Loughborough experts invited to Westminster to present research on sport and physical activity for children in care
Two Loughborough academics will meet MPs tomorrow (26) to explain the importance of sport and physical activity in the lives of children in care.
Dr Rachel Sandford and Dr Oliver Hooper, of the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences (SSEHS), have been invited to talk at the All-Party Parliamentary Group meeting for Looked After Children and Care Leavers, at the Houses of Parliament.
The event will bring together experts, professionals, voluntary organisations and decision-makers in government to consider what young people feel needs to change about the care system.
The pair will present their research, Right to be Active, funded by the British Academy, which explored sport and physical activity experiences of looked-after children and ran between January 2016 and October 2018. They will be joined by some of the young people who were involved in the study.
The event will also be attended by the Children’s Commissioner and senior colleagues from the Department for Education, Ofsted and the Association of Young People’s Health.
Dr Sandford, Senior Lecturer in Young People and Sport, said: “The study involved a review of policy documents and online surveys with care experienced youth and those adults who work with them, as well as participatory focus group discussions and narrative interviews with care experienced young people (CEYP).
“Through the study we used the conversations with young people to develop concept cartoons that helped to illustrate aspects of their experiences and tell their stories.
“We have shared these cartoons with both CEYP and adults who work with them (e.g. carers and PE teachers) and they have proved to be a valuable means of initiating conversation and building understanding about the lived experiences of CEYP.”
The study was jointly undertaken with Dr Thomas Quarmby, at Leeds Beckett University, as well as Loughborough colleague, Dr Rebecca Duncombe.
ENDS
Notes for editors
Press release reference number: 19/90
Loughborough University is equipped with a live in-house broadcast unit via the Globelynx network. To arrange an interview with one of our experts please contact the press office on 01509 223491. Bookings can be made online via www.globelynx.com
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2019 QS World University Rankings, University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2019 and top in the country for its student experience in the 2018 THE Student Experience Survey.
Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2020, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019 and 8th in The UK Complete University Guide 2020.
Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.
Loughborough staff, students and alumni make a real difference. They challenge convention, think creatively and find solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing society today and in the future.
Two Loughborough academics will meet MPs tomorrow (26) to explain the importance of sport and physical activity in the lives of children in care.
Dr Rachel Sandford and Dr Oliver Hooper, of the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences (SSEHS), have been invited to talk at the All-Party Parliamentary Group meeting for Looked After Children and Care Leavers, at the Houses of Parliament.
The event will bring together experts, professionals, voluntary organisations and decision-makers in government to consider what young people feel needs to change about the care system.
The pair will present their research, Right to be Active, funded by the British Academy, which explored sport and physical activity experiences of looked-after children and ran between January 2016 and October 2018. They will be joined by some of the young people who were involved in the study.
The event will also be attended by the Children’s Commissioner and senior colleagues from the Department for Education, Ofsted and the Association of Young People’s Health.
Dr Sandford, Senior Lecturer in Young People and Sport, said: “The study involved a review of policy documents and online surveys with care experienced youth and those adults who work with them, as well as participatory focus group discussions and narrative interviews with care experienced young people (CEYP).
“Through the study we used the conversations with young people to develop concept cartoons that helped to illustrate aspects of their experiences and tell their stories.
“We have shared these cartoons with both CEYP and adults who work with them (e.g. carers and PE teachers) and they have proved to be a valuable means of initiating conversation and building understanding about the lived experiences of CEYP.”
The study was jointly undertaken with Dr Thomas Quarmby, at Leeds Beckett University, as well as Loughborough colleague, Dr Rebecca Duncombe.
ENDS
Notes for editors
Press release reference number: 19/90
Loughborough University is equipped with a live in-house broadcast unit via the Globelynx network. To arrange an interview with one of our experts please contact the press office on 01509 223491. Bookings can be made online via www.globelynx.com
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2019 QS World University Rankings, University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2019 and top in the country for its student experience in the 2018 THE Student Experience Survey.
Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2020, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019 and 8th in The UK Complete University Guide 2020.
Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.
Loughborough staff, students and alumni make a real difference. They challenge convention, think creatively and find solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing society today and in the future.
