Rapid evidence review and analysis of schools’ engagement with PE, school sport and physical activity (PESSPA) across Birmingham. spear’s research provided insight into the current PESSPA landscape including variations in engagement across areas and associated public health, socioeconomic and wider school factors. Recommendations for targeted support to increase PESSPA engagement were presented to Sport Birmingham.

Key Findings

• Local schools engaged with around a third of PESSPA opportunities available to them
• Engagement in additional PESSPA opportunities was significantly higher across schools in districts with higher engagement overall
• Schools in districts with higher PESSPA engagement were associated with lower income deprivation, fewer children living in poverty, lower levels of criminal behaviour and better Key Stage 2 results
• Significant associations were evident between levels of PESSPA engagement and childhood obesity, with higher PESSPA engagement associated with lower levels of obese children in Year 6 (15)
• Schools in districts with above-average engagement also have significantly more girls reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, more students from the middle attainment band reaching expected standards in reading, writing and maths, and a higher percentage of students achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths across three years

Date: July – September 2020
Client: Sport Birmingham