Sport attainment gap between rich and poor pupils 'is as serious as academic inequality'
Kelvinside Academy’s Daniel Wyatt believes there is a worrying attainment gap in sports for young people
An attainment gap in sport should be treated as seriously as the academic attainment gap, the head of a leading Scottish independent school has said.
Dan Wyatt warns there is a growing gulf between the opportunities available to pupils from wealthier backgrounds compared to those for poorer pupils.
Mr Wyatt, rector of Kelvinside Academy, has spoken out ahead of the Commonwealth Games returning to Scotland.
The head of the Glasgow school asserts sport is as vital as academic study but changes to how opportunities are accessed has disadvantaged poorer pupils.
He said: “We talk a lot about the academic attainment gap, but the sport and health gap is often larger, and I think it is growing.
“The reason it's growing is because we've moved after the teacher strikes of the 1980s from a school sports participatory model to one where clubs have really picked up school youth sport.
“If you come from a deprived family background, you're relying on your parents taking you to clubs, whereas schools have the statutory requirement that children are in school til they're 16 so it's a captive market.
“If you're in a family that doesn't have a lot of money, your child relies upon the school providing sporting participation but that is happening less and less.”
This summer the Commonwealth Games are returning to Glasgow - albeit in a slimmed down form - and organisers say there are ample opportunities for the city’s young people to benefit.
However, Mr Wyatt counters that tickets are too expensive for families on minimum wage and more should be done to widen access.
He added: “We should be looking through a lens here of the attainment gap with regards to sporting performance.
“When we’re talking about the children at Kelvinside Academy going and seeing Commonwealth Games activities, they will be, but that's because they can, the families can afford the tickets.
“So our children are privileged.
“We own that privilege, but lots of children, in other circumstances, won't have the benefits of the Commonwealth Games being in Glasgow that some other children will get.”
Mr Wyatt, a PE teacher of 30 years experience prior to taking on a headship role, said sport was also becoming too “Americanised”.
He said: “The American approach to sport is all about performance.
“And in my 30 years in education, most of which was as a PE teacher, I've seen a shift from participation to performance.
“It's so powerful in terms of development, because it really develops children physically, socially and emotionally and so from that perspective at Kelvinside, we would argue it's as important as the academic development of a child.
“It can be transformational and should be equally available to all.”
In a stark illustration of the difference access to sport, several fee-paying schools in Glasgow will be hosting Commonwealth Games teams in their sport facilities.
The Australian national team will be using state-of-the-art facilities at St Aloysius’ College.
However, Glasgow City Council confirmed none of its schools are playing host to the athletes when they descend on the city in July.
While PE is becoming one of the most popular Highers for Scots pupils, Mr Wyatt warns the qualification has developed to be more about technical elements of sport rather than activity itself.
He said: “My concern is that children are sitting in classrooms learning about PE theory, and therefore they're missing practical time, participatory time.
“And I do think there's potentially a health issue for us as a nation that we're not creating habitual participators in sport, and we should be doing that, especially with Scotland's health record at the moment going backwards.”
He also challenges participatory data, for example for rugby, which appears to show participation in sport is increasing.
“The figures tell me that participation in school rugby is going up and up every year,” he said, “But we're not seeing that in terms of the number of schools wanting fixtures with with schools like Kelvinside.
“The reason it's going up is because there are some school sessions for training, and then a festival, and then the participation numbers are high.
“But the children aren't playing 10 matches against other schools through the year and becoming habitual players of the game.”
He also pointed to lost opportunities in the city, such as a riding centre in Glasgow’s Lynn Park which once ran free lessons for youngsters in exchange for helping with the running of the stables.
He said: “We could have those things again with a bit of strategic planning and thinking and support.
“The evidence is that girls, particularly, with horse riding is that it's tremendously advantageous for things like self-confidence, self-worth, growth in character.
“They feel empowered by the fact that they learn how to control such a large animal, and they develop a relationship with with these ponies and horses.
“But again, it's become the preserve of the ultra-wealthy.”
Phil Batty, Chief Executive of Glasgow 2026, countered that the Commonwealth Games will be “a powerful platform” to inspire young people to take part in sport.
Organisers pointed to new networks, such as the Glasgow 2026 Legacy Network convened by the University of the West of Scotland, which aims to remove barriers to participation and create a sporting legacy from the Games.
A schools programme and Schools Baton Relay will see 70,000 children and young people from schools across Glasgow take part in Schools Baton Relay, which includes creating or designing a baton, taking part in physical activity and participating in a sustainability activity.
The Games mascot - Finnie - is also attending school assemblies to “promote the power of sport”.
“In 2014, we saw young people inspired by the Games who are now on the road to compete for gold this summer,” Mr Batty said.
He added: "For major events to have lasting impact, they must go beyond the field-of-play and act as a catalyst for partners to strengthen participation in sport, culture and community action.
“Working with local and national partners, Glasgow 2026 will deliver that ambition by working in partnership with organisations that work with young people across the city and in our communities every day.”
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