Recommendation 2

HM Government Accepted

The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation Recommendation Implemented Population activity levels were at an all-time high prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Sport England’s strategy seeks to mobilise a cross-sector movement to collectively support more people to be active in the way that best works for them. Sport England invests money in five broad areas. Each of these has its own specific objectives, a robust ‘theory of change’ that sets out how its work in each area will increase activity levels, decrease inactivity levels, address inequalities in sport and physical activity, and improve the experiences of children and young people. These five areas also have their own. measurement and evaluation plan to robustly evidence progress and the contribution they are making to the organisation’s overall objective to ‘unite a movement’ for sport and physical activity. These five areas are: • System Partners – Sport England’s investment to sustain a network of more than 130 organisations that forms (and transforms) the backbone of sport and physical activity in England and that underpins the activity habits of around 14 million people each week. Sport England have worked closely with partners to build a collective approach to evaluation, tracking the impact of investment at individual organisation, system and community levels, and are in the process of commissioning an independent evaluation supplier to lead this moving forward. • Place – Sport England’s investment in facilities, statutory planning function, work in the 12 Local Delivery Pilots (LDP’s) and the planned expansion of place-based working into more and more places across the country, in a way that ensures people in those areas are more likely to be active. Sport England are currently working with an independent evaluation and learning supplier to understand how the LDP’s and other place-based investments are delivering impact, and target outcomes. This work will inform the expansion programme and ensure the resources invested are best targeted at reducing inactivity levels and addressing and reducing the stubborn inequalities that currently exist. • Open Funding – Sport England’s mechanism for getting money directly into the hands of local and national organisations to provide opportunities to get active and address inequalities. Sport England evaluate the impact of its high-volume low-value open funding via surveys of funding recipients, supported by direct evidence from participants in some cases, and through working with independent evaluation suppliers for Sport England’s larger scale open funds. Sport England recognise that part of the impact of our Small Grant funding is the maintenance of existing activity, but future prioritisation will be on driving activity levels by reaching those clubs and community organisations previously less well served by public funds. • Campaigns – Sport England’s work to change attitudes towards sport and physical activity, particularly for those less likely to take part, in a way that encourages them to become more active. Sport England evaluate the impact of our campaigns through nationally representative surveys of campaign target groups, tracking the change in key outcome metrics over time • Other – Investment into targeted areas to support the wider sport system and create the long-term conditions for success, e.g. improving governance and safeguarding standards. This is vital underpinning work to ensure that anyone participating in sport and physical activity in the community has an experience that is safe, accessible and enjoyable. Sport England follow its evaluation and learning approach for delivery across Uniting the Movement, and likewise its measurement and accountability framework, to structure and design the approach to measurement and evaluation for all new investments.