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Teenage boys play basketball in school uniform in a sports hall

More than half of the children and young people in England don’t meet the Chief Medical Officers' recommended level of activity, of 60+ minutes a day (Active Lives 2023-24).

While schools play a vital role in encouraging active lifestyles for their pupils, for many these opportunities end at the school gates.

Participating or volunteering in sport and physical activity can be challenging for children and young people, many of whom may face barriers or lack awareness of what’s available to them.

This webpage explores how community clubs and groups can develop links with schools, forge beneficial partnerships and provide further opportunities to be active. 

Working with schools

Schools and community organisations both influence a young person’s attitude and relationship with sport and physical activity, known as physical literacy.

The more children and young people move both inside and outside of school, the more likely they are to meet the recommended levels of activity.

By working together, community organisations and schools can provide locally accessible opportunities, address barriers and build positive activity habits for life.

Every school is different, so the way you work together can vary depending on existing partnerships, the activities already offered, school and the pupils’ motivations and needs. Ways to work with schools might include:

  • Running an after-school club or holiday programme.
  • Helping to support the PE department by providing coaching sessions, equipment or training.
  • Supporting with sports days, festivals or inter-school competitions.
  • Organising taster events and days.
  • Providing leadership or volunteering opportunities for pupils.
  • Attending events at schools like open days or parents’ evenings to promote your offer.
  • Marketing and promoting your offer in school newsletters, billboards and other school communications.

two boys are playing doubles badminton - one stands near the net with intense concentration on his face, as he sits the shuttlecock, while the other watches

Benefits

There can be many benefits for your organisation when working with schools, including:

Increased awareness

Working with schools can raise the profile of your organisation among the local community. 

Attracting new participants

Schools have a large pool of students, which can help you attract people with different interests, skills and abilities.

Access to facilities

Schools often have familiar, safe, and accessible spaces that are available to hire.

Recruiting new volunteers

Some young people may want to volunteer at your organisation and other members of the school community, such as staff or parents, might also be able to support your organisation.

Becoming a trusted organisation

Partnering with a school can help your organisation to be seen as a safe and trusted place for children and young people to be active outside of school hours and strengthen your reputation with your local community.

Schools may be more open to working with community organisations if the partnership is mutually beneficial. When exploring a potential partnership with a school, it’s useful to highlight the benefits they could receive, including:

  • Increased opportunities for pupils to be active. Offering additional sports or activities that aren’t provided at school.
  • Pathways to sustained participation. Supporting ongoing engagement with sport and physical activity by providing easy entry routes and pathways for children and young people to stay active.
  • Access to funding. Depending on how they’re structured, community organisations can access funds for activities that schools may not be eligible to apply for.
  • Coaching support. Providing qualified coaches who can deliver activities or development opportunities for teachers and staff.
  • Improved health and wellbeing. Improving activity rates, which has a proven impact on the physical and mental wellbeing and health of pupils.
  • Personal development opportunities. Providing volunteering roles can support personal growth and skill development.
  • Improved concentration, confidence and softer skills. Engagement with a wider network and club setting can boost young person’s confidence, softer skills like communication, teamwork and decision making and improve their concentration in lessons and other activities. 

A group of young people in bright outfits exercise on an indoor court - a coach is providing instructions

Effectively working with schools

Identify appropriate schools
Research and take time to find the right schools in your area to understand their current offer, any existing partnerships and gaps in provision. Our guidance on creating community partnerships helps to breakdown what you should think about when approaching a school. If the schools you have identified already have partners, look to see if there are any gaps in provision that you could fill.
Identify the right contact
Try to identify the best point of contact to develop a relationship with. If you don’t receive a response from your initial communications, try different members of staff (PE lead, safeguarding lead or headteacher) or reach out to your local Active Partnership to see if they can connect you with the right person.
Regularly meet to discuss plans
Partnerships work best when both parties have open and regular communication and work together, so meet regularly to share feedback, challenges and make changes or improvements.
Co-design your approach
When developing your offer, ask for input from both school staff and those you want to engage with. This helps to create an enjoyable experience that best meets the needs of the school and students and ensures the pupils' voice is heard.
Offer accessible opportunities
Work with the school to create an offer that’s accessible and inclusive of different backgrounds, needs and abilities. You should consult with the school to identify if there are any students with SEN, disabilities or long-term health conditions and adapt your sessions accordingly.
Maintain appropriate policies and procedures
Schools must follow statutory guidance when working with partners called Working Together 2023. They’ll want to see that you have the appropriate safeguarding policies, legal requirements (such as DBS checks and insurance) and procedures in place before creating a partnership. Ensure all your coaches, volunteers and staff are aware of their responsibilities.
Deliver taster sessions
Providing sessions at schools allows pupils to try out your activities in a trusted and familiar environment. You could also invite them and their families to your regular sessions, so they see what you’re about before joining.
Marketing and communications
Promote your offer through school newsletters, noticeboards, emails, assemblies, and parents’ evenings, sports days or open days, to attract new members.
Learn and grow
Be prepared to learn from your partnerships, as what works with one school may not work in another. Think about how your partnerships can develop year on year as new students start school and progress through age groups.

Top tips

Gain the confidence and trust of school leaders with regular, clear and transparent communication.
Parents and carers are often key in getting children and young people active, so provide them with as much information as possible to help them make informed decisions. Our guidance on the role of parents and carers (see below) has more information.
Building strong and sustainable relationships can take time. Start small and be prepared to adapt as your partnership develops.
Think about the language and images you use to promote your offer. Using language like ‘beginner’ and ‘no equipment needed’ can help new participants feel encouraged to join.

Role of parents and carers