Calls for Government to leave no disabled child on the sidelines
As the nation enjoys the sporting spectacle taking place at Paris 2024 and celebrates the success of Paralympic athletes, ParalympicsGB is today launching a campaign calling for equal access to PE and school sport for disabled children, with just one in four saying they currently take part in sport at school. Activity Alliance is backing the campaign and continues to support with ongoing research and training for this crucial policy area.
The Equal Play campaign comes off the back of a powerful documentary of the same name that was broadcast on Channel 4 on Monday 26 August. The film was produced by the Emmy award winning Harder Than You Think, creators of Rising Phoenix, the story of the Paralympic Games, and focuses on two children, Marley, a teenager from London whose life has been profoundly changed by sport; and Tammy, who struggles from barriers to physical activity at her school and experiences daily exclusion.
The film follows both children as they are sidelined in school and demand their right to be treated equally in access to sports and PE. Marley discovers his confidence and social skills through boxing, while Tammy is inspired by ParalympicsGB star, Hannah Cockroft, to take up wheelchair racing and explore her competitive side on the racetrack.
Equal Play
ParalympicsGB is calling on the UK Government to commit to ensuring every child has the same access to PE at school, rather than leaving them sidelined, with teachers explaining they struggle to deliver inclusive PE without the training, funding and the confidence to do so. With 1.5 million disabled children comprising 15% of the school population, the scale of the problem is huge.
Read ParalympicsGB Equal Play Schools Sport Policy Paper
Research carried out by ParalympicsGB shows there are many reasons why disabled children are sidelined from PE at school. Solutions are complex but there are four areas that ParalympicsGB has identified where tangible change could be made to better support teachers and schools.
- Empower teachers with the right tools, understanding and resources to deliver truly inclusive PE.
- Adapt teacher training to ensure the next generation of teachers have the skills and confidence to deliver truly inclusive PE.
- Redefine how PE is seen within the school curriculum, ensuring it becomes a priority across the education system.
- Increase the number of disabled people entering the teaching profession.
Dave Clarke, Chief Executive of ParalympicsGB, said:
“Sport and PE at school needs to be a statutory right for all children and the people delivering it need to have the support, education and training to deliver it inclusively. Play is fundamental to children’s happiness, allowing them to have fun whilst they develop motor skills, build confidence, and improve physical and mental health.
“The launch of Equal Play, following the incredible film which highlights the issue so well, is a critical step in creating the necessary change that delivers on our mission for equal access to school sport for all disabled children.
“As a sports team with a social purpose, ParalympicsGB will continue to celebrate our talented athletes competing at Paris 2024, while encouraging the UK Government to seize this unique opportunity to shift the dial so that by the LA 2028 Paralympic Games, no disabled child is left on the sidelines.”
Adam Blaze, Chief Executive at Activity Alliance, said:
“As the leading voice for all disabled people in sport and activity, we are aware of the many challenges involved in overturning deep-rooted inequalities. We know the real-world barriers that disabled children and young people and their families face when even aspiring to be more active.
“To tackle these inequalities, we need to engage leaders on the need for inclusion and show them how to create comfortable environments. Teachers and providers should be supported to take children’s impairments and needs into account, rather than seen as a reason for them not to take part. Support should be in place for parents to guide their child to live an active life.
“Government also has a role to play, with not just financial backing of high-quality inclusive PE in schools, but by putting inclusivity at the forefront of society.
“Everyone’s life is enriched by sport and physical activity, and we know that can stay with someone forever. A disabled child has the right to enjoy being active, just as their non-disabled classmates do.”
You can find resources on the Inclusion 2024 inclusive education hub. This brings together all the essential resources for inclusive PE and school sport into one space for education practitioners. Created in partnership by Activity Alliance, Youth Sport Trust and Department for Education - the ambition of the hub is to support more teachers responsible for PE to engage more disabled students.
