The School Games Organiser Network review – key takeaways

by Charlie Crane

Head of children and young people, Sport England

Technology visionary Steve Jobs used to say that the only way to do great work is to love what you do.

This quote perfectly captures the passion, energy and commitment of the 450 School Games Organisers (SGOs) across England that dedicate themselves to helping children and young people develop a lifelong love of movement through positive experiences in sport and physical activity, as highlighted in the findings of the SGO Network review.

The independent evaluation of the SGO Network, funded by Sport England, was led by the Sport Industry Research Group at Sheffield Hallam University, Ipsos and Leeds Beckett University.

The first objective of the SGO Network review, Objective A, aimed to assess “the intended and actual (additional) impact of the SGO Network, and what observable contribution is attributable to the direct/indirect action of the SGO Network”.

The findings of the Objective A report, released today as part of the SGO Network review, provide clear evidence of the value and impact of their work.

Launched in the 2011-2012 academic year as part of the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the School Games programme is jointly funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Sport England, via National Lottery funding, invests in the Youth Sport Trust (YST) as the national delivery partner.

Over the years, the School Games and the wider SGO Network have evolved into a more holistic offer, focusing on five core outcomes aimed at tackling inactivity and addressing inequalities.

The findings of the Objective A report, released today as part of the SGO Network review, provide clear evidence of the value and impact of their work.

Since its inception, the programme has created 13.4 million participation opportunities for young people, with 97% of schools in England eligible to take part.

The Objective A report highlights the impact and value for money of the SGO Network. Some of its key findings included:

93% of schools reported that their SGO has a positive impact on their least active young people
94% of schools indicated that their SGO has a positive impact on providing equal opportunities for young people to take part
71% of schools highlighted that their SGO has helped develop new partnerships for their school
88% of schools stated that if their SGO was no longer available (as they are now), their sport and physical activity offer would be reduced.

The report also suggests that the cost of the SGO Network is justified by the benefits it produces.

It is estimated that the SGO Network, costing £37m to deliver to secondary school-aged children over 11 years, yielded £91.7m in benefits.

This implied a benefit cost ratio of 2.48, suggesting that every £1 spent yielded £2.48 in benefits.

Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis was undertaken to understand the likely monetary impacts for children under 11.

The findings indicate that including children in school years 3 to 6 (ages 7 to 11) could yield £237.4m in benefits – enough to offset the total SGO Network costs of £154m (equivalent to a benefit cost ratio of 1.54).

The release of today’s report is particularly timely in light of the recent government's announcement on school sport.

The findings and recommendations from the SGO Network will be used to inform the new approach for School Sport Partnerships.

We look forward to contributing to this co-design phase, especially by sharing the valuable insights from the 70 stakeholders who participated in Objective B of the SGO Network Review.

Their contributions helped shape a compelling and collective vision for the future of school sport.

The School Games Organiser Network review – key takeaways

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