Sport Premium 2023/24

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, considering their needs.  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, all 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 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 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 for tennis, basketballs, hockey pucks and spinning tops.

Staff development:

Staff have had the opportunity to shadow professionals through using outside providers. Following the success of the off-site gymnastics sessions last 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, a Real PE subscription was purchased where staff were given a range of resources to support their delivery of PE lessons. As a result of this membership we were able to adapt our PE curriculum and develop skill ladders which has allowed staff to plan more effectively.

Curriculum:

Off-site activities have been an exciting way to address a variety of objectives in the PE curriculum. During the Summer Term, the children from each site had the opportunity to engage in outdoor adventurous activities at a Woodrow and full-time pupils had the opportunity to stay overnight. They completed a range of activities including shelter building, bush craft and a scavenger hunt.

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.

Impact (2023/24)

How will the money be used in 2024/25?

Next steps:

The aim for 2024/25 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 schools and facilitate a wider range of opportunities and activities for our pupils, including increased opportunities for outdoor adventurous and team activities. An initial enquiry has been successful in joining a local sports network.