Quality school sport

Quality school sport develops well-rounded children. Children and young people who participate in quality school sports are more physically, socially and emotionally healthy. They are also more likely to participate in sport and physical activity outside of school hours and be active adults.

What makes quality school sport

Quality school sport provides opportunities for all students to participate in a format suitable to their age, skill and ability whilst also linking students with local sporting clubs. It is:

is inclusive and accessible
encourages participation over performance
creates links with local community sports clubs
teaches resilience, teamwork and fosters a sense of school pride
includes a diverse range of sporting activities to cater to varying interests.

There are many options for year-round school sport delivery within schools including:

sport education programs
intra-school sports events (e.g. school swimming carnivals)
inter-school sport
inter-state school sport opportunities.

School Sport Victoria (SSV), as part of the Department of Education (DE), coordinates interschool sport and representative school sport for schools and students in Victoria. In collaboration with various state sporting organisations, SSV offers a range of sports to Victorian students in Years 4–12. SSV also supports the development of emerging athletes through the Team Vic state teams.

Strategies and approaches

These strategies and resources provide suggestions for how schools can support the delivery of quality school sport.

Strategies
- Value and prioritise quality sport in your school
- Understand how sport assists in meeting your school's priorities for the year and communicating this to all staff
- Provide the required amount of sport across all year levels
- Celebrate achievements in sport and acknowledge its role in positive school culture.
Resources
- The Victorian mandate for Physical and Sport Education – Delivery Requirements
Strategies
- Plan a year-round program to provide sporting opportunities for students across the whole year.
- Develop an inclusive program which:
  - promotes the inclusion of all students regardless of the background, beliefs and/or identity
  - prioritises participation, teamwork and enjoyment
  - offers competitive pathways for students who excel
  - offers a range of sporting options and modifications to cater for different interests and abilities
  - Upskill staff responsible for the coaching or delivery of sports programs to ensure they understand the skills, rules and gameplay required to coach a team and assist learning.
Resources
- Teachers are encouraged to contact School Sports Victoria to explore professional development opportunities
- The Sporting Schools Program runs training sessions to upskill staff, and share equipment and resources. Sporting Schools also offers grants and support with school sports delivery
- Sport Inclusion Australia is a national sporting organisation that assists the inclusion of people with an intellectual disability into the mainstream community.
Strategies
- Establish links with community and state sporting associations
- Request support in the running of sporting events e.g. umpiring and ground usage
- Encourage students to transition into the sport after school hours
- Foster a sense of school and community pride
- Provide role models for students to look up to and encourage positive interactions with community sporting associations
- Set up an equipment swap with other schools in the local area
- Look to local and state sporting associations for support in planning opportunities for students' skill development and with organisational aspects.
Resources
- A list of State Sporting Associations is available
- Moreland City Council provides a great example of a local government actively engaging with schools.
Strategies
- Investigate options to ensure new facilities are built in line with competition-grade standards, to encourage shared use with the community. The Department has a policy on community joint-use agreements that provide advice around sharing facilities with the community
- Explore access to nearby facilities with the local council if space or resources are limited. Schools may wish to investigate possibilities for community joint-use agreements with after school sports providers
- Provide appropriate, accessible, and clean changing facilities, or consider allowing students to wear a uniform that supports physical activity for the entire school day.
Resources
The Building Quality Standards Handbook (PDF, 2.9MB) provides details of competition-grade sizes and requirements.