Sport Premium

Since September 2013, all primary schools across England have received a share of the Government £150m per annum Primary Physical Education and Sport Premium. The funding is ring-fenced and must be spent on improving the provision and quality of PE and sport in primary schools so that pupils develop healthy, active lifestyles.

The PRU supports pupils with social, emotional and mental health difficulties in their mainstream schools. Through both our outreach and inreach services we provide a holistic approach to support and work closely in partnership with families and other professionals to ensure the best possible outcomes for pupils.

The benefits of physical activity for children are well established. Pupils who are dual-registered will, in the main, have access to the full PE curriculum at their mainstream school. In addition, the PRU will also offer a range of PE options to give pupils additional opportunities as part of our own curriculum, taking into account the needs of pupils.  We believe that as well as its role for encouraging pupils to stay healthy and build confidence, Physical Education represents one of the basic tools to initiate, from an early age, healthy habits that contribute to physical and mental well-being. It embeds all of the PRU values.

How has the money been used?

Swimming:

During the academic year 2022/23, all full-time Key Stage 2 pupils had the opportunity to take part in swimming lessons. The sessions focused on swimming skills as well as water safety. In addition to meeting our curriculum requirement for Y6 pupils, we also included all full-time KS2 pupils and our sports premium grant allowed us to do this. Some children had never been in a swimming pool before and including them in the swimming sessions gave them a real boost to their self-esteem and a love for swimming, which we hope will continue in years to come. All pupils increased their confidence and swimming skills. Given the needs of the pupils, this was a great success. Three teachers had CPD to support their teaching of swimming which the sport premium grant paid for.

Active playtimes:

Outside playtimes at the PRU are structured in a way so that there is a variety of equipment to encourage physical activity. The equipment addresses different types of physical activity, for example balance, hand / eye coordination and increasing stamina. In order to support this, we bought a variety of equipment, for example a tennis net and balls, basketballs, pedal gos and spinning tops.  These were shared out across all three sites to allow for parity of opportunity.

Staff development:

Staff have had the opportunity to shadow professionals through using outside providers. Following the success of the off-site gymnastics sessions last academic year at Woodlands, a link was made at Pathways with a local gym, where, for the Spring Term, pupils received weekly gymnastics sessions. Staff there learned the steps of teaching particular skills. In addition, an external sports coach was onsite every Wednesday in the Summer Term, giving staff an opportunity to observe and plan their own lessons.

Curriculum:

Off-site activities have been an exciting way to address a variety of objectives of the PE curriculum. During the Summer Term, the children from each site had the opportunity to engage in outdoor adventurous activities at a PACCAR scout camp. These included climbing, abseiling, archery, crate-stacking, zip-wire experiences and peddle karting. These sessions were very successful, not only developing skills in activities the children had not experienced before, but also instilling in them a sense of achievement, pride, team spirit and increased self-esteem. At Woodlands, pupils also went to Rush trampoline park and wall climbing to support the development of pupils’ flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance.

Impact (2022/23)

How will the money be used in 2023/24?

Next steps:

The aim for 2023/24 is to ensure all staff are able to access CPD sessions to develop confidence and upskill themselves in all aspects of PE. In addition, we aim to explore links with local mainstream schools and facilitate a wider range of opportunities and activities for our pupils, including increased opportunities for outdoor adventurous activities and team activities. An initial enquiry has been successful in arranging visits to the Stoke Mandeville Stadium to take part in different sporting activities.