The Marches Academy Trust | Primary Physical Education: Autumn Term 1 2023 Update

Primary Physical Education Update Autumn Term 1 2023

Shropshire PE Conference: A GameChanger in Physical Education The Shropshire PE Conference, an inspirational event organised by the Marches Academy Trust, took place with great enthusiasm and success on 12th October at the iconic Shrewsbury Town Football Club, this conference exceeded expectations with a remarkable lineup of keynote speakers and an array of educational and engaging activities.

The conference featured a diverse range of workshops and exhibitors, providing attendees with practical knowledge and strategies to enhance physical education in schools and sports programs.

Participants had the chance to connect with like-minded individuals and establish valuable professional relationships using the dedicated exhibition area showcased the latest in sports equipment, technology, and educational resources, offering attendees the opportunity to discover innovative tools and solutions for their institutions.

Healthy Schools Rating Longlands Primary School has achieved the GOLD Healthy Schools Rating awarded by the Department for Education. This achievement results from their collaboration with the Active Lives Survey team, highlighting their commitment to promoting their pupils' health and wellbeing.

The Healthy Schools Rating Scheme is a voluntary initiative that applauds and inspires schools for their dedication to fostering a healthy environment.

Trust Swimming Gala Our inaugural Trust Swimming Gala at Shrewsbury School was a huge success! All of the children were incredible and had impeccable behaviour. Huge congratulations to Oakmeadow CE Primary School for securing the top spot!

Here's the final leader board: 1st Oakmeadow CE Primary School 2nd Lower Heath CE Primary School 3rd Long Mountain C of E Primary 4th Tilstock CE Primary School 5th Longlands Primary School

Panathlon Bowling SEND Festival The Marches Academy Trust and national charity Panathlon Challenge came together at the Hollywood Bowling Centre in Shrewsbury for a SEND Bowling event. Over 40 children took part in the Bowling Festival from Longlands Primary School and Nursery; Grange Primary School and Nursery Shrewsbury and St Thomas & St Anne's Primary School.

Congratulations to Longlands Primary School on winning the festival and Grange Primary School on finishing runners up! The children absolutely loved taking part in this experience. Special shout out also to pupil Ethan Kelly from Longlands who was the overall highest scorer! He said: “Me and my friends got to go to a bowling competition in Shrewsbury, it was so much fun! We were split into two teams and my team won with 600 points. My favourite part was seeing everyone have lots of fun and that I got an award for being the highest scorer.”

Lower Heath Wellbeing Ambassadors At Lower Heath CE Primary School, they are committed to developing the whole child and to support children to understand their mental health, providing them with strategies to improve it. Their newly appointed Wellbeing Ambassadors have developed a project called 'Mental Health Boost!' which will encourage all children to be more active, try new things and spend more time with friends. In addition, they will be raising money for a local mental health charity

Oakmeadow U11 Girls Success Oakmeadow U11 girls teams have represented the school recently in the English schools FA competition (losing out to the eventual winners, greenfields on penalties in the semis) and then also winning 1-0 against St. Giles with Eva scoring the winner in the county plate.

Sharing Success of Creating Active Schools Over the last 18 months, The Marches Academy Trust have teamed up with Energize Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and have had 5 Trust schools part of the Creating Active Schools (CAS) national pilot. The pilot has helped schools to start embedding physical activity into their ethos and culture by using the CAS framework to influence behaviour change. Longlands Primary School have recently created case study videos and documents to support other schools within Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin.

Tilstock Gold School Games Success We're thrilled to announce that Tilstock CE Primary School has achieved the School Games Gold Mark Award for the 2022/23 academic year! This accolade, supported by the Youth Sport Trust, acknowledges and celebrates our school's outstanding commitment to promoting physical activity among our pupils. Staff are proud of their achievement and the positive impact it has on keeping their children active and engaged.

Grange Primary Outdoor Gym Grange Primary School have been able to add a new cross-training style equipment to their playground following a successful grant application to Sport England.

There are five stations in total, which the children can use for exercise at break times, as well as before and after school.

Longlands Primary School Ofsted Visit Before the summer holidays, Longlands Primary School welcomed Ofsted. The inspectors were so impressed with the school, the pupils, staff and how they engage with the community. They achieved a ‘Good’ rating in all areas of the assessment!

Pleasing areas included that: School leaders have a clear vision, creating a broad and ambitious curriculum for pupils.

Early years curriculum development supports strong language and communication skills.

Reading is a high priority, with a carefully sequenced phonics programme with effective support for pupils.

A commitment to pupils' personal development, including diversity education, healthy living and a wide range of extracurricular activities.

Active Marches Dodgeball Tournament Earlier this term saw our first Active Marches competition take place.

Hosted by Whitchurch Juniors School, we saw 6 local schools compete in a KS1 & KS2 dodgeball competition.

Congratulations to Longlands Primary School on winning KS1 and KS2 events.

Woodlands School Visit Alderford Lake Pupils and staff at Woodlands School visited Alderford Lake for their first whole school Discovery Day. In a day of team building and fun, pupils from all year groups worked together with staff to design, build and test their raft creations.

Everyone had a brilliant day and really tested themselves to the limit, showing confidence, resilience, kindness and bravery. It was really a day to remember and showed how amazing our pupils are at pulling together and supporting each other.

Primary Physical Education Update Autumn Term 1 2023