Information on Loughborough

Pupils improve after extra sport

Posted on 08/06/2007
Loughborough Newsdesk

tantalising textile being shown at the Charnwood Museum in LoughboroughSport Improves Pupils.

How do we improve pupils  attitudes, attendance, punctuality and self confidence?

Well researchers from Loughborough Universitys Institute of Youth Sport has found a massive 75% improvement in their attitudes towards teachers, together with 70% showing improved behaviour. This findings from a review of the first three years of a scheme called Living for Sport which has involved 11,000 pupils, all between the ages of 11 and 16, in a variety of sporting activities.

Suprisingly only a couple of hours of extra sport a week were involved, either before school, at lunchtime or after school. Some of the children were lucky enough to be given expert help from sporting celebrities such as Olympic swimming medallist Nick Gillingham, canoeing world champion Steve Harris and ex-England footballer Earl Barrett.

The pupils were selected from over 500 schools and were put forward by teachers because of incidents of disruptive behaviour.

Senior development officer at the YST, Jenny Rouse, said: "The sorts of skills they got from this were leadership and a sense of responsibility.

"They learn they need to overcome barriers and have mental toughness. These skills are easy to see in a sports scenario.

"If young people start to feel they have leadership and other skills, that is going to have an impact in other subject areas.

"Martial arts and boxing activities proved quite successful because they show discipline has its place.

"When young people can appreciate discipline in a sporting context, it helps them understand why their English or maths teacher wants them to sit still and pay attention.

"It is the same as their boxing coach asking them to do ten press-ups."

The Living for Sport scheme is sponsored by the entertainment company Sky, which has put forward £1.25m. The Department for Education and Skills has contributed £40,000.