Becca Mattingley is leading on the Wales-wide research project for Sport Wales, and explains here what has been done in preparation for the major online sport survey.
In 2011, Sport Wales conducted the biggest survey of children, young people and sport in Wales to date. A few short of 40,000 pupils completed an online questionnaire, making this the most successful survey outcome we have seen since these surveys began over a decade ago.
This survey provides the sports sector with essential information about the state of sport in Wales through the eyes of children and young people. Pupils tell us which sports they take part in - both in school and in the community - and the types of activities they want to do more of. We get feedback on their attitudes towards taking part in PE and sport and what they think of sports provision, allowing us to check whether the services provided meet their needs.
We also get vital feedback from the teachers who provide school based activities – such as how much time and staff resources are put towards providing quality physical education and sport, what activities are provided, how do schools and community clubs link together to provide all-round opportunities for young people?
This information will help us understand how the education and sports sectors are delivering, as we aim to provide ALL children and young people with the skills and opportunities they need to participate in sport and enjoy a healthy lifestyle.
Where are we now?
· During January, we piloted the questionnaire and software, in English and Welsh*, and are in the process of making final checks on the wording and structure of the questionnaires. We’ve had very helpful feedback from teachers and pupils and as a result have adapted some questions to make them easier to read. Wherever possible, we’re making the survey quicker to complete while still collecting the data used by Sport Wales, Welsh Government and partners to assess progress.
· Local authority teams and regional officers are putting together their plans for supporting schools in their community in the run up to and during the summer term, when the survey goes ‘live’.
· The Research team and Snap Surveys are setting up the databases and software packages that will hold every school’s results. Snap will be providing a live monitoring system for Sport Wales and each of the 22 LAs to monitor and track their response rates.
· With input from regional officers and the School Sport Survey Steering Group, we will shortly start to design the templates for the automated reports that will be produced when the survey closes. These reports will be sent out to every school, local authority and region that qualifies by getting a balanced sample of responses.
Sport Wales would not be able to undertake such a large survey without the support provided by local authority staff: sports development teams, active young people teams, education and leisure departments, schools and most importantly, the pupils themselves. Don’t forget – the survey goes live on APRIL 8th and is open until the end of term. We want as many schools and pupils to have their say on sport as possible.
*Special thanks to the RCT Sports Development team, Sport Pembrokeshire, Caradog Primary School, Ferndale Comprehensive School, Ysgol Penweddig and Ysgol Gymraeg Aberystwyth
