Young People, Schools, Sport and Government Policies

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Abstract
This paper compares the policies and assumptions in Sport: Raising the Game, with the findings of three recent national surveys. These show, contrary to the assumptions in the government policy statement, that England's schools have been increasing, not cutting back on their sports teaching and facilities, and that young people are now playing more sport in and out of school than in earlier decades. Also, the drop‐out rate in late‐adolescence has declined substantially over the last generation which seems to be due mainly to the spread of community provisions rather than the school‐club links whose importance is emphasised in the policy statement. This statement makes no reference to equal opportunities, which may be considered justified by the research findings that social class differences have become blurred, that girls now receive equal treatment in school sport, and the persistence of sex differences in out of school participation is caused by the sexes’ prior orientations rather than their different experiences in school. However, the recent evidence also shows that there are still pronounced social class and gender differences in sport participation, and that equal opportunities issues remain unresolved.