HL Deb 16 December 2002 vol 642 cc77-8WA
Lord Ouseley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

(a) How many school sports co-ordinators have been appointed to date; (b) how they were recruited; (c) how many successful applicants were from different ethnic minority communities; (d) how many were men and how many were women; (e) how many of the successful applicants have disabilities; and (f) how it is expected that the schools sports co-ordinators will promote the achievement of race equality and good race relations as part of their operation objectives. [HL428]

The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Blackstone)

(a) In September 2002, there were 765 school sport co-ordinator posts in 149 partnerships. No partnerships have gone live since.

(b) There is no recruitment process specifically for school sport co-ordinators. A school sport co-ordinator is designated in each partnership secondary school from among the school's existing PE teachers. These teachers are recruited to the school workforce in the normal way.

(c, d, e) We do not collect ethnicity, gender and disability breakdowns for school sport co-ordinators. Such information could be made available only at disproportionate cost.

(f) Each school sport co-ordinator partnership works to a development plan, including explicit strategies for benefiting all pupils, including those from ethnic minorities. Partnership aims include providing new and enhanced out of school hours opportunities for all young people in the partnership, including out of school hours learning, noncompetitive participation and competition; increasing all young people's participation in community sport through creating and strengthening links with sports clubs, leisure facilities and community providers; and raising standards of pupils' achievement in all aspects of their school life through increased participation and improved performance, motivation and attitudes.