learners involved in the programme. There was an overall reduction of 26% in the number of reported behaviour incidents during the intervention compared to the 16 weeks prior to the intervention (SIMS Behaviour Records).

“There were huge improvements in the attitude and maturity levels of many of

the pupils” (Assistant Headteacher, Rhymney

Comprehensive)

“I really enjoyed the things that we did … it was fun and it taught me to take

responsibility for my behaviour and to think about others” (Learner, Rhymney

Comprehensive)

“This programme was highly effective in helping disengaged learners become more

engaged in learning ……. We would like to repeat this programme with another

group, next year” (Assistant Headteacher)

The learners involved in the programme demonstrated a marked improvement in their self-esteem and confidence, 58% of pupils showing an improvement in positive self-image during the programme (Butlers Self Image Profile). The intervention elicited a greater sense of belonging, re-engaging learners in school life and increasing their availability to learn. This was evident through teacher observations and a 60% decline in the pupil ‘sense of difference’ score, as measured through Bulters Self Image profile, indicating that the majority of pupils felt a greater sense of belonging to the school. Notable improvements in attitude towards learning and behaviour were observed as the programme progressed. In particular 3 of the 5 (60%) pupils referred to the programme because of behavioural issues, demonstrated marked improvements in their behaviour as measured through the school’s SIM records. 75% of the learners showed improvements in their pro-social behavioural scores as measured by the Teacher SDQ, indicating that learners had developed and enhanced their social, emotional and behavioural skills. Learners also exhibited marked improvements in their relationships with others, in particular their peers, with 83% of learners demonstrating improvements in the Teacher SDQ peer problem score. Blackwood Comprehensive successfully engaged with the families of all learners, 100% (22 parents) of families attending a parental engagement workshop designed to support their children through school life and build relationships with the school.

Emotional and behavioural measures pre and post intervention taken from the Teacher SDQ Survey

‘I feel that I improved my self-esteem by doing things I didn’t think I could do’ (Learner, Blackwood Comprehensive)Learners completing a day of canoeing

Learners pushing their boundaries during moutain biking activities

© SPEAR, Canterbury Christ Church University 8

Bridging the Gap

Impact: What changed for Ebbw Fawr Learning Community School?

Investigate low/no cost early intervention strategies

to prevent disengagement - ‘Fences rather than ambulances’ (EAS

Headteachers Conference 2015) - to support your intervention.

Explore innovative ways of extending parental engagement

to enable parents to support their children throughout their learning

journey.

Recommendations: Advice for schools and practitioners

Bridging the Gap

© SPEAR, Canterbury Christ Church University 9

Consider monitoring the changes in behaviour at a timeframe after the intervention in order to assess whether

improvements have been sustained.

Use learners who have previously been successful

in completing the programme as ‘peer mentors’ for other

young people struggling with school life.

Consider the creation of smaller ‘support

communities’ within the school to strengthen

learners’ sense of belonging.

Ebbw Fawr Learning Community observed substantial improvements in the social and emotional behaviour of learners involved in the programme. In particular the Teacher SDQ revealed that the intervention had elicited a 50% reduction in pupils’ emotional problems, a 14% improvement in the pupils’ pro-social behaviour, and a 66% reduction in pupils’ conduct problems. Overall the learners involved in the 12 week programme felt more connected with the school and their peers, 43% of the learners reporting a decline in their ‘sense of difference’ between themselves and others within their school (Butlers Self Image Profile). The learners have gained skills to positively interact with each other and with school life, enhancing their engagement in the learning process.

“The programme has helped me to respect other

people. I don’t get into arguments and fights any

more” (Learner, Ebbw Fawr Learning Community)

“My behaviour has improved a lot. I used to get in trouble all the time and get taken out of class, but since the programme has started I’ve been much better…. I haven’t

been sent out of lessons at all” (Learner, Ebbw Fawr Learning Community)

Engaging Disengaged Learners through Physical

Experiences

Learners recieved certification for successfully completing the intervention

Learners recieved certification for successfully completing the intervention

© SPEAR, Canterbury Christ Church University 10

Bridging the Gap

Referenced Material

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Case Study1Armour, K., Sandford, R and Duncombe, R. (2013)Positive youth development and physical activity/sport interventions: mechanisms leading to sustained impact, Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 18:3, 256-281. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2012.666791 (accessed November 2015).

2Nelson, J and O'Donnell, L. (2012). Approaches to Supporting Young People Not inEducation, Employment or Training: a Review (NFER Research Programme: FromEducation to Employment). Slough: NFER. Available at: https://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/RSRN01/RSRN01.pdf (accessed November 2015).

3Lumby, J. (2012) Disengaged and disaffected young people: surviving the system, British Educational Research Journal, 38:2, 261-279. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01411926.2010.541553 (accessed November 2015).

4Super, S., Hermens, N., Verkooijen, K and Koelen, M. (2014). Enhancing life prospects of socially vulnerable youth through sport participation: a mixed methods study, BMC Public Health, 14:703. Available at: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/14/703 (accessed November 2015).