Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Mental Resilience in Young People: Sports and PE

Monday 29 April 2024 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Craig Tracey asked the Minister about assessing the impact of sports and PE on mental resilience in young people, to which the Minister responded that PE and sport support children's health and wellbeing, and the school sport and activity action plan aims to support young people's participation in PE and sport.
  • Craig Tracey mentioned hosting an event with the Golf Foundation to kick off their Unleash Your Drive programme, which provides life skills including mental resilience to young people.
  • Tim Farron highlighted the importance of sport, PE, and outdoor education in building resilience among young people and fostering a love of learning and the outdoors, to which the Minister agreed on the importance of outdoor education for young people.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Craig Tracey Con
Culture, Media & Sport Children & Families
Context

The question arises from a general concern about the role of physical education and sport in enhancing mental health and resilience among youth.

Question

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of sports and PE on mental resilience in young people.

Answer from Damian Hinds

It is well and widely recognised that PE and sport support children and young people's health and general wellbeing. The school sport and activity action plan update, published in July 2023, sets out how we will support all young people to participate in PE and sport in school.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide a specific commitment or timeline for an assessment of the impact on mental resilience.

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Q2 Craig Tracey Con
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The question is prompted by an event hosted by the MP featuring Nick Dougherty of the Golf Foundation, which aims to provide young people with life skills through golf.

Question

I recently hosted an event here in Parliament with Nick Dougherty, the golfer, and the Golf Foundation to kick off their Unleash Your Drive programme, an amazing initiative providing young people with the life skills they need to survive in the modern world, including mental resilience. The scheme has been rolled out to over 500 schools since September last year, with fantastic results. Will the Minister meet me and the Golf Foundation to discuss this success and how we can encourage more schools to teach mental toughness skills through sport, as part of the school sport and activity action plan?

Answer from Damian Hinds

I know about the good work of the Golf Foundation, under the leadership of Brendon Pyle. I would be very happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss its work, specifically the Unleash Your Drive programme.

Answered
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Q3 Tim Farron Lib Dem Westmorland and Lonsdale
Wales Culture, Media & Sport Children & Families
Context

The question is prompted by a recent vote in the Welsh Senedd on a bill proposed by Sam Rowlands regarding outdoor education, which was narrowly defeated. The MP seeks support for his own outdoor education bill.

Question

Sport, PE and outdoor education have a huge impact on building resilience among young people, helping them to gain a love of learning as well as the outdoors, which can be great for them for their whole lives. Does the Minister agree that it is a great shame that just the other week the Welsh Senedd voted down by a single vote the Bill proposed by his colleague and my friend Sam Rowlands which would have made outdoor education an experience that every young person in Wales could access? Will the Minister go one further and back my equivalent Outdoor Education Bill, which will receive its Second Reading on 21 June, so that this place ensures that every young person in primary and secondary schools has the ability to access an outdoor education experience for free?

Answer from Damian Hinds

The hon. Gentleman has been entirely consistent for some time in talking about the importance of outdoor education, about which I am happy to agree. I am not sure it is always necessarily a case for law, but it is certainly important for young people to get outdoors, to be in touch with nature and to see the countryside, as well as running around enjoying PE and sporting activities.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to supporting the Outdoor Education Bill or making outdoor education mandatory through legislation.

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