Basketball Australia to extend No School No Play program

In spite of losing Federal Government funding, Basketball Australia will extend its highly successful and popular No School No Play program into 2013/14 - helping selected schools across Australia continue to boost attendance and engagement.

Launched in 2010, No School No Play ran across eight national sporting organisations for two years, with the aim of promoting the value of education through the power of sport.

Funded by the Federal Government until this year, the program operated at more than 30 schools and serviced 750 students which was done with great efficiency, resulting in a $72,000 surplus.

Basketball Australia has decided to use that surplus to support the following six schools to continue to run their own No School No Play programs for up to two years:

Jordan River Learning Federation, Tasmania;

St John's Catholic College, Northern Territory:

Nambucca High School, Northern NSW;

Plumpton High School, Western Sydney;

Chifley College Shalvey Campus, Western Sydney; and

St Clare's Catholic High School Hassall Grove, Western Sydney.

Basketball Australia Chief Executive Kristina Keneally said the initiative was enthusiastically embraced by hundreds of participants across Australia, stating "(the) No School No Play programs yielded amazing results: in 2011, 90% of participants improved their attendance and 80% improved school engagement.

"In the same year, Nambucca High in Northern NSW went from an average of 50% attendance in term 1 to a staggering 91% in term 2 a phenomenal achievement.

"Unfortunately, the Federal Government chose to cut the program -without a thorough evaluation process -despite the fact that it was evidence-based, showed demonstrable success, and was endorsed by students and teachers alike.

"I recognise that this funding will only guarantee a further two years for particular schools to run their own No School No Play programs.

"However, hopefully this surplus funding redirected to the schools themselves will allow them time to gain corporate or community sponsorship to continue the program after the two years is up."

In selecting the schools for further funding, Basketball Australia developed a certain set of criteria, including:

1. That the funds be allocated across the country to continue national exposure;

2. That the funds be directed to schools with demonstrable success in lifting student attendance and engagement rates;

3. That the schools receiving funding be capable of running No School No Play programs on their own;

4. That the schools selected confirm to Basketball Australia in writing that they are able to deliver the program themselves if they receive the funds; and

5. That schools be assisted to run programs for a period of time that would allow them to attract local sponsors and become sustainable on their own.