Vision: Creating a sustainable system to improve the health and well-being provision for the young people of Plymouth.

Values: Friendship, Respect, Excellence, Determination, Inspiration, Courage and Equality.

Mission: The Plymouth School Sports Partnership (PSSP) aims to create a sustainable physical education, school sport and physical activity system as part of the health and wellbeing provision for all children and young people. We want every child and young person in Plymouth regardless of their age, background or level of ability to feel able to take part in sport and physical activity with the ambition to improve their long-term physical and mental health. 

Purpose: All children and young people should have the opportunity to live healthy and active lives. A positive experience of sport and physical activity at a young age can build a lifetime habit of participation and is central to meeting the government’s ambitions for a world-class education system.

Membership: available to all schools in the Plymouth area including primary schools, secondary schools, special schools and all-through schools.

Physical activity has numerous benefits for children and young people’s physical health, as well as their mental wellbeing (increasing self-esteem and emotional wellbeing and lowering anxiety and depression), and children and young people who are physically active are happier, more resilient and more trusting of their peers. Ensuring that pupils have access to sufficient daily activity can also have wider benefits for pupils and schools, improving behaviour as well as enhancing academic achievement.

The PSSP has shown the benefits of collaborative working and contributed to the raising of standards, providing opportunities which enhance and enrich learning, upskilling the school workforce and ensuring schools are kept up to date with regional and national developments. Our Steering Group provides strategic direction and ensures that the Partnership continues to give outstanding value for money through regular monitoring and evaluation of the impact of our work.  

Background Information

The Plymouth School Sports Partnership was established in 2011 by blending the best elements from the city’s two School Sports Co-ordinator Partnerships to create a citywide organisation to meet the needs of children and young people aged 5-18 years old in the Plymouth travel to learn area who attend Partnership subscribing schools. 

The Plymouth School Sports Partnership is currently funded by an allocation from subscriptions from member schools, payments for School Games Organiser and Bikeability work on behalf of Sir John Hunt Community Sports College and Plymstock School (the Partnership Hub sites) and additional project funding.  In order to access the Core Offer, schools must subscribe to the Partnership, which is currently charged at £5,250 for schools with primary-age children and £6,000 for secondary schools.

There is a basic entitlement to all schools which includes the structure in place for events such as the School’s Challenge, the School Games events and Bikeability which all schools have access to and would either not exist or would not run with the quality of facilities/equipment and staffing that schools currently benefit from.  The subscription to the Partnership provides access to additional activities, resources, training and equipment.

Physical education (PE) is in decline at a time when it has never been needed more. Inactivity, obesity and mental health issues are increasing and there is a growing need to develop resilience and employability skills. Yet research shows timetabled PE is being cut. Like English and Maths, PE should be part of the bedrock of a good education which equips children and young people with vital skills to support their wellbeing, get them ready to learn and helps prepare them for success in life.

Children and young people are growing up in a digital age and a world where they are feeling isolated and disempowered. This comes at a time when we are all living increasingly sedentary lifestyles and PE and playtime have been cut in too many schools. It is increasingly clear that tackling these issues, and focusing on sport’s power to build empathy, tolerance and human connection, are where we need to focus our efforts.

We are currently working hard to address these issues with support from two government-funded initiatives: the PE and Sport Premium funding and the local School Games infrastructure. As a result, we have already been able to prioritise supporting school staff to deliver high quality PE, developing new intervention events to run with the most disadvantaged and providing Bikeability Training across the city.  We are also running competitive events across the city in schools but also at events for schools to compete against each other in a wide range of activities.

The sustainable impact of the Primary PE and Sport Premium will not only depend on investment in primary teachers, but ensuring children and young people continue receiving a good quality of physical education once they transition to secondary school.

We are working to transform PE’s place in the curriculum, putting it at the centre of wellbeing and achievement in education. We are doing this by working with teachers, young people, parents and the community to maximise the potential of physical education, school sport and physical activity, to improve children and young people’s wellbeing and achievement.

The impact we have on children and young people’s lives reaffirms what we have long believed; that when delivered in the right way, sport equips young people with the skills to succeed, make them happier, more confident and more resilient and empowers them to become leaders.

If you would like to discuss the PSSP Offer, please contact a.clooke@sjhcsc.co.uk