Better Attendance Better Behaviour

A CSR arm of a multinational conglomerate wanted to introduce sports and physical education in a government school in Bengaluru.

Along with improving children’s physical fitness, the programme had two important aims:

• To increase classroom attendance
• To strengthen children’s social-emotional skills

Sportz Village Foundation partnered with United Way, a non-profit organisation, to implement a structured sports curriculum for 376 children from Grades 1 to 7.

The Approach

The programme introduced regular, structured sports activities as part of the children’s school experience.

The aim was not only to help children become more physically active, but also to create meaningful improvements in how they attended school, interacted with others and engaged within the classroom.

Positive Impact on Classroom Attendance

A uniform increase in attendance was observed after the structured sports curriculum was introduced.

The school recorded an overall 5% increase in attendance after the implementation of the sports programme.

This indicates that sport can become an important part of making school more engaging and meaningful for children.

Behavioural Impact of the Sports Programme

Sportz Village Foundation also conducted a survey among school teachers to understand the behavioural changes they observed among students.

Teachers reported significant improvement in three important areas:

Behaviour

Children showed more positive behaviour in the school environment.

Attention Span

Teachers observed better attention and engagement during class sessions.

Peer Relationships

Children showed improvements in how they interacted, collaborated and related to their peers.

Sport as a Tool for Development

The programme demonstrates that structured sports education can contribute to a child’s overall development.

Beyond physical fitness, regular sports activities can support attendance, classroom behaviour, attention and stronger social relationships among children.