SPORT Wales, the national body responsible for developing and promoting sport and physical activity in Wales, is preparing to launch its second ever national school sport survey.

The aim of the survey is to get the clearest picture possible of sport participation levels across Wales in both primary and secondary schools.

The survey will come against a confusing backdrop.

In the sporting arena Wales can scarcely have been performing more impressively.

Abergavenny’s Becky James has become the most successful British track cyclist at a World Championships ever, the Welsh rugby team became back-to-back Six Nations champions, making it four titles from the last eight available, and of course Welsh athletes’ stunning success at the Olympic and Paralympic Games last year, including Tredegar’s gold medallist, Mark Colbourne.

Yet that success has been punctured by persistent warnings from Wales’ top physicians about a looming obesity crisis, particularly among our young people.

The NHS in Wales estimates the cost of obesity-related illness is around £73 million a year, while the latest Welsh Health Survey reported that 57 per cent of people in Wales consider themselves overweight or obese, with 22 per cent obese.

As with most issues, the answer to this problem appears to be education, and the best time to get people into good habits is to catch them while they are young.

Welsh Paralympic champio, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson said: “We all know that sport and PE is very important to schools in Wales so it’s crucial that we continue to set the right tone for young people.

It’s not just about supporting the few who excel but it’s about making it fun and enjoyable for every single person in the class – by getting that right we will see a more active, healthier population who will hopefully continue to participate in sport for the rest of their lives.

“We desperately need a healthier population in Wales – it’s not just about making children and young adults participate in physical education because it is good for them or forcing them to do something they do not like.

“A successful sports programme can have a positive effect on issues such as teenage pregnancies, social skills and relationships, as well as helping the next generation to stay fit and healthy throughout life.”

The battle is not just one of attracting children into sport in the first place, but also one of keeping them in it.

Schools across Gwent have been trying to innovate, particularly by introducing activities away from core, traditional team sports like football and rugby.

It’s an acceptance that with the range of options of things for children to do away from physical activity, that we need to be creative in how we get children hooked on the sporting bug.

At Blaenavon VC Heritage Primary, one of the region’s newest schools, there’s a soft play jungle gymin the middle of the school to keep the younger children active, even if that activity is less structured, while they also take to interactive dance mats as part of their PE lessons.

At St Mary’s Primary in Newport, they have a boulderingstyle climbing wall to keep the children occupied, as well as offering a range of traditional team sports, while at Wales’ newest secondary school, Llanwern High School, in Newport, the facilities are the envy of many professional sports clubs, to the point where Newport County AFC have based their academy at the school and make use of the facilities.

At Llanwern, if team activities are not your thing, there is also the state-of-the-art gymnasium for the pupils to be able to plug in some music and take to the treadmill in their spare time.

Mike Hook, a sport and physical activity officer for Newport City Council, says forming partnerships between schools, local authorities and local clubs is key.

“We run coach education sessions for volunteers. That can be staff or in secondary schools, pupils, to try and encourage them to get involved and help take some sessions,” Mr Hook said.

“It is hard because teachers have less time and there isn’t the money sometimes in the schools to provide lots of different sports.

“For example, we try to offer tennis and swimming sessions but not all schools can afford the transport costs and things like that.

“The variety of sports available is absolutely massive because it is getting harder to get kids active. It can often seem more attractive to stay in than go out, and that’s what we are all working to change.”

Mr Hook mentioned the success of multi-skills sessions in primary schools and also highlighted how the team in Newport was bringing clubs into schools for a block of taster sessions in the hope that they will also encourage children to join a sports club outside school, as well as doing activities in school. The Sport Wales snap survey will go live on April 8. To find out more visit www.schoolsportsurvey.org.uk