Bring it on Brum SurveyPreliminary Findings - September 2021Authors: Professor Greta Defeyter, Professor Paul Stretesky, Dr Gillian Pepper, & Dr Jackie Shinwell

Background & MethodologyThe Healthy Living Lab was commissioned by Street Games to design a parent survey to help identify benefits of the Bring it on Brum Holiday Activities and Food programme delivered in Birmingham 2021.

In addition, the Healthy Living Lab designed a national survey, for a comparator group of matched families whose children attended either no holiday programme or other childcare. Both surveys asked the same questions, with additional questions for the Bring it on Brum parents. Interim findings are based on preliminary analysis of the data. At this point, not all of the questions have been analysed, this documentprovides analysis of the following key factors: Childcare, Physical Activity, Food Security, Safety and Anti-social Behaviour, Children’s Social Isolations, Aspirations, Confidence, School Readiness and Parental Stress.

participantsThree Groups of Parents with school aged children

Bring it on Brum (BoB) parents (n=617 in Birmingham)1Parents of children in other childcare settings(n=90 in England)2Parents of children who received NO summer holiday provision(n=403 in England)3Total Sample Size n = 1,113

All surveys collected data online during month of September so parents could reflect and report on 2021 summer holiday experiences.

Comparison of Group Demographics

Eligible for Free School Meals

Other Ethnic Groups

White or White British/Scottish/Irish

Unemployed and Seeking Work

Black/African/Caribbean/Black British

Full Time Employment

Asian/Asian British

Can’t Keep up with bills and regular debt repayments

63.8% 67.8%62.7%

32.4%

86.7% 82.6%

10.8% 5.6% 5.2% 4.4% 5.2%32.1%

16.1% 3.3% 6.2% 12% 5.6% 6.7%31.6% 35.6% 38.7%

17.2% 18.9% 14.8%

Affordable Childcare During SummerHow difficult is it to find affordable childcare on a scale of 0 (not at all difficult) to 10 (extremely difficult)?

0

2

4

6

8

10

Mea

n D

i�cu

lty

<30 hours 30 to 100 hours >100 hours

7.106.03

6.53

5.046.26

5.87

Mean Di�erencet(138) = 1.6, p=0.10

Mean Di�erencet(190) = 0.34, p=0.04

Mean Di�erence t(41) = 0.34, p=0.7

Bring it on BrumOther Childcare

Correlation: hours attended by childcare di�culty (r = - 0.08, p=0.07)

Time youth spent in BoB decreases perceptions of difficulty in gaining affordable childcare.There is a “gap” in perceptions of di�culty finding a�ordable childcare. As expected, the gap is between BoB parents and parents of children in other types of childcare settings. However, the gap between the two groups of parents narrows as children have more access to BoB clubs.

Error bars represent the standard error of the mean

Physical Activity Levels of Children During the School Summer HolidaysMean No. Weeks Physical Active During 6 Week Summer Holiday (defined as at least 4 days a week at least 60 min. a day)

0

1

2

3

4

5Bring it on Brum

No Club

1.8

3.42

4.61

2.84

<30 hours 30 to 100 hours >100 hours no clubMean Di�erence BoB vs. No Club

t(532) = 2.5, p=0.01Correlation: hours attended by physical activity (r = 0.46, p=0.001)

Time spent in BoB clubs associated with an increase in physical activityBoB youth that attended at least 30 hours had higher average levels of physical activity during the summer than youth who didn’t attend holiday provision

They [holiday clubs] have been fantastic. Haven't they? They aregoing to Bear Grylls tomorrow. So, yeah, cinemas...they've been to cinemas. They've been to skating, bowling. They've crammed so much stuff in. It's been unbelievable, rock climbing, and it's all been free.

My three would be at home... they'd have a bit of game time on the computer... on

their phones a bit

Mea

n W

eeks

Bob ParentBob Parent

Food Security of Households During SummerSummer Food Security (0 = Food Secure to 6 = Low Food Security)

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

1.8

2.2

no club(63% eligible for FSM)

bring it on brum(64% eligible for FSM)

Mean Di�erence BoB vs. No Club

t(438) = 3.3, p=0.001

U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module: Six-Item Short Form Economic Research Service, USDA.

Bring it on BrumNo Club

Free School Meal eligibility was similar for BoB youth and sample of control youth who didn’t attend holiday club (64% vs. 63%). [Those Surveyed]

However, households with children in BoB had higher average food security (i.e., lower average scores) than households where children didn’t attend a holiday club.

Mea

n Sc

ores

Yeah... so you know every day they have done something new and something fresh

This is very good because, you know, it’s like you know, peer...power because when they see them eating, they will say "ah, ok, probably I will have a go"... and eventually you will encourage them to have more fruits... 

Bob Parent

Bob Parent

Perceived Safety During Summer HolidaysPercentage of parents who agree/disagree that their children are safe in their neighbourhood and at Bring it on Brum Clubs

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

%

‘Children are safe at BoB’‘Children are safe in my neighbourhood’

StronglyDisagree

Disagree Neither AgreeNor disagree

agree Stronglyagree

8.3%

17.8%22.8%

29.2%21.9%18.4%

12.3%

61.9%

4.7% 2.7%

Parents felt that their children were safer whilst at a Bring it on Brum Club versus their local neighbourhood

We know it’s safe.... you know.. It’s kind of like you building a security for our children to play around...

The other thing I think is really very good is the safeguarding that they do here... because no one  can get in here

It just makes you feel comfortable... to leave your child, you don't have to worry. You really don't, and

that's what you want as a parent... for your children to be happy...

Bob Parent

Bob Parent Bob Parent

Perceived Anti-Social Behaviour"I believe BoB keeps my child/children from participating in anti-social behaviour during the school holiday"

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

%

StronglyDisagree

DisagreeNeither AgreeNor disagree

agreeStronglyagree

57.6%

16.3% 16.3% 6.8%3%

> 73% parents thought that Bring it on Brum clubs supported their children and young people to NOT engage in anti-social behaviour

They're not on the streets...

cos the streets ain’t safe, this is lovely and secure

Bob Parent

Bob Parent

Parent’s Perceptions about the Benefits of Bring it on Brum for Their Children

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

% o

f Par

ents

Prevents socialisolation

raisesaspirations

boostsconfidence

improvesschool readiness

81.3%

64.8%

76%

62.3%

14.2%

29.1%

19.6%

28.8%

4.5% 5.3% 4.2%8.6%

Agree / Strongly AgreeNeutral

Disagree / Strongly Disagree

I believe that social interaction is really important for him and children his age

One of mine was having a bit of an issue and he [staff member] and he just took him under his wing and straight away he became confident, and you know they've been fine

she's an excellent (goal keeper) she's discovered that since being here... 

Bob Parent

Bob Parent

Bob Parent

Perceived Summer Stress Scores of Parents (Last Month of Summer School Holidays)Perceived Stress Scale 4 - (Lowest Score: 0 to Highest Score: 16)

0123456789

Mea

n Sc

ores

<30 hours 30 to 100 hours >100 hours no club

7.1 76.3

7.8

Mean Di�erenceBoB vs. No Club

t(434) = 2.9, p=0.004Correlation: hours attended by Stress Scores (r = - 0.08, p=0.065)

Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 385-396.

Parents had lower levels of summer stress (on average) when children had more access to BoB clubsThe parents of children who spent no time in clubs had the highest level of average perceived stress

I think it is, like you know, because usually when… when you needed to pack lunch, you know it will  bring more chaos... I think ... with food,

definitely, I think it is like you know, phew (sound of relief)

we’ve got somewhere else to go, like that fact that it’s a ten minute walk from my house, I'm very grateful cos it’s something he can do, cos we're in a tower block,  it’s more isolating, we don’t have a back garden, if it’s raining I can’t go to the park, so

a centre's perfect for him an myself you know... 

it’s taken a whole lot of pressure off us as parents, thinking 'well what am I gonna do with them today', 'how am I going to keep them occupied', you know...

and keep three children happy … so it’s just been absolutely fantastic... by the time they get home they're tired... watch a bit of TV and before you know

it's bed time.

Bob Parent

Bob Parent

Bob Parent

If the government funded holiday clubs next year, how likely is it that your child/children would attend? where 0 means “Not likely at all” and 10 means “Very likely”

2022

95% of parents reported that they were very likely to send their children to a Bring it on Brum club in 2022

Listening to the voice of thousands of childrenPostcards were distributed to the BoB Holiday clubs so that children and young people attending could share what they’d enjoyed by either drawing or writing a short message to Marcus Rashford.

Additional ReadingLong, M.A., Defeyter, M.A. & Stretesky, P.B. (August 2021). Holiday Hunger: Childhood Food Insecurity and Local Responses in the UK. Routledge.

Graham, P.L., Long, M., Stretesky, P., and Defeyter, M.A. Holiday Hunger: Feeding children during the school holidays in Feeding Children Inside and Outside the Home: Critical Perspectives (2018). Harman, V, Cappelleni, B’, and Faircloth, C. (Eds.), Taylor & Francis

Long, M.A., Stretesky, P.B., Crilley, E., Sattar, Z., & Defeyter, M.A. (2021). Examining the relationship betweenchild holiday club attendance and mental wellbeing. Public Health in Practice 2, 100122. Available Online : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666535221000471?via%3Dihub

Shinwell, J., Finlay, E., & Defeyter, M.A. (2021). Holiday Club Programmes in Northern Ireland: The Voices of Children and Young People. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18 (3), 1337. Available Online: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/3/1337

Mann, E., Widdison, C., & Defeyter, M.A. (2020). Implementing Holiday Provision Programmes; A qualitative Investigation of the Experiences of Senior Stakeholders. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 8, 7. Available Online : https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=101732

Defeyter, M.A., Mann, E., Wonders, P., & Goodwin, S. (2020). Feeding disadvantaged children during the Covid-19 pandemic. Journal of Health Visiting, Vol 8, 8. Available Online : https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/johv.2020.8.9.370

Stretesky, P., Defeyter, M.A., Long, M.A., Sattar, Z., & Crilley, E. (2020). Holiday Clubs as Community Organizations”. Annals of the American Academy for Political and Social Science, Vol. 69, 1. Available online : https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0002716220917657

Long, M.A., Convales, L., Stretesky, P., & Defeyter, M.A. (2020). Food Insecurity in Advanced Capitalist Nations: A Review. Sustainability 12 (9). Available online: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12093654

Stretesky, P.B., Defeyter, M.A., Long, M.A., Ritchie, L.A., & Gill, G.A. (2020). Holiday Hunger and ParentalStress: Evidence from the North East of England. Sustainability, 12(10): 4141Available online: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104141

Gooseman, A., Defeyter, M.A., & Graham, P. (2019). Hunger in the primary school setting: Evidence, impacts and solutions according to school sta� in the North East of England, UK. Education 3-13, Available Online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03004279.2019.1602155

Mann, E., Long, M., Stretesky, P., & Defeyter, M.A. (2018). A question of justice: Are holiday clubs serving themost deprived communities in England? Local Environment, 23:10. 1008-1022.

Shinwell, J. & Defeyter, M.A. (2017). Investigation of summer learning loss in the UK: Implications for holiday club provision. Frontiers in Public Health, 5, 270.

Long, M.A., Stretesky, P.B., Graham, P.L., Palmer, K, J., Steinbock, E., and Defeyter, M.A (2017). The impact of holiday clubs on household food insecurity- a pilot study. Health & Social Care in the Community, 26:2, 261-269.

Defeyter M.A., von Hippel P., Shinwell J., Mann E., Henderson E., Brownlee I., Pepper G.V., Stretesky P., Long M., McKenna J., Daly-Smith A., Lalli G., Bundy D., and Drake L. (2020) Covid-19: Back to School, Rebuilding a Better Future for All Children. A submission (CIE0042) to the Education Select Committee inquiry on The impact of COVID-19 on education and children’s services. Available online: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/3787/pdf/