Curriculum should leverage grassroots sport to improve children’s mental health

How we go about lifting the spirits of a nation requires careful consideration as Covid-19 restrictions are removed, and particularly among the country’s youth, of whom many have not returned to the classroom after lengthy school closures.

According to the head of a recently launched government enquiry into the alarming number of school absentees, it is estimated that up to 100,000 children have “fallen off the radar”.

Dame Rachel de Souza, children’s commissioner for England and the investigation’s lead, said last month that some absences will be due to illnesses and Covid-19 isolation rules; though she fears others suffering from anxiety or bullying have avoided returning to their education as school closures came as a welcome relief.

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For those who have a difficult home life, the education system represents an important outlet for children and their parents, too. This is also true of the sports clubs and the role physical education plays in kindling both a child’s physical and cognitive ability and endowing them with the confidence to return to the classroom, not to mention the joy and freedom that can come from movement without expectation and fear of judgement.

In the absence of curriculum-based activities, children have suffered, and continue to suffer. Just as education is essential to the health and success of the nation’s economy, ensuring children have safe spaces where they can express themselves inside and outside of school is also crucial. A mountain of evidence now documents the physical, mental, social, emotional, cognitive and academic benefits that flow to young people whose bodies are in motion. We also know communities thrive when they promote policies and develop infrastructure that encourage sport and recreational activity (Aspen Institute Project Play, 2021).  

Therefore, by investing time and energy into our grassroots sport systems and physical education, more opportunities for young people to lead an active lifestyle can act as a bridge to a child’s education at a truly pivotal time in their lives.

Educators must show empathy

To give context to the challenges children are facing, the UK government’s recently published Ofsted report for the 2020/21 academic year showed that “the loss of education”, and the “disrupted routine” and “lack of activities” closures caused, has put vulnerable children at risk of harm and neglect. Across the board, the reduction in face-to-face teaching resulted in “significantly lower levels” of referrals to social care. Meanwhile, without alternative outlets, some children became embroiled in destructive behaviours, and an increased level of anxiety has led an increasing number of children to self-harm.

In my mind, this is where professional and grassroots sports can make the biggest change in a young person’s life. As the Covid “re-build” continues, improving access to sports clubs and after-school spaces for children will be a major focus if we want to help improve their mental wellbeing.

In order to do this effectively, how we re-introduce children to social activities will be crucial. With trauma-informed approach and an empathy-first perspective from our educators, coaches, and community leaders to the challenges children might be facing, we have an opportunity to truly “re-build” – both individuals and communities.

There’s much we can learn from the brilliant work being done in the USA by organisations such as The Centre for Healing and Justice Through Sport. They provide innovative, and research-based learning experiences for educators, coaches, organisations, government agencies, and businesses that focus on how coaches, programmes, or the sports culture as a whole can make a concerted effort to focus on healing, not harming.

With this as an approach, perhaps the education system might finally allow sport to fulfil its potential as part of the learning experience, and not as the easiest thing to demote.

Physical literacy key motivator

Whereas the pandemic has forced many adults to re-think their work-life balance, finding more purpose in activities outside the office or while working from home, we need to recognise that the same goes for children during these challenging times. 

As school governors and local authorities seek to undo the damage caused to young people’s mental health, physical literacy is a simple and effective way to boost children’s confidence in the short-term and will act as an important step to improving their sense of self-purpose and belief thereafter.

According to studies, sport and exercise don’t only carry proven benefits to a young person’s physical health. By integrating sports and movement into the national curriculum, we also know that teaching through physical activity helps improve young people’s academic performance and heightens their engagement in classroom-based studies. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) subjects have already made a great start in this area, with many professional football clubs (through their charitable foundations) offering really innovative learning experiences through the lens of football, teaching everything from robotics to physics and much more in between.

It’s widely known that physical activity helps improve fitness and motor skills in people of all ages. But it perhaps isn’t as well-established that sport helps boost “physical competence”, which in turn builds “confidence” where it was previously lacking and lays the groundwork to nurture “motivation” in an individual to challenge themselves in other areas of their life.

Grassroots sport and physical education, when delivered with empathy and designed with intention, will help children return to social activities more willingly and to build trust in their own ability, if only we are brave enough to use it and value it as such. 

Radha Balani is director at social impact consultancy thinkBeyond