Sport & PE
All teachers can help boost PE participation The PE department at Colton Hills Community School needed a reboot. Being smaller than the average-sized secondary school, it was facing many challenges: a high number of English as an Additional Language (EAL) students, a high number of students in receipt of the pupil premium, and a high mobility rate. As a result, it needed the support of staff across the school to supplement its approach towards engaging students and raising participation in PE Luke Jones, Head of PE at Colton Hills Community School, turned to funding provided by the Sport England-funded Secondary Teacher Training (STT) programme. It has allowed staff to provide the opportunities its students so rightly deserve. Thinking of ways to raise the profile of PE at the school, Luke turned to social media as a key part of the department’s strategy. Every member of staff uses the department’s Twitter and Instagram accounts to celebrate successes. PE teachers post images, which enables staff from other departments to be involved and to build relationships with individual students. They in turn help promote clubs run by the PE department. Luke has focused on building a team that is able to teach a broad curriculum so that all students can flourish and excel. Together, the PE department has worked hard to give every child the opportunity to engage in sport. Sport England’s research revealed that the least active students don’t recognise opportunities to be active at school as easily as their more active peers. The PE department at Colton Hills now ensures students are aware of all the activities available to them. Perhaps a student doesn’t enjoy football. Instead, staff will introduce them to other sports such as swimming, badminton, baseball or basketball. PE and the wider curriculum Luke encourages schools to see how PE can be woven into the wider curriculum. This can be something as simple as using examples from a sporting context during an English or maths lesson to bring a subject to life. A maths teacher can discuss the angle of a shot or a corner in football. They can also discuss how a player heads the ball – for example, is it better to head the ball with a glance or head it straight? At Colton Hills, you will overhear a PE
you praise a student there and then for teacher talking about geography and a something they have done. That in turn maths teacher discussing PE or science. helps build great relationships with It is up to all members of staff to collectively individual students which allows work to promote the importance of being teachers to develop their understanding active in PE. This can be achieved by of the barriers and motivations ensuring that a science teacher praises an of each of their students. individual for something they had achieved According to research in PE, for example. This simple conducted by Sheffield Hallam acknowledgement builds University, as part of the relationships between At programme, found that students and staff across more active students the school. Likewise, Colton report an average talking about finance Hills, al happiness score from the perspective l m embers of seven out of 10 of a particular collecti of staff (compared to just football club can v five out of 10 for spark a student’s to promely work less active students). interest, allowing a o t e i m t he portanc Almost three-quarters relationship to flourish e of be of students (69 per and create a positive i n g a c tive in cent) agreed that being role. Using sport as a active helps them build hook means that all staff PE resilience. More than half (62 are driving the importance per cent) agreed that it helps them of being healthy and active. make healthier life choices. More than half (59 per cent) said it improves their mental A whole school approach wellbeing, and nearly three-quarters (71 Historically not seen in this way per cent) said it improves their mood. PE now has a clear connection with Today at Colton Hills Community the wider school curriculum and is part School, students understand how a of a whole school approach at Colton healthy lifestyle will benefit them as Hills Community School. How? It’s all they progress through life. That’s why about the ethos of understanding and incorporating PE across the curriculum E participation. With PE, feedback is instant: Issue 27.6 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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