Response to Game On: Community and School Sport
We welcome the Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s Game On report. It shows clear recognition that disabled people and pupils with SEND are among those least well served by the current community and school sport system. Our Head of Communications and Policy, Sarah Brown-Fraser, responds.
"The report rightly points out that people are held back by the way the system works, not by personal choice or ability. Uneven provision, unstable funding and inaccessible facilities all add up. Hearing this acknowledged is reassuring.
"The Committee’s call for a cross‑government “Movement for Health” strategy is especially important. It gives us the opportunity to embed accessibility and inclusion from the outset. Disabled people are more likely to be inactive, not through lack of desire, but because systems are not designed with them in mind. A coordinated approach across sport, health, education, transport and planning is essential if this gap is to be closed rather than continually managed around.
"We strongly support the Committee’s focus on schools and teacher training. The decline in PE curriculum time, alongside inconsistent training in inclusive practice, is contributing to negative early experiences of activity for disabled children and beyond their school years. This must be addressed through improved teacher training and resources like the inclusive education hub are vital.
"Evidence submitted to the Committee highlights that the greatest health and economic gains are achieved by supporting those who are least active, particularly disabled people, to engage in achievable forms of activity. We are pleased to see the reference to our social value report, an assessment of disabled people’s physical activity using HM Treasury endorsed methodology. This report finds the wellbeing benefits of physical activity are greater for disabled people than non-disabled people (benefit of being ‘active’ is three or four times greater). Moreover, for disabled people, there are substantial wellbeing benefits in physical activity before the 150 minutes a week guideline is met (approximately two-thirds the benefit from meeting the guideline).
"With secure funding, inclusive design and disabled people involved throughout, the Game On recommendations offer a real chance to ensure that everyone feels like they belong in sports and activities."
