Good Sport, Bad Sport and Children’s Mental Health

Crispin Andrews reports on the growing recognition of the role sport can play in improving children’s mental health - if the focus of the activity changes.

In 2014, the Coalition government unveiled a £2m scheme designed to get people with mental health issues playing more sport. Run by Sport England, and mental health charity, Mind; the initiative saw a wide range of sports being offered to help people with their mental health.

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      string(5859) "indicator, since morethan 50 per cent of those who took partin the initial perception survey said theywere either scared or wary of peoplewith mental health problems.“Another positive response we sawduring this programme was when ayoung boy, who suffers from attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder, gainedthe confidence and courage to standup in front of his class and talk abouthis battle with the illness and the effecthis prescription drugs can have onhim. He was incredibly brave and I amconfident that had we not implementedthis programme, he may not have hadan opportunity to share his feelings, and at the same timeinform and educate his classmates about something that isincredibly important and sensitive to him.”As part of work around supporting the emotionalhealth, well-being and happiness of all students, NewentCommunity School also reviewed the transition processwhereby pupils move from year 6 to year 7. “The move is abig step and can be quite unsettling for some students,” saysKirsten, “and we are using key aspects of our mental healthinitiative to ensure we offer the right support so childrenand young people have the best opportunity available toachieve their full potential in an environment they feel safeand happy in.”The school is also extending its work with any year 8students who have raised concerns around their own mentalhealth as a result of participating in this mental healthawareness programme. The school has also established asupport network of adult mentors who work with studentsas they move into year 9, in order to help them cope andbuild resilience where mental health issues are involved.By carrying out a second perception survey at the end ofthe school term, staff at Newent Community School noticedthere was a considerable positive change in attitude aroundmental health and what it means to be affected by mentalhealth problems.Kirsten concludes: “With the support of the HealthyAbout Healthy SchoolsHealthy Schools is a joint Department of Health and Department for Children, Schools and Families initiative, which emphasises the linksbetween health, education and behaviour.Healthy Schools intended to contribute to closer working between health and education, improvement in health outcomes andreduction in health inequalities, raised pupil achievement, and more social inclusion.To achieve Healthy School status, a school must have in place the minimum evidence for set criteria across four core themes: healthyeating, physical activity, emotional health and well-being (including self-esteem and bullying), and PSHE education (including SRE anddrugs education). These themes affect all aspects of school life, both in and out of the classroom. All four themes give children andyoung people the skills and knowledge to make improved life choices and to be healthy.The Choosing Health white paper (2004) set a challenging target: that all schools will be working towards National Healthy SchoolStatus by December 2009, with 75 per cent achieving it by the same date.Schools with more than 20 per cent free school meals entitlement and pupil referral units will be targeted as a priority. Currently 99per cent of schools are participating in the programme and 81 per cent are Healthy Schools. This means that 6 million children currentlyattend Healthy Schools.Healthy Schools works through a network of local Healthy Schools programmes which work directly with schools and are basedwithin their primary care trust or local authority.In September 2009, Gillian Merron MP, the Public Health Minister, launched the Healthy Schools enhancement model. This newmodel is designed to help schools develop the wider thinking and planning they will need to do in order to achieve better outcomesaround health and well-being for children and young people. It will help schools to strive for lasting health and well-being behaviourchanges, with a particular focus on providing targeted support to those children and young people who need it most.The Healthy Schools enhancement model will support the local enactment of the child health strategy Healthy lives, brighter futuresand will help schools fulfil the well-being elements of the 21st century school system. It is integral to the government’s vision of makingEngland the best place in the world to grow up.43www.teachingtimes.com n Vol 2.1Every Child MattersHealthy SchoolsSchools team, we have been able to really look at ourbaseline data and see how perceptions have changed anddeveloped amongst students as a result of these activities.We still have a lot more to learn, but when this interventionwas first launched, staff were quite nervous about theenormity of the task. However, the journey so far and thesuccesses we have achieved to date have shown us that itwas the right decision.“Looking forwards, we will be continuing to build strongrelationships with our key external partners and there isa genuine belief amongst staff that we can continue toachieve meaningful change, and so equip children andyoung people with the knowledge to make healthy andinformed decisions about their emotional health andfutures.”Over in Staffordshire, a series of traumatic events inSt Edwards First School’s village prompted the teachersand school staff to strengthen their skills to enable themto support children’s emotional health and well-being.Headteacher Tracy Jackson-Ward believes that the localpartnerships and support that Healthy Schools offers ishelping these children to reach their full academic potential,despite students having to overcome challenging"
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Leadership

Becoming emotionally literate

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      string(5119) "Leadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.THE YOUTH SPORT TRUST IMPACT REPORTKeywordsYouth SportTrust, physicalactivity, youngpeople, skills,wellness, sport,depression,healthSummaryThis report by The Youth Sport Trust (YST) charity details how the power of physical activity isbeing used to enhance young people’s wellbeing and equip them with the skills to achieve inthe classroom and in life.In the 2016/17 academic year, the charity worked with more than 750,000 young people from 20,000schools in every part of the UK. More than 25,000 teachers were given continuous professionaldevelopment, equipping them with the skills to confidently teach wellness and life skills through PE.Key Findings: ■ Only 22% of children aged 5 to 15 in England meet the Chief Medical Officer’s recommended 60minutes per day of moderate to vigorous activity. ■ People with a disability are half as likely to take part in sport for 30 minutes per week as thosewithout a disability (17% of disabled people vs 40% of non-disabled people). Disabled people arealso less likely to volunteer in sport. ■ Almost half of young people (47%) from the lowest-income household fell into the Health Surveyfor England’s ‘low activity’ category. Only 35% of those from the highest income households wereclassed as ‘low activity’. ■ Teenagers are less likely to take part in sport every week if they are from a Black, Asian orMinority Ethnic background (55%) than if they are white British (64%). BAME groups are alsoless likely to volunteer in sport. ■ Only 8% of girls aged between 11 and 18 meet the Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation of 60active minutes per day. Twice as many boys of the same age meet the target. ■ Those in the least affluent areas are much more likely to be overweight. By the time children startprimary school, 9.6% were obese in 2016-17 – up from 9.3% the previous year. ■ Rates of depression and anxiety among teenagers have increased by 70% in the past 25 years.Around one in ten children have a diagnosable mental health disorder. Use of social media hasbeen linked with increased rates of depression. 80% of young people say exam pressure hassignificantly impacted on their mental health. ■ Employers have identified that the most important factors they weigh up when recruiting schoolWeek Commencing 12th March 2018http://impact.youthsporttrust.org/Leadership BriefingLeadership Briefing – www.teachingtimes.comReports Summaries – a weeklyservice of essential summaries,in-depth reports and criticalanalysis that’s new and relevantto education, linked to originalsource documents.and college leavers are attitudes (85%) and aptitudes (58%), which rank well ahead of formalqualifications. ■ 60 minutes of physical activity a day improves cardiovascular health; helps individuals maintain ahealthy weight; improves bone health; and improves our immune systems and sleep patterns. Inchildren, physical activity is also critical for motor development and cognitive improvement. ■ Active children are more likely to become active adults, and therefore less likely to suffer theconsequences of ill health in their lifetime. ■ Physical activity can have a positive impact on mood; help reduce levels of stress and anxiety;and — through the development of new skills and interaction with others — boost confidence,self-esteem and overall happiness. ■ With good mental health, children and young people do better in every way. They are betterequipped to enjoy their childhoods, learn, deal with stress and difficult times, navigate thecomplexity of the online world and enjoy friendships and new experiences. ■ Social connectedness is important to children’s health and happiness. Evidence shows a positivelink between sport, physical activity and the social development of young people. Opportunities toparticipate in sport can provide popular and engaging settings for social interactions. ■ Joining sports teams, clubs, or participating in sporting events can give children and young peoplea sense of belonging and the opportunity to make new friends, offering additional social circlesbeyond school and the home. ■ Involvement in sport and physical activity can positively support the personal development ofyoung people by providing opportunities to develop and enhance valuable life skills. Researchhas shown that sports participation can enable young people to develop social skills; timemanagement skills; self-discipline, commitment and motivation; integrity and respect for rules;initiative and leadership.WEB LINKThe Youth Sport Trust Impact Reporthttp://impact.youthsporttrust.org/"
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Leadership

The Youth Sport Trust Impact Report

8 Mar 2018

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      string(5220) "to Further andHigher Education.’Using Healthy Schools foundations across the wholeschool is vital to the health of the entire school community,and strengthens teachers’ ability to encourage their studentsin healthy behaviours. However emotional and physicalhealth issues are complex and one of Healthy Schools’strengths lies in its local, regional and national partnershipsbetween local authorities, primary care trusts and schools,which, with close communication, pools resources betweenhealth and teaching professionals and provides the supportand expertise to achieve the highest standards of healthpromotion in schools.Healthy Schools partnerships around the countryhave been used to provide Continuing ProfessionalDevelopment for teachers and school staff to equip themwith the knowledge, skills and confidence to teach certainchallenging areas of physical activity, emotional health andwellbeing, healthy eating and PSHE such as grief, divorce,or mental health issues sensitively and appropriately toa range of different age groups. As staff develop greaterawareness and support for their own health and theimpact that has on other areas of their lives, they feelconfident and able to overcome difficulties in their ownlives and more able to promote healthier choices withtheir students, which in turn develops their motivationfor academic achievement.……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Professionally developing healthier, happier staff ■■■■■56One such example is the local Healthy Schools programmein London, where the School Health Team delivers a PSHEContinual Professional Development (CPD) programme, toequip school staff with the knowledge, skills and confidenceto teach certain challenging areas of PSHE such as sexualhealth issues sensitively and appropriately to a range ofdifferent age groups.Elaine Tabony, Healthy Schools Team Leader, explains,“Some of these public health issues which young peopleface are concerning and can often seem overwhelming todeal with, particularly for school staff who do not normallyhave a background in health promotion. That’s why Ibelieve a programme which is grounded in local healthand education partnerships and underpinned by closecommunication, is crucial for helping schools to achievethe highest standards.”Acknowledging sensitive issues within school lifedevelops the resources, partnerships and confidence to helpstaff, children and young people’s process their emotionalhealth, improve their capacity for academic achievementand live healthier lives. For example the Healthy Schoolspartnership in London used a new initiative called Seasonsfor Growth, a grief education peer support programme, toaddress issues of loss and change.Initially a school or community nurse works with teachingstaff to identify children and young people who may benefitfrom being part of the initiative and then selected members ofstaff and social inclusion workers are then trained to run peersupport groups within the school. These groups help studentsto learn how to express difficult emotions, communicate moreeffectively and grow in their ability to relate to others througha nine psychosocial intervention sessions. It also equips staffwith the knowledge and understanding to create a supportivelearning environment for children and young people. Existingnational evaluation shows statistically significant outcomesfollowing participation in the short programme, includingincreasing optimism, breaking down isolation, enhancing selfesteem, improving hope and increasing resilience.Elaine continues, “There are significant opportunitiesfor primary care nurses, practitioners and managers to getinvolved – whether that’s through delivering lessons orhealth advice within the school environment, providingcontinuing professional development training for teachers,education for parents, or by helping to shape and steerpolicies. It’s vitally important to work together to helpensure that all children and young people are healthy, happyand able to achieve their full potential.”Participation with the school’s decision making process,training and development increases staff motivation and ahigh level of involvement leads to staff with a greater senseof confidence and belonging, which impacts upon their day-to-day performance. The outcome of providing a positiveand supportive environment for staff reduces illness rates,and creates a more cohesive staff community, which is keyto the development of a healthy whole school environment.Healthy Schools focuses on staff development and trainingas the foundation for the Government’s increasing focuson the emotional health and wellbeing of children to helpthem learn effectively, to progress well and develop throughchildhood"
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Professional Development

Professionally developing healthier, happier staff

22 Sep 2009

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      string(5850) "children.http://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/files/jrf/young-people-education-attitudes-full.pdfhttp://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/files/jrf/young-people-education-attitudes-full.pdfhttp://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/page.aspx?sitesectionid=851&sitesectiontitle=Welcome+to+the+Millenium+Cohort+Studyhttp://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/page.aspx?sitesectionid=851&sitesectiontitle=Welcome+to+the+Millenium+Cohort+Studyhttp://www.literacytrust.org.uk/http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0000/0422/Literacy_changes_lives__prisons.pdfhttp://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/unseen-children-access-and-achievement-20-yearswww.teachingtimes.com n Vol 4.6Education Every Child Journal97n Poor quality or multiple-occupancy housing or in areas of high crime can lead to socialand health issues for children.n Low income and/or unemployment often lead to poor diet and limited range of lifeexperiences.Factor 5: Parental attitudesIt has been found that the home learning environment also has a considerable impact oncognitive school readiness, accounting for between 16 and 21 per cent of the gap betweenlow-income children and their better off peers. The Effective provision of pre-schooleducation (EPPE) longitudinal study found that, for all children, the quality of the homelearning environment is more important for intellectual and social development thanparental occupation, education or income. The home learning environment includesparents’ teaching behaviours as well as whether a parent reads to their child every dayand the availability of learning materials and activities, including books and CDs, computeraccess, TV watching, library visits and classes.An HM Treasury study found that in poorer households, parents are less likely to beable to provide an intellectually stimulating environment and educational toys and books,and are less able to meet the expense of good quality day-care or preschool education.Parenting styles, too, have an impact. Research shows that parenting control is stronglyrelated to the likelihood of pre-school children being overweight or obese. According tothe 2010 health survey, children themselves see the emotional and psychological effects ofobesity as the most serious.The family relationship, particularly the relationships between parents and betweenthe parent(s) and child, has an impact on the atmosphere at home and on the wellbeingof a child. Prolonged marital conflict that persists over time is associated with cognitivedelay, school difficulties and social or withdrawn behaviour in children, according to agovernment research review. It shows that the nature and quality of family relationships,particularly those between parent and child, contribute to a wide range of needs for allfamilies, including health needs (for example, experiences of familial conflict may lead tophysical or mental health needs), educational needs (for example, needs associated withlow attainment may be due to poor parenting), and emotional or behavioural needs.Relationship quality can also contribute to the emotional and social functioning of allfamilies. Poor quality relationships can impact negatively on self-esteem, self-confidence,wellbeing and wider relationships, leading to complex and persistent needs.Attachment theory emphasises the importance of security, asserting that childrenraised in loving homes with at least one responsive parent will be more resilient, physicallyand psychologically healthy, better performing at school, and more likely to sustainmutually satisfying relationships, according to a report by Demos. In contrast, childrenwith insecure attachments may struggle, and children with disorganised attachments aremore likely to have mental health problems, experience drug or alcohol misuse, becometeenage parents and be involved in criminal activity.The impact of such neglect and relationship breakdown for a child can be significant;evidence shows that children and young people who have experienced disruption orrelationship breakdown with their parents are more likely to have mental health problems.A study into rehabilitation of looked after children highlights that children who haveexperienced abuse and neglect in early childhood, or have been involved in domesticviolence, are more likely to have attachment difficulties and problems associated withdisorganised attachments, including negative expectations of new relationships, negativeviews of self, and proneness to depression. Such children are also likely to be at high riskof failure in school due to being anxious, inattentive, unable to understand their work, orlacking in initiative.The nature and quality of family relationships, particularly those between parentand child, contribute to a wide range of needs for all families, including health needs (forexample, experiences of familial conflict may lead to physical or mental health needs),educational needs (for example, needs associated with low attainment may be due to poorKnowledge trails“Poor qualityrelationships canimpact negativelyon self-esteem,self-confidence,wellbeing andwider relationships,leading to complexand persistentneeds.”http://www.ioe.ac.uk/research/66740.htmlhttp://www.ioe.ac.uk/research/66740.htmlhttp://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http:/www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/bud08_childpoverty_1310.pdfhttp://dera.ioe.ac.uk/11165/1/DCSF-RR113.pdfhttp://www.demos.co.uk/files/In_Loco_Parentis_-_web.pdf?1277484312Vol 4.6 n www.teachingtimes.comEducationEvery Child Journal98parenting), and emotional or behavioural needs. 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Special Needs

The rules of engagement

11 Dec 2014