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Report Subject:
Let’s Get Fizzical
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Title:
Improving the health of
inactive and overweight
children in Birmingham
through sport
Background
StreetGames is the award-winning national charity
dedicated to delivering sport and physical activity within
disadvantaged communities and to making it accessible to
all young people regardless of their social circumstances.
We do this in partnership with projects around the UK
that deliver doorstep sport and physical activity, which
means activities for young people ‘in the right place, at the
right time, in the right style and at the right price’.
‘Let’s Get Fizzical’ is a StreetGames project and part of
the Birmingham City Council ‘Be Active’ family. ‘Let’s Get
Heath, Nechells, Springfield, Handsworth Wood,
Fizzical’ has been designed to fill a gap in physical activity
Borderslet Green, Sparkbrook, Lozells, East Handsworth
provision within Birmingham where suitable opportunities
Aston. The rationale for choosing these locations was due
for currently inactive young people are either not
to statistics highlighting low activity levels, high levels of
available or very limited.
overweight/obesity in children, strong community
networks and an unmet demand for activity.
The target wards for the intervention were Ladywood,
Perry Barr, Yardley, Soho, Stockland Green, Washwood
The target group was inactive (i.e. doing little or no
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that were willing to participate. Once participating schools
were confirmed, the Course Director worked closely
with teaching staff at the school to identify the pupils that
would benefit most from attending the programme’s
sessions including those who were lacking in confidence,
under/overweight or obese. The main objectives set out
by the Course Director were: ‘We want them to try
different things, build confidence, make the sessions fun
so that they can go out and play sport, getting them sweaty
and having fun, being more physically active.’
regular physical activity) young people aged 8-14 who
Community Based Sessions
were overweight or obese. The project’s aim was to result
Using the StreetGames network, mixed activity
in sustained increases in physical activity levels, increased
Community Sessions were set up in areas that were
self-efficacy and health literacy, stronger partnerships at
within a close proximity of the school-based sessions.
both strategic and delivery levels, and increased capacity
These sessions were designed to suit the target audience
within the physical activity workforce.
for ‘Let’s Get Fizzical’. The purpose of these Community
Sessions was to directly sign post and enable children and
The project carries the Inspire Mark and is part of
young people who have had a careful introduction to
StreetGames’ commitment to ensuring that young people
fun-based physical activities (in the school setting) to
in disadvantaged communities are provided with legacy
progress with confidence into mainstream activities in a
opportunities from the London 2012 Olympic &
community setting.
Paralympic Games. StreetGames is also a national partner
of change4life and a member of the Public Health
The Programme
Responsibility Deal.
The children took part in and were given:
• 6 x 1 hour physical activity sessions in school
What They Did?
• Up to 10 x 1 hour multi-sport sessions in a community
School Based Sessions
setting
Once the target wards were identified, the ‘Let’s Get
• Pedometers to be used outside of sessions, with targets
Fizzical’ Course Director arranged meetings with
to motivate them to increase their physical activity
individual schools and cluster managers to identify schools
outside of sessions
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Why They Did It?
The overarching aim of Let’s Get Fizzical was to increase
levels of physical activity amongst children and young
people who do little or no formal activity as part of their
normal routine. These children were often put off doing
PE at school because most of it was team sport. A result
of verbal consultation in the pilot project showed many
of the children felt self-conscious, they didn’t have the
confidence to take part because they were ‘always picked
last’ and thought that they were ‘no good at ball sports’.
A number of techniques and strategies were to support
their behaviour change towards adopting a healthier
Boxercise, Zumba, Street Dance, Kombat Krazy (a type of
lifestyle. StreetGames operates a network of over 250
fun non-contact boxercise routine to music), Handball and
projects in deprived areas around the country; from the
Rugby. Participants enjoyed it a lot more than their PE
combined expertise and knowledge of the network, they
lessons because of this. ‘It’s not like PE at school as it’s always
provide and have practical insights into ‘what works’.
the same - here you do lots of different activities’.
Those insights were put into practice in the Let’s Get
Fizzical setting.
Sessions would generally start with warm up games
related to the activity being delivered. E.g in Boxercise they
What was Successful?
would play traffic lights, adding a new ‘duck move’ involving
Sessions that are enjoyable, healthy, fun and offer
the children ducking under pads. The main session would
variety
be games based with lots of running around, e.g. within a
The Let’s Get Fizzical programme was designed to
Boxercise session the children would partner up, one with
sensitively target the right children and deliver alternative
gloves and the other with pads. Person 1 would run from
activities to them, providing physical activities that are not
the wall to their partner, do 10 jab crosses, turn and do
normally available in the school curriculum. There were
5 press ups, and then race back to the wall. In Kombat
a high proportion of girls, and children from BME
Krazy they would learn a few moves and then the
backgrounds taking part, so gender and cultural
instructor would go through a routine with music.
considerations were very important. Children really liked
Instructors would then do a cool down and stretches
the variety of activities within the sessions including
at the end of the session.
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confidence though positive experiences of being active.
One to one mentoring also played an important role.
Wherever possible, the Course Director employed the
same coach in both school and community settings. The
trust and rapport between participant and coach were
central to retaining the young person in organised
activities.
It was clear that the coaches did not take a traditional
coaching approach to these sessions but combined playing
and improving skills in a fun, enjoyable and subtle way. The
children understood that they were able to enjoy playing
the sports more if they had learnt about the sport and
developed their skills. Children who expressed concerns,
ambivalence about being involved or indeed a desire to
‘Everything was based on fun activity and games and exercise
do more, found that their coach listened carefully and
routines. The children don’t really realise they are doing an
provided support, reassurance, affirmation and guidance,
exercise routine they just know they are hot and sweaty and
rather than instruction.
out of breath at the end but had a lot of giggles doing the
session.’ Course Director.
The use of pedometers to increase activity levels
The use of pedometers within the Fizzical programme
The children were also received and subliminal health
reinforced the message about being more active outside
messages throughout the sessions from the coaches, and
sessions and helped to support behaviour change. The
begun to understand the link between and the importance
participants were given weekly goals set by their coaches
of playing sport and being healthy, ‘it’s fun, lots of activities
to encourage them to ‘move more’ outside of sessions.
and healthy instead of watching TV or reading books’.
The participants had been using the pedometers outside
the sessions, at home, and were keen to increase their
The right coaches with the right style
number of steps so that they reached their personal
Let’s Get Fizzical coaches were recruited based on their
targets. ‘I wanted lots of points but wanted to sit and watch TV
ability to empathise with non-sporty children. Their own
but had to get up and run around.’ They liked them because
personality was instrumental in helping children to build
you could see how much you had been doing and as one
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young person observed, ‘it made you walk more, persuades
you to do more sport’.
The pedometers were also a visible reminder to the
children’s families about the sessions their children were
attending after school and the need for their children to
be more active. One child remarked that he’d showed it
to his dad who didn’t know what it was and another
child’s family had ‘thought it was good and wanted one’.
The use of ‘freebies’ to support retention at the
sessions
Rewards are an important part of behaviour change.
When ‘winning’ is not the incentive, as it is in competitive
maker’ within the school.
sports, it is important to use alternatives. During the
course of Let’s Get Fizzical, each participant received a
Solution:
‘loyalty’ membership card. After two sessions, they
• Call the school and try to make contact with the Head
received a wristband, after three a branded bag and if they
to meet initially. Once initial meeting has been done also
complete all six, they received a certificate and branded
involve the PE co-ordinator who will often be the main
T-shirt. The wristband and T-shirt freebies were viewed
point of contact once the programme has started. Sell the
very positively by the young people. It helped to create a
benefits of the programme to them and try to address
positive image and sense of belonging to the sessions. They
their key priorities whilst doing this. Leave information
were also a strong incentive for encouraging young people
and maybe even a past case study with them to peruse at
to continue to come to the sessions each week and to
their leisure.
use the pedometers and to increase their activity levels
• Be tenacious - do lots of chasing when people don’t get
outside the sessions themselves. ‘Freebies were a big
back to you. Remember, they’re busy and although the
incentive… rewards, feeling part of the team, makes other
programme is your priority it may not be theirs.
want to do it.’ School Governer.
Challenge 2 - Incentivising schools to organise the
Challenges
pupils to complete the follow up questionnaires at
Challenge 1 - Getting in touch with the ‘decision
3, 6 and 9 months.
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Solution:
programme had ended. Some also suggested new sports
• Make contact with all teachers within each the school
that they would like to try. The children had also become
through an ‘Introduction to the programme’ letter - This
aware that the sessions were helping to improve their
could explain the aims and objectives of the programme
health and fitness levels. They reported that they felt more
and encourage ‘buy in’ from other teachers so that they
active after the sessions themselves and had changed what
would work together to ensure the follow up is
they did when they got home after the session so that
completed
they were more active. They also said that they had
• Send letters to parents of all children participating in the
increased their activity levels by trying to increase the
programme, giving them information on the programme
number of steps recorded on their pedometers. Some of
and advising them on the follow up dates so that they can
the young people reported that they had become more
also encourage their children to complete the online
aware of their eating habits and the need to eat fewer
follow up at home or school
sweets and one young person in particular talked about
• Offer the school a report on the behaviour change of
eating more fruit and veg so that they had their ‘5-a-day’.
their pupils after completing follow up questions on
completion of the programme
The young people said that their family and friends were
positive about them taking part in these sessions and it
The Results
was clear that they could also see the value of these
Between 2010 and 2013 the Let’s Get Fizzical
sessions in terms of better health and taking part in
Project delivered 1,712 session ranging across 61
more physical activity.
Primary Schools, 10 Secondary Schools and 18
Different Community Locations. Over 13,600
The programme has helped to increase sport and
Participants were engaged across all sessions by
physical activity within the primary schools
over 20 coaches and 27 volunteers.
involved
Schools involved in the programme reported that it had
The sessions have changed what the young people
helped to make the children/young people more active
think and do
at the school, even in lessons, and that it was helping to
The children and young people who took part in and were
support the school’s action plan to raise the awareness
interviewed on completion of the Fizzical programme at
of the importance of physical activity and sport amongst
St Mary’s Primary School showed particularly positive
both the teaching staff and the pupils.
behaviour change around increased confidence and desire
to participate in further sporting activities after the
Data was collected and reported on sessions, participants
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and staff. This data enabled us to check the project’s
Conclusion
progress against the targets set at the start of the year.
The ‘Let’s Get Fizzical’ Package works
The different elements of the ‘Let’s Get Fizzical’
• In 2012/2013 40 Primary Schools and 6 Secondary
programme have contributed to its success. The emphasis
Schools completed the Let’s Get Fizzical programme,
on fun and enjoyment, the variety of sports, getting sweaty,
with 1269 participants taking part in the weekly school
fun games and ‘subtle’ skills development, the kind and
sessions.
friendly coaches and the pedometers and freebies have all
• 649 community sessions took place in 25 different
worked together to help to increase the confidence and
locations, with a total of 1300 participants (of which 200
skills of sedentary young people as well as helping to
had been sign-posted from weekly school sessions).
increase their physical activity and fitness levels and their
• All participants in the school based sessions complete
willingness to continue playing sport afterwards. It was
the validated PAQ-C Questionnaire at the outset and
clear that the programme was valued by the pupils
again at 6 months and 12 months, giving us data on
themselves, their parents, the teaching staff and the
changes in physical activity levels over time. In 2012/13,
school governors. ‘Yes, I would recommend this programme
73% of participants increased or maintained their
(Let’s Get Fizzical) to other schools, it does really good work.
participation levels after 6 months.
We will be talking to Rachel about coming back.’ School
governor.
Each pupil’s pedometer readings were recorded every
week by the coach. Although limitations of pedometers
To find out more about Let's Get Fizzical or
as an activity monitoring device were recognised, they
discuss the possibility of setting up a programme
served a dual purpose as incentives and goal setting
in your area, please contact:
devices, with 69% recording increased steps over the
Paul Jarvis, Head of Sport & Health
period of the 6-week school programmes.
[email protected] 07889 046106
StreetGames
StreetGames is a national partner of Sport England and a centre of expertise for developing doorstep sport in disadvantaged communities.
The charity supports community based sports projects that deliver sport and volunteering opportunities to young people living in the 20%
most deprived wards in the UK.
StreetGames works with National Governing Bodies of Sport to establish and develop links between community and mainstream sport.
Recognised by the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games Inspire Mark, StreetGames is creating a lasting legacy of doorstep sport in
the UK.