More Welsh School Children “Hooked on Sport”

Results from the third national School Sport Survey were published by Sport Wales today. Having worked on the last School Sport Survey 2013, Select again worked with Sport Wales over the summer to prepare the response data from the survey for analysis.

The survey, of over 116,000 Welsh school children, is the largest of its kind in the UK and includes a survey of sports participation among school pupils and a survey of the provision of physical education (PE) by schools.  The survey is used strategically by Sport Wales and the Welsh Government to monitor and shape sports policy, and by local authorities, governing bodies and schools to inform and plan local delivery.

The results released today show that the numbers of young people taking part in sport or physical activity three or more times a week has risen from 40% in 2013 to 48% in 2015. Ninety-three percent of children were reported to enjoy PE, and boys (52%) were found to be more likely than girls (44%) to regularly participate in sport. Though the figures for both boys and girls have increased, the gap remains static.  To see more of the headline results, a short film and some infographics summarising the key findings visit www.schoolsportsurvey.org.uk.

Select produced the survey weightings, a critical step in the analysis of any survey, which ensure that the results properly reflect the sports participation of school pupils in Wales. These weightings are used to account for non-response and imbalances in the sample where, for example, we might see a greater proportion of boys in the survey than we might see in the general population.  These weightings correct the imbalances that inevitably occur in any survey and ensure that the results provide as accurate a representation of the sports participation of Welsh school pupils as possible.