The reports on this page have been written to address specific gaps in knowledge identified by either Active Black Country, our local partners or at the national level. All reports that are featured here will be accompanied internally by an implementation plan to ensure the findings are used effectively.
Summary
Gen22 is a Legacy programme of Birmingham 2022 and provides an opportunity for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds aged 16-24 from the West Midlands to gain employability-boosting opportunities through the glow of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The programme provides them with the opportunity to be involved and feel part of the Games, through three strands; physical activity and wellbeing creative, and digital. Our focus is Physical Activity.
Active Partnerships in the region have committed to facilitating a programme of engagement with a target of recruiting 360 young people who might otherwise struggle to access Games-related opportunities; with the aim of boosting their confidence and employability skills for our sector. This report summarises the progress and learnings from the first year of the programme.
This is a summary report of data relating to Primary School Swimming across the Black Country, including data published by schools in relation to their Sport Premium requirements combined with additional analysis of surveys conducted by Active Black Country.
Summary
This is the second edition of our annual analysis of the data that Primary Schools are required to submit in relation to Sport Premium funding. The report continues to focus on the 3 swimming indicators whilst also providing additional insight into how leisure operators view the year ahead and potential implications for school swimming against the backdrop of national lockdowns.
Implementation Summary
Amongst other action points available to view in the report, Active Black Country will work with local partners to support both schools and leisure providers by coordinating a campaign with family-oriented messages that encourage people back to the pools with a view to raising awareness of the recommended levels of swimming ability for young people.
Summary
As part of the £10.1m national investment by Sport England and the Department for Education (DfE) into the Opening School Facilities agenda, Active Black Country were successful in securing investment for Phase 2 for the region. Investment was to be utilised to facilitate activity or overcome barriers to the provision of out of school hours pupil focussed or community focussed physical activity opportunities taking place at school sites.
The priorities set by DfE and Sport England targeted schools with high percentage of pupils claiming free school meals, schools in areas of deprivation, inactive communities, to support holiday activity and food (HAF) projects, SEN pupil focussed projects and schools with swimming pools. ABC also targeted schools within identified key priority wards. Schools were offered the opportunity to apply for investment using a targeted and phased approach to ensure investment distribution to the areas of most need.
The following documents provide an overview of the investment awarded to each Black Country Local Authority:
Dudley Sandwell Walsall Wolverhampton
Summary
Funded by Active Black Country alongside contributions from schools, a pilot physical activity and mental wellbeing project was delivered across the Walsall Borough in the spring and summer term of 2022. Working with Stormbreak, a registered charity, a cohort of 10 Walsall schools were recruited and staff trained to support children’s mental health through movement. Schools implemented the programme between March 2022 and May 2022 with the findings outlined in the accompanying report.
This is a summary report of data relating to Primary School Swimming in Dudley, including data published by schools in relation to their Sport Premium requirements combined with additional analysis of surveys conducted by Active Black Country.
Summary
In December 2019, Active Black Country were awarded funding by Sport England to explore the possibility of primary and secondary schools opening their facilities for community use at evenings a weekends. The first part of the project focussed on the collection of insight, via a survey of all schools and a series of targeted focus groups. This report summarises the findings, providing information on existing levels of community use, barriers that schools face, future plans for schools that don’t currently open, and for those that do, an indication of what does and doesn’t work well.
Implementation Summary
Active Black Country, via the Opening School Facilities Programme Manager, are using the insight to develop a toolkit to support schools who are interested in opening their facilities.
Summary
As part of the Government School Sport Action Plan, Active Black Country was one of 19 Active Partnerships who obtained funding from Sport England to deliver the Opening School Facilities Programme. The aim of the programme is to widen access to physical activity opportunities for pupils and local communities by supporting schools to open their facilities outside of the school day. This report summarises our learnings.
Implementation Summary
It was announced in February 2021 that there would be a national rollout of additional funding .These learnings will now directly influence the delivery of a second phase of this programme in the Black Country.
Summary
This report summarises the results of an engagement exercise that was carried out as part of ABC’s Black Country Moving place based pilot. The report was developed by Dudley Healthwatch.
Implementation Summary
This document is informing the work of our two Community Connectors who are delivering the Black Country Moving project in 8 priority wards.
Summary
This is the third edition of our annual analysis of the data that Primary Schools are required to submit in relation to Sport Premium funding. Whilst the report primarily focuses 3 swimming indicators, it also provides a summary of primary research developed in house by Active Black Country
Implementation Summary
Active Black Country are working with Sandwell MBC, Swim England, Commonwealth Games 2022 and Sport England to ensure the high-level structures are in place to co-ordinate and agree an integrated Aquatic plan and identify priorities, using the Games as a catalyst to deliver against a number of existing strategic objectives.
This is a summary report of data relating to Primary School Swimming in Sandwell, including data published by schools in relation to their Sport Premium requirements combined with additional analysis of surveys conducted by Active Black Country.
Summary
The PE and Sport Premium is provided to schools to make additional and sustainable improvements to the quality of PE and Sport and Physical Activity that is offered. Since the inception of the PESSP funding Active Partnerships have been required to sample and review schools’ websites, collating this information into a national picture. As part of this remit ABC undertakes a desk-based review of all primary and special schools’ websites across the Black Country each year.
Implementation Summary
Active Black Country are providing 1-2-1 support for schools who need assistance regarding reporting requirements and have uploaded key information to our Primary PE & Sport Premium pages and to the Active Black Country Schools Hub.
Summary
Since the restrictions on movement were imposed by Government, ABC have committed capacity towards understanding the local impact. Two surveys were conducted amassing a sample of almost 1,200 Black Country residents to develop an understanding of how the impact of the lockdown.
This report goes into detail in relation to how the physical activity habits of Black Country residents have changed during this period and the potential for longer term shifts in behaviour patterns.
Implementation Summary
The information and learnings derived from this analysis will be used to support the development of the ABC Covid-19 Transition Plan over the next 6 months and will form part of the evidence base to inform a refresh of Towards an Active Black Country.
This is a summary report of data relating to Primary School Swimming in Walsall, including data published by schools in relation to their Sport Premium requirements combined with additional analysis of surveys conducted by Active Black Country.
Summary
Since 2017, all schools have been required to publish their swimming and water safety attainment levels as part of reporting for the PE and Sport Premium. This report collates the results provided by all Black Country Primary Schools, giving an analysis on how schools are using the funding, headline findings across the key indicators, an in-depth analysis of differences between local authority areas and a look at the relationship between school swimming opportunities and other indicators such as deprivation and child obesity.
Implementation Summary
Active Black Country are developing terms of reference for 4 Local Swimming Action Groups to address the issues in this report.
This is a summary report of data relating to Primary School Swimming in Wolverhampton, including data published by schools in relation to their Sport Premium requirements combined with additional analysis of surveys conducted by Active Black Country.
Too many young people are leaving primary school without hitting the requisite target in relation to swimming ability. Active Black Country partnered with speedo to test and learn from a pop-up pool programme, taking temporary facilities to school sites and providing intensive learn to swim programmes to young people in the most deprived parts of the Black Country. This report provides an evaluation of the programme.
