During the spring and summer of 2018, with the support of local authorities and schools across Wales, over 120,000 children and young people took the opportunity to have a say on sport and their wellbeing.  Over 1000 schools took part in the School Sport Survey, helping to make this the biggest and most reflective survey of its kind in Wales, possibly even the World.



The results show that the increase seen from 2011 to 2015 in previous surveys has been sustained, with 48% of young people taking part in sport 3 or more times a week in addition to timetabled PE lessons.

2018 figures also suggest a close in the participation gap for some of the harder to reach groups.

45% of children with a disability or impairment are now taking part in sport 3 or more times a week (in addition to timetabled PE lessons), up from 40% in 2015.  The figure shows an even greater increase when responses from Special Educational Needs schools are added in, taking the figure up to 47%.

The lowest participating ethnic minority group, Asian British has increased regular participants from 36% to 40% bringing them closer to the national average.

Meanwhile there looks to be a more stubborn gap between the most and least deprived, with 42% of children from the most deprived households taking part 3 or more times a week (in addition to timetabled PE lessons), down from 43%in 2015.

For the first time, young people have been able to identify their gender as male, female or other, providing a wealth of new insight.

In 2018, 46% of girls are taking part in sport 3 or more times a week in comparison to 50% of boys. In 2015, 44% of girls and 52% of boys stated that they regularly took part. Although direct comparisons cannot be made due to the new question dynamic, the figures suggest a potential close in the gender gap. 39% of those responding as 'other' have stated that they take part 3 or more times a week.

For the latest from Perform Better, follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter