Awards & Recognition
St Joseph’s is a village school in East Kent with a thriving local community and central to the school is the wellbeing and learning of pupils. PE, school sport and physical activity plays a big part in this.
School Sport
The school runs a number of lunchtime clubs including running and netball. Onsite forest school enables pupils to be active whilst connecting with nature. Physical activity is embedded into all aspects of school life.
Impact of Primary Premium Funding
Equipment has been bought to increase activity during breaks and lunch with teachers noting reduced behavioural issues. Extracurricular clubs take place before and after school increasing the schools offer.
Sustainability
Team teaching takes place with external coaches and teachers to upskill staff, ensure sustainability and increase their knowledge, skills and understanding.
Active Kent and Medway visited St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Aylesham to discuss how they have used the Active Lives Children and Young People Survey and PE and Sport Premium to encourage their pupils to be more active.
St Joseph’s is a village school in East Kent with a thriving local community and central to the school is the wellbeing and learning of pupils. PE, school sport and physical activity plays a big part in this. Some PE lessons take place first thing Monday morning to prepare the children for the day ahead. Children continue to come into school in active wear on PE days and cross curricular links are embedded to encourage activity and transferable skills. All teachers teach PE across the school.
The Active Lives Children and Young People Survey conducted by Sport England and administered by Active Kent and Medway measures participation levels, wellbeing and attitudes towards sport and physical activity of children aged 5 to 16 years.
St Joseph’s completed their survey in summer 2021 with 91 pupils from Years 1-6 selected. Results highlighted that 67% of pupils were active (achieving an average of 60 minutes of activity a day), this is above the national average of 50% (ALCYP 2020-21). 59% of pupils enjoyed taking part in sport and exercise and 67% understood why sport and exercise was good for them.
To achieve these figures the school runs a number of lunchtime clubs including running and netball. The onsite forest school enables pupils to be active whilst connecting with nature. It is clear that physical activity is embedded into all aspects of school life. Active playtime and lunchtimes are delivered by house captains and connections with local clubs provide exit routes for pupils outside of school. All of these initiatives are underpinned by pupil voice to ensure the right activities are delivered for the right pupils.
“We find out what the children think about PE at our school, what they like about it and what could be improved”
St Joseph’s continue to use the results from their Active Lives report to inform their PE and Sport Premium spend. The PE lead, Senior Leaders and Governors review, reflect and implement the necessary changes. Equipment has been bought to increase activity during breaks and at lunchtime with teachers noting reduced behavioural issues. Extracurricular clubs take place before and after school increasing the schools sport and physical activity offer.
Team teaching takes place with external coaches and teachers to upskill the staff, ensuring sustainability and increasing their knowledge, skills and understanding.
“It is really important to empower teachers with their own personal subject knowledge, particularly for PE as some feel worried about teaching PE”
Assistant Academy Principal, Elizabeth Hunt recommends the following:
- Schools must ensure PE is a priority. It’s just as important as English, Maths and Science and there are huge physical, mental and social benefits.
- Listen to your pupils. Make sure you’re doing clubs and activities that your pupils want to take part in. Ask them for feedback and act on the feedback.
- Allow pupils to come into school in active wear. It saves time and encourages pupils to be more active throughout the day.
For more information about the Primary PE and Sport Premium or Active Lives, please follow the links below or get in touch with Daniel Bromley at daniel.bromley@kent.gov.uk.