Angus Sport and Physical Activity Framework Annual Review 2024
Looking back
The Angus Sport & Physical Activity Framework hopes to create an Angus that is a place where an active life is accessible for all.
This year has seen great strides taken forward in many
• Angus Council
• Angus Health and Social Care Partnership
• ANGUSalive
• Dundee & Angus College
NHS Tayside/ Public Health Scotland sportscotland
Voluntary Action Angus
The above has allowed the framework to now be recognised by the local Community Planning Partnership and going forward will report annually on its targets and how readily these are being achieved.
sport and physical activity includes the work of the Prevention and Proactive Care group in Angus and its drive to support people to be living better, longer. Additional achievements include innovative approaches in the Angus Active Schools team to support and target those pupils from a care experienced background into sport and physical activity.
We have also seen recruitment through sportscotland and Dundee & Angus College of a new “Active Campus Coordinator” who will work to increase participation opportunities for students. The innovative project will also further enhance the approach colleges take to creating high quality, effective work-based placements for sports students, helping equip them for potential future employment opportunities.
Additionally, through a number of Ukrainian guests resettling in Montrose, partners met with some of them to understand and learn about what needs, challenges and opportunities the Ukrainian’s were facing. As a result of these discussions, the “Ukrainian speaking club” in Montrose sports centre was established.
Lastly following successful gym refurbishments across 22/23 and 23/24 to the ANGUSalive Sport & Leisure facility estate they are reporting terrific usage increases across all sites this includes gym use, swimming use, coached classes, and club facility usage.
Key Highlights
Through the framework, we use specific measurements to carefully capture both qualitative and quantitative data.
• 800,000 attendance to ANGUSalive Sport & Leisure Facilities in 23/24, 250,000 increase year on year
• New data management system, Refer-All, implemented to efficiently manage and analyse the Live Well referrals in Angus
• ANGUSalive presented alongside AHSCP colleagues at regional and national Realistic Medicine conferences, highlighting the strong partnership working and ongoing work between ANGUSalive and health & social care partners as part of AP&PC
• Expansion of ANGUSalive’s Be Active…Live Well exercise referral programme for those living with, or at risk of, long term physical and/or mental health conditions
Approximately 300 referrals are currently received by ANGUSalive Be Active…Live Well each year – 480 referrals are being targeted for the first year delivery of the revised programme
• 26 Regular Health Walks now delivered in Angus
• 50 foreign nationals’ attend the Ukrainian speaking club in Montrose
6 attendees have moved into employment across the health and sports sectors within Angus between October 2023 and April 2024.
• 13% Increase in care experienced participation in school-based sport & physical activity through Active Schools Angus’s targeted participation support. (Data reflective of only two terms up to March 24, we expect a larger rise in 24/25)
• 45% of the whole school population were active in 22/23 through school-based sport & physical activity. After the full academic year 23/24 this had increased to 46%. This comprised on 61% participation across the primary schools stages, and 25% participation at secondary school.
• At the end of the 22/23 academic year 18% of care-experienced learners were accessing extracurricular physical activity opportunities. After a more targeted and focused approach, to working with these young people through the Active Schools Assistant model, this figure rose to 35% by the end of 23/24.
• Dundee and Angus College have represented a pilot centre in the development of a new Next Generation HNC and HND in Physical Activity and Health
New PASS Agreement format being delivered to support college/student placements
Key Priority Actions
Priorities of the Framework working groups for 2024/2025 are as follows:
1. Develop a communications plan for Sport & Physical Activity in Angus
• Public Messages
• Social Media Messages & Presence.
• Posters / Imagery / Video.
• Messaging is consistent to public, workforce and partners.
• Use our data to best inform decision making and planning.
2. Use our data to best inform decision making and planning.
• Planet Youth
• Whole Systems Approach
• Community Sports Hubs / Active Schools
• National Governing Bodies & Partners
3. Develop a consistent approach to improving Fundamental Movement across Angus.
• Roll out P1/2 pilot (Motor Skills/Physical Literacy) across all Active Schools clusters.
• Investigate potential for training students to deliver inputs in schools, and further education
• Develop a Fundamental Movement approach (physical literacy) across local facilities (and clubs) as part of the pre-school > P3 offer.
4. Develop support and training that is modern and accessible.
• Develop an online training resource through sportscotland Brightspace platform
• Deliver a new CPD Calendar that meets the needs of our communities
• CPD Calendar to be delivered through new ANGUSalive PASS Portal
Case Study Montrose Ukrainian speaking club
Partners involved:
ANGUSalive Community sport team, Montrose Community sports hub, Voluntary Action Angus, Vibrant Communities –Resettlement and ESOL teams, Angus Health and Social Care partnership, Active Schools.
Summary:
Through a number of Ukrainian guests resettling in Montrose, ANGUSalive +Voluntary Action Angus met with some of them to understand and learn about what needs, challenges and opportunities the Ukrainian’s were facing. AS a result of these discussions, we established the “Ukrainian speaking club” in Montrose sports centre.
Launching in July 2023, the speaking club runs every Wednesday night from 6-8pm, and is a safe, inclusive space for Ukrainians (and other foreign national’s) to come together, build some confidence using the English language, and meet new people by using the power of sport. Each week, guests arrive and have a cuppa, a conversation about topical themes, and are encouraged where possible to use their English language skills that they are learning through ESOL provision in the town or at college. This is followed by optional physical activity which has ranged from football and tennis to gentle movement and swimming.
The project has gained a reputation for being a welcoming space that foreign nationals can attend, and this has allowed everyone to not only meet other people but build enough knowledge and confidence to use public transport, work or spend money in the local economy, and access further sport and physical opportunities which contributes to their overall positive mental wellbeing.
Successes/Outcomes:
To date, we have had over 50 foreign nationals’ attend the Ukrainian speaking club. While numbers have dropped of late (due to guests resettling again in other places across the UK), the ethos, feel and value of the speaking club has grown to allow the regular attendees to truly connect with / immerse in the town, its culture, and the people who they now know to be neighbours or friends.
We have successfully supported 6 Ukrainians into employment across the health and sports sectors within Angus between October 2023 and April 2024. One of those Ukrainian’s is now employed by ANGUSalive to lead the Ukrainian speaking club sessions on a Wednesday night, reinforcing our commitment to a “co-design” approach and the fostering of an inclusive society.
We have utilised a number of skills and experiences from within the group to help inform activity delivery or conversations that have occurred in the project so far. This includes Archery, Art and body painting, Baking, sewing and Yoga.
Through our Mental wellbeing evaluation completed in July, November, and March, we are pleased to report that mental wellbeing, English language skills, and knowledge / awareness of local sport and physical activity opportunities have all increased over the course of the project, ensuring that the Ukrainian guests have choice for their skill development, wellbeing and leisure.
Another significant outcome from the project is the development of the “Forfar international speaking club”. This is a project run by the Vibrant Communities Resettlement team, and it’s structure / design is the same as the original Montrose Ukrainian speaking club. This is testament to the value and co-design approach that ANGUSalive + the resettlement team want to achieve with foreign nationals residing in Angus.
Challenges:
The largest challenge faced so far has been the language barrier between the Ukrainian’s and our services. While this has changed due to a lot of Ukrainian’s having increased English language skills now, the challenge remains that building relationships with limited communication skills does not help us identify the appropriate support for a particular individual or family, e.g. signposting them to housing, GP or a sports club.
Another key challenge for us has been establishing a programme of activity that meets the needs of the group. There is such a varied mix of interests, abilities and needs
environment on a weekly basis. We combat this through advertising the Resettlement team’s weekly activity schedule, which includes international cafés and other groups too.
Links to media/PR coverage:
Case Study Active Schools AssistantsCare-Experienced targeted approach
Partners involved:
Service Leader Primary, Primary and Secondary Schools, The Angus Promise Group,
Summary:
Through analysing participation data gathered as part of the wider Active Schools programme it was established that the participation rates of care-experienced children and young people in school-based sport and physical activity sessions was well below that of the whole school population.
Data from the academic year 22/23 showed that 45% of the school roll was taking part in extra-curricular sport and physical activity clubs/sessions across the school year. A closer look at the data showed that only 18% of our care-
experienced learners (those classed as ‘looked after’ and looked after at home’) were accessing these opportunities.
Two Active Schools Assistant (ASA) posts existed in the Arbroath clusters and were delivering a range of interventions to children and young people identified by schools as having particular needs.
Through discussions with the Primary Service Lead in Education and Lifelong Learning, funding relating to improving outcomes for children and young people with care-experience was accessed to provide 3 further ASA posts cover the areas of Brechin/Montrose, Forfar/ Kirriemuir, and Carnoustie/Monifieth. These additional posts were established in November 2023, and a focus was given to the Active Schools Coordinators to ensure that the work of the ASA’s indirectly targeted the care experienced learners who were not participating in the activities listed above.
Examples of the interventions delivered by the ASA’s are:
• Motor skills pilot P1-2
• Targeted holiday activities –targeted swimming programme
• Motor skills specific groups (ASAs, small groups, 1-2-1s)
• School of …(sport)…… – leadership roles, rules and responsibility, goal setting, emotional development, confidence, diversity, decision making – links to numeracy, literacy, school values etc
• Cuddy Back after school club – LAC focus
• Social skills and behavioural support sessions
• ASN support – social skills, cue recognition, gross motor skills, balance etc
• Targeted breaktime activities (inactive)
All these interventions would typically be delivered to small groups of 4-12 learners who had a range of needs, and all sessions would be designed to help schools meet wider outcomes such as improved engagement in the curriculum, improved peer collaboration, motor skill development to improve confidence and competence, develop wider metaskills, management of emotions and behaviours. Where possible the team would ensure care-experienced learners would be included within these sessions.
Successes/Outcomes:
Between November 2023 and March 2024 384 pupils across 23 schools were part of a physical activity intervention programme delivered by one of the Active Schools Assistants. 29 (8%) are listed as care experienced. 128 (33%) have an IEP (Individual Education Plan) and 161 (42%) listed as having as least one additional support need.
This targeted work has impacted in the wider participation data, with significant rises in both general participation and that of care experienced learners after only two terms of the current academic year.
Whole school population
2022-23 - 45%
2023-24 - 41%
(Up to March 31st, final term data still to be added)
Care Experienced Learners only.
2022-23 - 18%
2023-24 - 31%
(Up to March 31st, final term data still to be added)
Challenges:
The current model of 4 ASA posts (annual cost circa £125K) is currently funded by a contribution from the Scottish Equity Funding that comes to the Education and Lifelong Learning directorate, along with contributions from schools where the ASA team is working directly with identified learners. Securing this funding package proved challenging, as schools experience budget cuts and have many competing priorities for their Pupil Equity Funding. We now have a package in place to secure these posts until March 31st, 2025, with plans to extend for a further year.
