Children & Young People Newsletter January 2024
Primary Age
Primary School PE Conference - Bookings Now Open
We are pleased to announce that our Primary PE and Physical Activity Conference is back again for 2024.
Date: 5 June 2024, 9:00-16:00 at the Kent Event Centre, Detling. Bookings are now open.
There is still time to have your say about what you would like to see at the conference by filling in our conference survey. By filling in the survey you will be entered into a prize draw to win 1 of 10 free PE PRO licences. The survey closes on 26 January 2024.
Complete the Conference Survey
Primary Premium PE and Sport Premium FAQs
To support schools in spending their primary premium, the Association for Physical Education and Youth Sport Trust, commissioned by the Department for Education, have created a new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document.
The document covers questions on the reporting template, spending, the new digital tool and swimming and water safety.
Download the free FAQs document
#LetGirlsPlay
#LetGirlsPlay is a campaign to influence and drive change, showing that football can and should be played by girls.
By 2024 the Football Association’s aim is for girls to have the same football opportunities as boys in schools and clubs.
On Friday 8 March 2024 #LetGirlsPlay Biggest Ever Football Session is taking place. At lunchtime, in a lesson or after school, you decide when. The aim is to get as many girls as possible all playing football on the same day.
Active Lives - latest figures
Activity levels for children and young people are stable as the initial recovery from the pandemic was maintained across the 2022-23 academic year.
The latest Active Lives Children and Young People Report from Sport England shows that 47% of children are meeting the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines of taking part in an average of 60 minutes or more of sport and physical activity a day.
However, there are still 53% of children and young people who are not active enough. Inequalities remain in activity levels, with Black and Asian children and young people, and those from the least affluent families, still less likely to be physically active.
Positive findings from the report include one million more children and young people walking, cycling or scootering to get to places than five years ago. The data also tells us that 68,000 more girls are playing football.
Ofsted Levelling the Playing Field Report
Ofsted have released their subject report for PE, evaluating the common features of PE in the schools visited.
To help understand the findings of the report, AfPE have published a free webinar to help explain the findings of the report in detail, exploring some myths and answering questions raised by colleagues in the sector.
Children's Mental Health
New Mental Health Resources for Schools
Commissioned by the Department for Education, Anna Freud Mentally Healthy Schools, have collaborated with a range of education and mental health experts to produce a new resource hub for mental health leads and other education staff. The hub signposts and showcases practical resources, from trusted organisations and training providers, with new resources added regularly.
One of the new resources for 2024 is a mental health and wellbeing Spring calendar with key awareness days and themes plus suggested activities and free resources to help students and staff explore mental health topics.
Access the Mental Health and Wellbeing Calendar
Children’s Mental Health Week
Children’s Mental Health Week 2024 will take place from 5–11 February 2024. This year’s theme is ‘My Voice Matters’.
Place2Be have free resources available to download so that everyone can take part in. Take a look and see what’s available for schools, families and how you can take part and raise vital funds for children’s mental health.
Youth Voice - Recommendations
At Active Kent & Medway we have an unwavering commitment to help young people access positive experiences in sport and physical activity.
We continue to champion the importance of ‘youth voice’. Allowing children and young people the opportunities to voice their opinions on the development, design, and ongoing delivery of activity sessions.
One of our five key recommendations for engagement focuses on the importance of children’s mental health.
Recommendation No 5: ‘Promote the social and mental wellbeing benefits as much as the physical benefits of physical activity.’
Kent School Games - Mid-Year Review
Kent School Games, coordinated by Active Kent & Medway, work closely with 13 School Games Organisers across Kent and Medway to:
- engage children and young people most affected by inequalities
- provide new and exciting events and opportunities for our local network of schools.
Our mid-year report captures the insight and learnings gained from the events held in the first two terms of the 2023-24 academic year. We continue to use insight to ensure student voice is at the heart of all that we do, supporting the wider development of children and young people.
Other News & Announcements
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