Double Funding from September 2017!
In September 2017, as a result of money generated through sugar tax, PE and Sports Premium Funding will double. An estimated £520m a year will be invested in primary schools. This is a very positive step forward in the UK as it designates a time whereby the health of our children is being considered as a priority and with P.E. being deemed as an essential way to enable children to develop healthy lifestyles.
It will be interesting to see how schools will choose to spend this money, given that autonomy lies with school headteachers and primary P.E. managers. This is an excellent system in one regard as it means that schools can cater for the needs of their pupils, but it also does mean that there are huge discrepancies across the country with regard to how schools choose to spend their funding and as a consequence what impact this has upon children’s primary P.E. experiences.
How are Schools Using Their Funding?
Recent data collected from UK schools investigating the use of the sports premium money from its introduction in 2013 to date (January 2017) will reveal that the majority of schools are choosing to either employ P.E. specialists to work alongside teachers or sports coaches to deliver primary P.E in PPA time.
Having access to primary P.E. specialists is essential for primary school teachers, due to the current national “crisis” whereby Newly Qualified teachers are entering the profession with an average of 12 hours primary P.E. training from I.T.T. providers who find it difficult to cram in the necessary quality time to devote to P.E. with the demands of a very crowded curriculum.
Best practice suggests that teachers, working alongside P.E. Specialists is essential for teachers to gain the subject knowledge they need to be able to competently understand the full curriculum and be able to apply it to the range of children in their classes.
For schools using sports coaches to deliver primary P.E however there are some health warnings. Although there are benefits for particular children e.g. gifted children may benefit from excelling in a particular sport, using the coaches’ subject knowledge to enable them to develop their competency, research demonstrates that solely using sports coaches is not the most beneficial way to enhance the learning and physical literacy of all children in primary schools.
Sports coaching companies often employ coaches who may be talented at a particular sport, e.g. football, but the sports coaches may not have the knowledge of the other area’s curriculum and as a consequence, there are examples of coaches teaching P.E. in curriculum areas that they are not fully qualified to deliver.
It is essential that P.E. is not viewed as just a way for children to “play sport” but that it is a forum for understanding that the outcome is to inspire a lifelong pattern of physical activity in a way that caters for the wide range of pupil’s needs – children who have varying cognitive, emotional, behavioural needs in addition to a wide range of physical dexterities. Best practice suggests that class teachers be supported by P.E. Specialists and empowered to deliver primary P.E. due to their excellent knowledge of the children that they teach on a daily basis.
Best Practice P.E.
There are two ways that The PE Suite can help support teachers in schools. Our P.E. Specialists can provide quality CPD days either on site or at local beacon schools. Practical experience in excellent, hands- on workshops provide support to help teachers’ up skill their knowledge so that they leave the day feeling empowered and ready to deliver excellent P.E. lessons.
In order that the knowledge teachers gain from CPD days is retained, schools can then subscribe to The PE Suite, where they can access an online library of over 500 videos and teaching resources to enable teachers to be able to competently understand how to deliver across all areas of the curriculum. This means that the knowledge gained from the CPD days can easily be shared with all staff in the school so that it is clear that all children receive equal opportunities with regard to their primary P.E. experiences, and it is not just the teacher who received the CPD training who reaps the benefits.
This is hands-down, the best way to ensure a sustainable system in school where knowledge is retained and to ensure that all teachers across the school fully understand exactly what is required of them within primary P.E.
The cost effectiveness of this system is incredible. For the cost of two – three days supply, a school can receive a years training online and fully accessible to all staff in school.
Call us on 02392 989285 to sign your school up to a PE Suite CPD day or online library subscription. Or visit www.thepesuite.com for more information including demos and testimonials.