New Inclusive Sports Program Launched in lead up to 2020 Paralympics

February 22, 2019

Children’s charity, the Youth Sport Trust, is leading a consortium of organisations to increase opportunities for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to enjoy Physical Education (PE), school sport and physical activity.

Commissioned by the UK’s Department for Education, the “Inclusion 2020” project will see 50 primary, secondary and special schools across England organise inclusive 'Learning and Discovery' sport festivals ahead of summer 2020. At the events, 3,000 pupils of all abilities will experience a variety of Paralympic sports and get the opportunity to compete. They will be supported by a team of Youth Sport Trust athlete mentors, including ParalympicsGB swimmer Kate Grey.

The Youth Sport Trust will support 50 Lead Inclusion Schools - hubs of expertise on inclusive PE and sport - to act as champions in their local areas. As well as staging festivals, they will be responsible for training staff and sharing best practice with other schools to improve the provision of PE, school sport and physical activity for young disabled people.

With funding from the Department for Education, Inclusion 2020 will aim to reach tens of thousands of pupils, 2,800 schools and train 6,000 teachers and coaches ahead of the 2020 Games. The consortium of organisations led by the Youth Sport Trust includes British Paralympic Association, Nasen (National Association of Special Educational Needs), Swim England and 2018 Beyond Sport Global Awards Shortlisted organization, Activity Alliance.

In addition to inclusive sport festivals, the Inclusion 2020 project will also see:

• Locally-led reviews of swimming provision for young people with SEND, with new opportunities created for them to learn to swim and develop water confidence
• Teachers trained to adapt curriculum PE to place a greater focus on using the subject to teach life skills, using the Youth Sport Trust’s My Personal Best programme
• Pupils supported to become young ambassadors who advocate for inclusion within their schools and support others to achieve their daily 30 active minutes of physical activity during the school day
  

Minister for Children and Families, Nadhim Zahawi said: "With excitement already building for Tokyo 2020, we are delighted to be funding this project which is a great opportunity to make sure all pupils can enjoy the benefits of staying active.”

Activity Alliance was one of the 35 organizations selected for the 2018 Beyond Sport Global Awards Shortlist. To learn more about last year's Official Shortlist, click here.