Introduction

At the national level, the Adelaide Declaration on National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century emphasised the role of schools in developing fully the talents and capacities of all students.  In particular, it asserted that all students should have the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to establish and maintain a healthy lifestyle and for creative and satisfying use of leisure time.  Representative school sport is a major vehicle available to schools to deliver this goal.  Further, the National Goals calls for programs and activities which foster and develop enterprise skills.  Metropolitan East School Sport’s programs are the embodiment of this goal.

“QSE2010- A Future Strategy” establishes that  “…education will lead to the development of free, active and equal Australian citizens” with Metropolitan East striving to assist schools in the achievement of this goal via the various sporting programs that are offered.

We will also support schools in their endeavours to “…add value to individuals and to the common good by giving the opportunity to all, irrespective of background or circumstance, to reach the highest levels of schooling and attainment” (page 12, QSE2010). This is especially applicable to the sporting arena for which Metropolitan East School Sport is responsible.

Metropolitan East School Sport encapsulates the network of groups which provide leadership and representative sport programs for students.  In particular, It encompasses:

·        the Metropolitan East School Sport Board and the groups from which the Council’s membership is mainly derived, viz, Metropolitan East School Sport Management Committee, a Committee for School Sport for Athletes with Disabilities, the primary and secondary sport specific groups and community representatives
·        district committees, and
·        the schools of Metropolitan East Sport Region. (See Appendix 1 for list of schools)

The Mission of Metropolitan East School Sport

To provide educational opportunities to enable the realisation of individual sporting potential, good health and well being.

The Rationale for Representative School Sport

For many years, the Board of Metropolitan East School Sport and its predecessors have had a history of providing opportunities for Metropolitan East students to develop attitudes, knowledge and skills and to demonstrate excellence in their chosen sports. 

The commitment shown by Metropolitan East teachers and their school communities has been based on a clear appreciation of the intrinsic value of representative sport as a learning experience to maximise individual potential. 

School sport, with its joint focus on cooperation and competition, contributes to the social outcomes of schooling in developing the skills and attitudes required for full participation in the social life of the community.  It helps to develop in students an objective self-awareness of their own strengths and potential as well as of their weaknesses and inabilities.  It contributes to the development of positive attitudes to establishing and achieving personal goals.

Education Queensland and its predecessors have used the groups within Metropolitan East School Sport to provide well-planned and well-managed programs of representative school sport for all students in all communities throughout the area.

Key Clients

School sport played under the auspices of the Metropolitan East School Sport Board is defined as:

1.      District and Regional trials and championships

2.      Authorised competitions for school based teams, either state-wide or within regions, administered by affiliates of Queensland School Sport

3. 3.     Other competition with specific approval of the Metropolitan East School Sport Board

[This strategy does not address other school sport activities which are important to the students of individual schools.  Such activities include intraschool and interschool games and competitions and competitions arranged by individual schools for students between one school and another.]

Clients of the Metropolitan East School Sport Board for these areas of school sport will be:

 ·           All students enrolled in affiliated schools and colleges between the ages of      10 years and 19 years (based on year of birth)

·           The families/care providers of Metropolitan East children

·           Approved school community members who coach and manage our teams     and teachers who provide infrastructure support to school sport.

[While recognising here that all students are clients, it is also acknowledged that determinations of eligibility are made by the group at the appropriate level of Queensland School Sport with consideration given to the age, safety and welfare of the students.]

Our Values

Metropolitan East School Sport is committed to upholding the values and codes of behaviour traditionally attributed to the highest ideals of sportsmanship.

A set of core values underpins and permeates all learning opportunities provided through representative sport.  These values are to:

§         Honour and respect the worth of each individual

§         Strive for personal excellence

§         Respect the achievements of others

§         Accept responsibility for fair play

§     §         Accept responsibility for our level of performance

§         Espouse the cooperation which places team performance beyond individual qualities.

Our Principles

The principles espoused reflect the values described above. They illustrate the manner in which  service is provided to our clients. They are the signposts towards the fulfilment of our mission statement.

Metropolitan East School Sport:

1. offers representative opportunities for State and Non-State students in approved age groups in a range of sports which reflects the sports that are both approved by our state bodies and the Metropolitan East School Sport Board.

2. is committed  to excellence within its representative sport program.

3. fosters and promotes school sport.

4. representative teams will strive to perform at their highest level of ability and maximise individual and team performance.

5. employs management practices which are most effective in supporting our students, their families/care givers and our team officials.

6. ensures that all teams are supported by officials with appropriate qualifications, competence and suitability.

7. provides support to allow team officials and sports convenors to approach their tasks with confidence.

8. requires that its team officials and sport convenors will undertake their roles responsibly.

9. develops, publishes and enforces a set of policies which promote a safe and productive environment for its teams.

10. takes reasonable steps to ensure that its team officials and convenors are conversant with their safety obligations.

11. accepts that public confidence is earned through accountability.

12. adopts and uses only those practices which are fair and equitable to all clients and which are transparent and justifiable in their application.

13. administers its finances effectively and in compliance with Education Queensland audit requirements.

14. seeks funding from Education Queensland, as its sponsoring organisation, and from affiliated schools, as its members, at such levels so as to function effectively.

15. conducts its business activities to optimise the funding it has available to carry out its tasks.

16. actively seeks and enters sponsorship agreements with outside organisations to help it carry out its tasks.