Introduction
The Open School Facilities (OSF) Fund initiative at Varndean School in Brighton and Hove ran over three years, significantly enhancing after-school physical activity opportunities for students.
Under the leadership of Calum Thomas, Director of Physical Education, the programme successfully introduced and sustained a variety of sporting activities, including boxing, skateboarding, basketball, and mountain biking.
Despite facing challenges regarding sustainability and administrative burdens, the initiative has profoundly impacted student engagement and participation.
Varndean School
Varndean School is an average size secondary school, with 1,490 pupils on roll.
The school has 20.6 per cent of pupils eligible for Free School Meals (FSM), higher than the Sussex average of 19.6 per cent. In fact, Varndean was 22nd in the county in terms of its Free School Meal rating and had a pupil-level deprivation rating (PLIDACI) of five, which is quite high, meaning it was a priority school to work with.
There is a slightly higher rate of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be English at 89.3 per cent, similar to the Sussex average and the school also has a slightly higher rate of SEN pupils at 23 per cent, compared to the Sussex average of 16 per cent.
Programme Implementation and Impact
Boxing
Boxing became a key focus for the OSF initiative at Varndean, with the school establishing a partnership with a local boxing instructor.
Sessions were held twice a week, catering separately to boys and girls. The boys’ group consistently attracted around 25 participants, while the girls’ group had between six and ten students attending regularly.
Although some sessions were occasionally disrupted due to instructor availability, overall attendance remained strong.
Calum explained: “Boxing was one of our main focuses for the OSF this year. We established a link with a local boxing instructor based in Brighton, and they’ve been coming in twice a week to run after-school sessions, which have been really popular.”
He also acknowledged the challenges: “It’s been a little bit impacted by the coach not always being available, which has meant some sessions have felt a bit disjointed. But on the whole, it has been well attended.”
Skateboarding
Skateboarding emerged as a sustainable success story within the OSF initiative. The school invested in a mobile skate park and equipment while forming partnerships with local skateboard coaches.
Attendance at the after-school sessions was consistently high, with the mixed sessions attracting 10-15 participants per session and the girls-only sessions attracting 6-10 girls per session.
Calum highlighted how this programme is continuing beyond OSF funding: “We’re just trying to negotiate an arrangement where they provide coaches, and we provide them with use of the equipment and facilities in the holiday time and then weekends as well. Hopefully, that will become self-sustaining.”
However, he also noted the difficulty of running activities outside school hours: “These kinds of things fall between people’s remits. When you organise something at weekends or during the holidays, it creates a lot of work for someone who might not see any direct benefit from it. So it often falls on individuals like me to push things through.”
Basketball
Basketball sessions, supported by a local coach, were another well-attended activity. Two sessions ran weekly, one as a mixed session and the other for boys only, drawing a total of 35 students.
However, with the conclusion of OSF funding, there are concerns about the programme’s future.
Calum explained: “They’ve been really popular. The coach comes in twice a week for an hour, and that’s something we are going to miss next year, not having the funding.
“We are trying to look at other ways of funding that, but there’s very little money in schools at the moment.”
Pupil Voice and Programme Development
Recognising the importance of student input, Varndean School utilised a Google Form to gather feedback on preferred activities.
This initiative ensured that the OSF funding was directed towards sports that students genuinely wanted to participate in.
Calum shared: “I just did a Google poll and asked students what they’d want to do and how they’d want funding to be directed. Boxing was top, and skateboarding came back as one of the top three. Basketball was in the top five or six, so it did come from them.”
Overcoming Challenges
Funding and Sustainability
One of the primary challenges facing the OSF initiative has been ensuring the sustainability of activities post-funding.
While skateboarding may have a viable long-term model, boxing and basketball remain at risk.
The school is actively seeking community funding opportunities and exploring links with national governing bodies and local sports clubs to secure additional support.
Calum acknowledged: “We’re trying to find ways to fund it. There might be some links with national governing bodies or community funds that are available, but those are usually done through clubs, which makes it tricky.”
Accessibility and Inclusion
Varndean School has a higher-than-average proportion of students eligible for Pupil Premium funding and a large Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) cohort.
The OSF initiative has been particularly effective in engaging students from these backgrounds, with boxing and skateboarding proving accessible for those with social, emotional, and mental health needs.
Callum said: “We have a higher than average number of Pupil Premium students and we also have a large SEND cohort, extremely large compared to other local schools. So we’ve got, for example, a really high proportion of EHCP’s (Education, Health and Care plans) across all year groups, but in particular key stage three, so year seven and eight.”
Recognising the importance of inclusivity, the school has maintained a policy against charging fees for participation, ensuring all students have equal access to these opportunities.
Calum emphasised: “Charging a fee is against our school policy in terms of poverty auditing and poverty proofing. Even if you subsidise it, it’s still going to be exclusive in most cases. That’s something we just wouldn’t do.”
Additional OSF Contributions
In addition to sports sessions, OSF funding enabled the renewal of mountain bikes, allowing the school to continue its mountain biking programme for the foreseeable future.
Calum highlighted: “We put in a bid to renew our mountain bikes, which were about eight years old. That funding will keep things going for at least the next five to ten years.
“The mountain bikes are used after school. We typically run a girls-only group (on site) and then a mixed group of varying abilities who go further afield once or twice a week.”
Conclusion
The OSF initiative at Varndean School has been a resounding success, significantly enriching students’ physical activity options.
While the programme has faced sustainability challenges, particularly for boxing and basketball, the school continues to explore funding avenues to keep these activities running.
The long-term impact of the initiative is evident in improved student engagement, enhanced sporting facilities, and the establishment of community partnerships.
The school’s commitment to inclusivity and accessibility ensures that all students, regardless of background, have the opportunity to participate in meaningful physical activity.
Other OSF projects in the area:
All ten secondary schools in Brighton have received OSF funding, making an incredible difference to the activity levels of children in schools and their surrounding area.