The following national initiatives and funding streams impact on both the delivery of Sport 21 and sportscotland’s own programmes.
Active Primary School Programme
This programme has been developing since it was set up by sportscotland in August 2000.
An Active Primary School provides opportunities for young people to be more physically active within the school day and beyond. It has the simple but essential aim of getting primary-aged children more active, more often, in a fun and safe environment.
It does not focus solely on sport. An Active Schools Co-ordinator (Primary) is provided within the school cluster model to co-ordinate Active Schools activities and programmes. The co-ordinator consults closely with teaching staff, parents and pupils to review and improve the school's physical activity programme.
The main themes supported by Active Primary School co-ordinators are active play, physical education, after-school sports and active travel.
Co-ordinators help to pull existing resources and initiatives together (such as the TOP Programme and The Class Moves).
All Active Primary Schools are linked to a secondary school with a school sports co-ordinator.
There are now 46 Active Primary School co-ordinators working across 22 local authorities in around 290 primary schools.
sportscotland has secured funding for the Active Primary School Programme from the Scottish Executive until 2005.
Active Schools (Secondary) Programme – School Sport Co-ordinators
This programme provides local authorities with the opportunity to enhance the range and quality of extended curricular sporting provision for young people between 12-18 years within both the sport and community environment.
As part of this programme, every Scottish comprehensive secondary school will be provided with an Active Schools Co-ordinator (Secondary) and an associated programme of activity to ensure that regular participation levels are in line with Sport 21 targets 2 and 3.
Active Schools Managers
As part of the Active Schools programme, an Active Schools Manager will be established in every local authority with the aim of co-ordinating the Active Schools programme.
This Manager will provide the local authorities with the ability to lead the strategic management, co-ordination and implementation of Active Schools, throughout primary and secondary schools and their wider community.
Active Primary Schools, the Active Schools (Secondary) programme and Active Schools Managers are all components of the wider Active Schools programme, which is being implemented by the Scottish Executive, sportscotland, and a range of partners.
Basic moves programme
This programme will help children develop their basic movement skills so they will be able to take part in physical activity throughout their lives.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have created a three-year pilot programme to explore the effectiveness of a framework to develop children's basic motor skills.
The Basic Moves Programme combines quality teaching, appropriate learning experiences and opportunities for children to practise physical movements.
The TOP programme
This programme is aimed at assisting Scotland's primary schools and community organisations to support children in increasing their physical activity and skill levels and to encourage their involvement in sport.
The TOP programmes (TOP Play and TOP Sport) are Youth Sports Trust programmes. They involve the deployment of resource cards and sports equipment suitable for primary schools, supported by a training package for primary teachers and community deliverers.
TOP Play is aimed at children aged from 4 - 9 years and TOP Sport is focused on ages 7 - 11.
The Integrated (formerly New) Community Schools initiative
This initiative is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive. Its focus is on the pupil and his or her family, addressing needs in the round through integrated provision of services, seeing teachers, social workers, community education workers, health professionals and others working together in a single team.
Phase 1 (1999-2002) included 37 New Community Schools (NCS) pilot projects in 170 schools (many were ‘clustered’) in 30 local authorities.
Phases 2 (2000) and 3 (2001) introduced more pilots and there are now 62 pilots in all 32 local authority areas.
National roll out of the programme began in 2002, and Ministers expect local authorities to introduce the integrated community schools approach in their schools by 2007.
The New Opportunities Fund PE and Sport Programme
The New Opportunities Fund (now merged with the Community Fund into the Big Lottery Fund) manages a PE and Sport Programme, which “aims to bring about a step-change in the provision of sporting facilities for young people and for the community generally”. Local education authorities have been tasked with delivering this programme in their areas.
Social Inclusion Partnership (SIP) Funds
The Scottish Executive currently invests significant resources – core funds of approximately £60M annually - into SIP areas with the aim of tackling poverty and disadvantage and increasing opportunities for the people who live in these areas.
It is expected that SIP funds should be focused on the Scottish Executive’s national priorities, an example of which is engaging young people through arts, sport and physical activity. One focus of these funds, therefore, should be to increase participation rates in sports activities in SIP areas.
Integration of Social Inclusion Partnerships (SIPs) with Community Planning Partnerships
“Better Communities in Scotland – Closing the Gap” includes a commitment to integrate SIPs within the strategic framework of Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs).
The Scottish Executive expects that all SIPs will be integrated into CPPs by April 2005. This process has clear implications for improved partnership working locally between the key agencies in Scottish sport.
As SIPs are integrated with CPPs, investment will be no longer be targeted at SIPs as they currently exist. The future allocation of the SIP Fund will be determined principally by the 2004 Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, along with various other indicators.
Community Planning Partnerships will be required to submit three-year Regeneration Outcome Agreements (ROAs) to Communities Scotland, which will demonstrate their ‘readiness’ to take on the management of current SIP fund resources.
These ROAs will outline how individual CPPs plan to target disadvantaged areas, and how they will demonstrate linkages between local and national priorities and outcomes. National Priorities are set out in the SIP Integration guidance, which was published by Communities Scotland.
Better Neighbourhood Services Fund
The Scottish Executive’s Better Neighbourhood Services Fund is providing £121m over the period 2001-2005 to improve services for disadvantaged communities.
Active Steps Programme
The Big Lottery Fund, through its Active Steps programme, will invest in activities that provide positive alternatives to youth crime, some of which will be based on the provision of sports programmes and activities.
Scotland's Health at Work
This is a national award scheme that rewards employers who demonstrate commitment to improving the health and ultimately the performance of their workforce. The scheme benefits employers as well as employees by helping create a healthier, more motivated workforce.
New and improved sports halls
Funding for new and improved sports halls is available from the New Opportunities Fund PE and Sport Programme and sportscotland's Lottery funded Building for Sport Programme.
