Tameside PE and Sport

Talent Strategy 2006-2012

Through the creation of a systematic approach, the Tameside Talent Strategy will ensure talented young people of Tameside are identified and have the opportunity to reach their full potential in PE & Sport.

• Introduction
• Who is the document for?
• How has this strategy been developed?
• What will the strategy aim to do?
• What is talent?
• Supporting Research
• Talented Disabled Peformers
• Related Talented Programmes
• Talent Strategy Aims
• How will the aims be achieved?
• What will be done?
• Delivery Infrastructure
• Challenges to the achivement of the aims
• How will success be measured?
• Useful Websites
• Appendix 1
• Appendix 2

Introduction

This document articulates the vision for the development and delivery of the Tameside talent programme over the coming years. The vision is based upon the overriding principles of equity and excellence.

To date, the development of talent has, in many ways has been left to chance. The development of established systems to ensure the young people of Tameside have the opportunity to reach their full potential in sport is now a key objective. This strategy will not be delivered in isolation; it will inform and complement the Tameside Sports Strategy and Facility Development Strategy.

PE & sport has been subject to increased profile and investment over recent years. The resulting research evidence, developing infrastructure and related programmes have made possible tremendous opportunities to develop an informed and systematic approach to talent development (see appendix 2).

This document will identify the mechanisms to deliver this systematic approach in Tameside.

The strategy examines:

• The need for a talent strategy in Tameside and the supporting research
• The partners involved in the development and implementation of the strategy
• The key aims of the strategy
• How the strategy will be implemented, including key programmes
• The main challenges to the success of the strategy
• How the success of the strategy will be measured

Who is the document for?

This document is will inform and support:

• Headteachers
• Sports College Directors of Specialism
• Partnership Development Managers
• School Sport Coordinators
• Primary Link Teachers
• Heads of PE and PE Teachers
• Gifted and Talented Coordinators
• Sports Development Officers
• Sports Coaches
• Parents and Pupils
• Sports Clubs

It is anticipated that the content will to enable the above to:

1. Recognise the importance and potential of talent identification and development in PE and sport
2. Develop complementary talent strategies in their own environment

How has the strategy been developed?

This document has been developed as a result of collaborative working between the following partners:

• David Morley ( Leeds Metropolitan University)
• Tameside Sports Development Unit
• Tameside School Sports Partnership
• Greater Manchester Sports Partnership
• Tameside Sports Colleges
• Tameside Excellence Cluster Education Improvement Partnership

Representative partners (with the exception of David Morley who will continue to be involved in a consultancy capacity) will form the Tameside Talent Development Group.

Action plans produced and delivered by specific partners will be closely monitored by the group on a regular basis. The group will collectively drive the programme for the benefit of all the talented young people of Tameside.

What will the strategy aim to do?

Through collaborative working between key partners the strategy will enable the development of programmes that ensure:

• Talented performers and leaders are identified through consistent systematic processes
• Talented performers and leaders have the opportunity to be nurtured
• Talented performers and leaders have the opportunity to participate in relevant activities
• Talented performers and leaders have the opportunity to succeed

How these aims will be achieved is discussed later in the document.

What is Talent?

Definition

The Oxford English Dictionary defines talent as "a natural aptitude or skill" or "people possessing such aptitude or skill"

The DfES and Ofsted have defined talented pupils as those whose abilities in art, music or dance or sport are significantly above average.

Supporting Research

Talent Development in Sport

The development of elite performers in any sport takes time. Individuals will spend many years and many hours diligently practicing in order to develop the sporting skills necessary to perform at an elite level.

This is made clear in the 2002 article, Long-term Athlete Development (LTAD), by the high performance consultant, Istvan Balyi (refer to www.sportscoachuk.org). Balyi's article discusses the system of sporting development he advocates. This structure and the underlying principles he proposes are forming the basis of athlete development in many sports in the United Kingdom.

Of course, there is debate as to exactly which activities and skills young people should undertake as they grow and mature, as well as when they should train and at what point the concept of winning should become important.

Talent Development in PE

The Government has recently made explicit an expectation for schools to identify and develop gifted and talented (G&T) pupils through its Excellence in Cities (EiC) scheme, the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth (NAGTY), and a host of associated developments.

Within Tameside, a number of schools through the Tameside Excellence Cluster Education Improvement Partnership have sought to develop practice over recent years. Models of good practice have been developed around the provision of talent camps for year seven pupils.

Although there is a great deal of research and guidance on talent development in sport, there is limited research on developing talent specifically in a curricular PE context. However, in their recent work on curricular talent development, Professor Richard Bailey ( Roehampton University) and David Morley ( Leeds Metropolitan University) identified four themes as follows:

1. High quality identification and selection
2. High quality teaching and support
3. High quality policy
4. High quality professional development

Bailey and Morley have used the themes to develop a set of Quality Standards for G&T in PE and they encourage schools to aspire to exemplary practice with regard to talent development. They do this by offering clear and reasonable targets, supported by guidance for improvement and progression. They suggest the Quality Standards should be welcomed by schools, LEA's and other related groups, since they complement other development that these groups already wish to achieve.

To support the identification of G&T pupils in PE, Morley and Bailey have translated the strands of PE, in practical terms, into a set of abilities. They suggest that talented pupils are likely to excel in one, or a combination of the following abilities:

• Physical
• Social
• Personal
• Cognitive
• Creative

Refer to http://www.talentmatters.co.uk/  for more details.

Talented Disabled Performers

The identification and development of talented young disabled performers is covered in this strategy through the Ability Talent Programme, which is a nationally recognised pilot scheme. However, it is understood that further work is required to ensure the implementation of a comprehensive talent pathway for all young people with disabilities.

The Talent Development Group will endeavour to progress this work and link with relevant agencies to produce a separate strategy for talented disabled performers.

Related Talent Programmes

The gifted and talented (G&T) in physical education (PE) and sport strand is a key component of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) PESSCL strategy.

The main aim of G&T in PE and sport in PESSCL is to establish pathways which co-ordinate the development of, and the demands on talented (and potentially talented) young sports people so as to enable them to maximise their academic and sporting potential.

The Talent Ladder website is a key part of the programme aiming to provide a communication tool and central resource area to all individuals involved with young people who are G&T in PE and sport, be they the young people themselves, their teachers, parents/guardians, or their coaches.

Within the G&T in PE and sport programme there are a number of different sub-projects (or sub-strands) which aim, in different ways, to provide support to young people who are considered or identified as G&T in PE and sport.

1. Junior Athlete Education (JAE)
2. Multi-Skill Academie
3. G & T National Academies

1. Junior Athlete Education

Working with National Governing Bodies (NGB's) and implemented through Sports Colleges and their partner schools, JAE helps young athletes achieve a balanced lifestyle of training, competitions, schoolwork, exams and family life.

Specially developed resources in lifestyle management, profiling and planning, as well as training teachers as JAE mentors for talented pupils in PE and sport, enable students to maximise their potential in both academic studies and sports performance. Integral to this is an education workshop for parents of talented young athletes.

2. Multi-skill Academies

Multi-skill Academies for G&T year 6 and 7 pupils are being hosted at Sports Colleges nationwide as part of a three-year initiative funded through the G&T strand in the PESSCL strategy. Tameside will target years 5 and 6 for the multi-skill academies because of the provision of master classes and a borough talent camp at year 7.

Multi-skill Academies each offer an activity schedule which uses a variety of approaches to help children develop physical skills from a broad development and movement vocabulary based on

• Coordination
• Movement
• Thinking
• Body Awareness

Teachers and coaches at Multi-skill Academies deliver activities based around the development of skills including hand/eye coordination, running, striking, balance, agility, power, kicking and catching. Multi-skill Academies do not therefore offer an activity schedule dominated by sport-specific sessions.

Pupils attending Multi-skill Academies will also be aided in identifying appropriate opportunities for their continued involvement in physical activity, including after-school activities and local sports clubs.

3. G&T National Academies (begin January 2007)

The aim of this Department for Education and Skills (DfES) programme is to fund NGB organised academies for G&T sports people aged 15-16 who are members of national squads in the following major sports: athletics, cricket, football, gymnastics, netball, rugby, swimming, tennis, and winter Olympic events.

These academies are designed by each NGB to best maximise the sporting education and performance levels of athletes in their national squads in accordance with the LTAD model and each NGB identified sporting performance pathway.

Camps organised by each NGB illustrate an impressive variety of approaches designed to best prepare and develop young athletes for the demands of their respective sports.

G&T National Academies grant elite young athletes opportunities to:

• Train and compete overseas or at domestic high performance centres
• Prepare competitors for Olympic youth championships
• Learn from top quality domestic and international coaches
• Work with nutritionists and sports psychologists alongside their talented peers in a residential camp perhaps for the first time for many of the young performers

Talent Strategy Aims

As detailed in the introduction, this strategy aims to ensure that:

• Talented performers and leaders are identified through consistent systematic processes
• Talented performers and leaders have the opportunity to be nurtured
• Talented performers and leaders have the opportunity to participate in relevant activities
• Talented performers and leaders have the opportunity to succeed

How will the aims be achieved?

A number of specific programmes and initiatives will be developed and progressed in a fully coordinated way through the "Talent Pathway". This is designed to give a seamless and progressive pathway for all pupils. This pathway is made up of four stages.

1. Participation & Identification
2. Targeting Provision & Pupils
3. Opportunity & Provision for Leaders
4. Direct Mentoring

The result of these interventions will be a pathway which young people can engage at year three or at any subsequent point dependent on their skills and abilities. The pathway will be accessible to all talented young people and will provide the mechanism for delivering the strategy aims. More detail about these specific programmes can be found in Appendix 1.

What will be done?

The achievement of the following objectives will be essential to the success of the talent pathway (see Tameside Talent Pathway Model, appendix 1)

1. To talent identify (TID) pupils in PE and sport, based on current research and models of best practice

What will happen:

• Lead practitioners will develop assessment, recording and reporting (ARR) which will to serve deliver TID
• Schools will work collaboratively to develop models of best practice to identiy and record talented pupils leading to a systematic approach
• A programme of professional development will be developed to support ARR/TID
• There will be an annual standardisation workshop to support ARR/TID

2. To establish high quality multi-skill clubs (MSC's) in all Tameside primary schools

What will happen:

• Multi-skills clubs will target year three and four pupils and will be open access
• A programme of professional development will support the implementation of MSC's
• Community coaches will provide mentoring and support for club coaches
• A package of resources and equipment will be made available for clubs
• MSC club activities will support TID

3. To provide opportunities for year three and four pupils to showcase and asses their skills and abilities

What will happen:

• Each school cluster will run a multi-skill festival targeting year three and four pupils
• The festivals will become regular annual events in the school competition calendar between Jan and April
• Festival format and resources will be developed and provided for schools
• Festivals will include a battery of tests to support TID

4. To develop and implement a talented performer coaching programme at year four

What will happen:

• 30 pupils per SSP will be identified to participate in the programme
• The programme will support the development of generic skills through a variety of sports and activities
• Regular sessions will be delivered by minimum NGB Level II sports coaches over a one year period
• The delivery will be based on a dynamic assessment model (test-practice-test) in order to inform programme development

5. To run four multi-skill academies accessible to the 100 most talented year five and six Tameside pupils

What will happen:

• 60 pupils will be invited from the year four coaching programme
• An additional 40 pupils will be identified through curriculum TID
• The content of the multi-skill academies will progress from the year four coaching programme and use a variety of non sports specific approaches to help children further develop a broad range of physical skills
• The academies will be accessible to all Tameside pupils and be based at the four Sports College sites
• Academies will be delivered by experienced, qualified staff and supported by sports leaders
• Pupils will be signposted to appropriate OSHL and sports clubs

6. To run a talent camp for 24 of the most talented year five and six performers

What will happen:

• Coaches and teachers will identify 24 pupils to attend from the academies
• The camp will run for one week based at local facilities
• The camp will introduce pupils to the concept of LTAD and the pre-requisites of developing as an elite athlete
• Pupils will be introduced to a wide variety of sports

7. To introduce a programme of sports leadership at Key Stage 3 and continue to develop Key Stage 4 leadership programmes

What will happen:

• The programme will be introduced at all secondary schools based on the Sports Leaders UK award
• Young leaders will take responsibility during curriculum PE and support OSHL
• Representative leaders will contribute to respective Student Sports Councils which will be established in each secondary school
• All pupils will have the opportunity to achieve the Junior Sports Leaders Award (JSLA)

8. To run a series of sport specific master classes in a range of sports for 20-30 year seven and eight pupils per SSP

What will happen:

• Pupils will be targeted to attend who demonstrate talent in specific areas of activity
• Opportunities will be provided for pupils to receive high level coaching and train with other talented performers from across the borough
• Up to three coaching sessions per year will run at appropriate school and community sites in each activity area
• Sessions will be delivered by high quality/high profile coaches to inspire young people
• Sessions will be sport specific based on 10 focus sports in addition to dance and gymnastics
• Sessions will be differentiated to ensure pupils who are not currently members of clubs can develop alongside other potentially more experienced performers who are club members
• Pupils will be actively sign posted onto relevant sports clubs when they are not currently involved

9. To run a talent camp for the most talented year seven and eight performers

What will happen:

• The camp will be delivered during the summer holiday by minimum NGB Level II sports coaches and PE specialists
• Pupils will experience high quality national/international facilities
• The camp will raise aspirations by simulating a week in the life of a elite athlete
• The requirements and benefits of elite sports performance will be made explicit to pupils

10. To run a Borough talent camp for Tameside's 20 most talented Key Stage 4 young leaders

What will happen:

• Talented young leaders will be invited to attend based on set criteria compiled by the volunteer development officer
• Young leaders will attend a two week camp during the summer holidays
• Young leaders will experience exemplar coaching at the best facilities in Greater Manchester
• Leaders will be assigned a mentor who will provide 1-1 support
• Leaders will be sign posted onto appropriate leadership and coaching opportunities

11. To implement and make accessible the JAE programme to relevant talented young people between year seven and eleven

What will happen:

• Models of best practice will be developed by Sports Colleges and Sports Colleges will provide direct provision on behalf of al schools
• The most talented pupils will be identified from all secondary schools
• The p upils will have access to support to ensure they are able to achieve a balanced lifestyle of training, competitions, schoolwork, exams and family life
• Teachers will have available CPD opportunities to become Junior Athlete Education (JAE) mentors for talented pupils in PE and sport
• Parents will have the opportunity to access educational workshops to support their talented children

12. To develop and deliver a direct mentoring scheme for selected talented pupils

What will happen:

• Up to 10 pupils will be identified to receive direct mentoring from the Borough Talent Camp
• Pupils will receive high quality 1-1 support to enable them access available talented athlete funding streams and available opportunities
• Mentors will provide social and emotional support as appropriate linked to their adherence and performance in sport

13. To develop a system for identifying talented performers with disabilities and provide them with opportunities to progress

What will happen:

• The programme will be known as the ‘Ability Talent Programme'
• All young people with disabilities from special and mainstream schools will have the opportunity to attend multi sport coaching camps
• Talented pupils will be identified and invited to attend sport specific talent camps and be signposted to relevant county and regional opportunities led by NGB's

Delivery Infrastructure

The Talent Strategy will be delivered through both the existing sports development networks of Tameside Sports Development Unit, sports clubs, National Governing Bodies and also through the Tameside Sports College / School Sports Partnership network.

By September 2006 all Tameside schools will benefit from inclusion within the infrastructure created by four Sports Colleges and two SSP's. Not only will this support the Talent Strategy, but will serve to support and enhance the well established Sports Development programmes led by Tameside Sports Development including, a comprehensive coaches in schools and community sports development programme.

Specialist Sports Colleges are at the hub of the Government's PE School Sport and Club Links strategy (PESSCL) which aims to enhance young people's opportunities to participate in a wide range of sports, as well as raising the standards of teaching and learning of PE and school sport.

School Sport Partnerships (SSPs) are groups of schools working together to develop PE and sport opportunities for all young people.

A typical partnership consists of:

• A partnership development manager (PDM)
• Up to eight school sport co-coordinators (SSCos)
• 45 primary and special school link teachers (PLT's)

PDM's manage the SSP and develop strategic links with key partners in sport and the wider community.

SSCo's are based in secondary schools and concentrate on improving school sport opportunities, including out of hours school learning, intra and inter-school competition and club links, across a family of schools.

PLT's are based in primary and special schools and aim to improve the quantity and quality of PE and sport in their own schools.

Challenges to the achievement of the aims

To ensure the success of the strategy a number of challenges will need to be overcome. These challenges, although synonymous with talent, are common to sports development across Greater Manchester in general. Identified below, they relate closely to the five themes of the Greater Manchester Sports Partnership Strategy 2005-09 (New Generations) refer to www.greatersport.co.uk:

1. Strengthening strategic links between key partners responsible for delivering the talent programme

1. Improving pathways for talented pupils in sport and PE through improved school-club links and the provision of opportunities to meet the wide range of needs
2. Creating the workforce to deliver the elements of the talent programme
3. Raising the profile of the talent programme and communicating desired outcomes and successes
4. Measuring impact and evaluating strengths and weaknesses to inform next steps

The challenges will be addressed through a combination of existing good working practices and bespoke models as follows:

• A Talent Development Group will be formed to lead on the programme and make key decisions. This group will be constituted and strategically feed the PE and School Sports Forum. The talent programme objectives will be linked to the wider plans of the partner agencies.
• Talent development will form part of SSP, Sports Development and Sports College plans. These plans will be coordinated with a particular emphasis on school club links. Direct provision will be made for those talented in PE to ensure their abilities are developed.
• Partners will contribute resources and actively seek to encourage and empower those involved in the delivery of PE & school sport to support the talent programme.
• Professional development support will be provided and coordinated by the CPD Programme Development Officer for teachers, coaches and volunteers. This will include guidelines for identification, differentiated approaches to teaching a class, assessment frameworks, benchmarking, how to support a talented pupil in curricular teaching and learning and other elements related to attainment and achievement of G&T pupils.
• The profile of G&T in PE will be significantly raised through events in addition to existing SSP, Sports College and Sports Development marketing and promotional mechanisms.
• Impact measurement will be made explicit within associated action plans and the Talent Development Group will take the lead on monitoring, evaluating and future planning

How will success be measured?

A major indicator that this strategy has been successful is that talented performers and leaders from Tameside will consistently reach their full potential.

More specifically we will see significant improvements in the following areas:

• The number of pupils performing above Level 5 at the end of Key Stage 2
• The number of young people with disabilities performing significantly above expectation
• The number of pupils achieving Level 8 at the end of Key Stage 3 and exceptional performance through National Curriculum PE attainment
• The number of Tameside young people accessing DfES funded NGB G&T National Academies
• The number of Tameside young people accessing NGB world class programmes
• The number of Tameside young people achieving county, regional, national and international honours
• The quality of Tameside young people joining the Young Volunteers Programme (YVP)
• The number of Tameside young people who have key organisational roles in sports clubs
• The number of Tameside young people who have achieved a Lev II NGB coaching award

The number of Tameside young people who have supported the organisation of major regional, national and/or international events

Useful Websites - all external links

• www.talentmatters.co.uk - Talent development in PE, research, quality standards, abilities & case studies
• www.talentladder.org - Youth Sport Trust, communication & resource area for G&T development
• www.teachernet.gov.uk/pe - National strategy for PE & school sport
• www.uksport.gov.uk - UK Sport works in partnership to lead sport in the UK to world-class success
• www.sportscoachuk.org - Sports Coach UK supports the development and implementation of coaches and coaching throughout the UK., site provides information on LTAD and links to NGB's
• www.greatersport.co.uk - Greater Manchester Sports Partnership Strategy 2005-09 (New Generations)

Appendix 1

Talent Pathway Model 144.97 KB

Appendix 2

Responsibility Grid