Table 3 Qualitative data from teachers regarding positive aspects of the voucher scheme and recommendations for improvement

Increased range of opportunities

"…I think that our kids have benefitted from it hugely because they have very limited extra income to do anything with and are very much led by their parents a lot of the time and a lot of the parents have quite a negative attitude towards exercise anyway and it’s broadened their horizons because it’s allowed them to go and try things that maybe they wouldn’t have had access to before because of financial constraints…" (T2)

"…obviously it’s a good scheme because it provides the children with greater opportunities to do things outside of school and anything to encourage them to use their time positively has got to be good…" (T1)

Positive restriction to physical activity or sport-related equipment

"…it’s good that the vouchers can only be spent on the sport because even if the family’s more affluent there’s nothing to say they’d pass money onto the children who would then use it to buy activities in some way, they would possibly spend it on PlayStation games or mobile phones and stuff…" (T1)

Engaged non-sporty individuals

"…it's engaged a lot more of the girls, a lot of the girls that were really disaffected with PE before because of the more traditional sports that we often offer, have bothered to come down, to see us to talk to us about the options, chasing vouchers etcetera and that’s led to us having more engaging conversations which in turn has allowed them to feel a bit more relaxed down here and not so under pressure to perform, perform, perform all the time and it’s just more about the taking part” (T2)

"… bridges have been built with certain girls who just disliked coming to PE in the past and now those bridges have been built and relationships have improved I think yeah, well hopefully, as far I’m concerned… it’s allowed them, a lot of them to take part more with a smile on their face and enjoy it more than they have done in the past…" (T2)

"…Oh (name of child) went out and bought footballs and basketballs and she’s not a sporty person, to say the least. So yeah, I’d say there are some who’ve done things I wouldn’t have thought they would…" (T1)

Increase accessibility

“…In a more affluent area, you’ve got two parents probably, they’ve got a car each and it’ll just happen and also from the cultural side of it, people from those areas probably themselves are taken places by their parents to do whatever activity they did and they’ll see it as an expectation for them to take their children, which you may not get up here…” (T1)

“…Or you make the activity local to the children so most of our lot come from (deprived area) so you put stuff on at the Centre or the youth club up there so they can get to it…or putting coaches in because I mean every community’s got a bit of open land… Yeah, community, yeah, smaller community things…” (T1)