Effective physical education in primaries
By Chris Tolson
Headteacher of The Academy of St James, part of Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust
Physical education is more than just jumping rope, it’s a whole curriculum approach to healthy living and getting children moving. Physical Education is rising up the national agenda, with Westminster debates petitioning to make PE a core subject. Understandable given increasing obesity rates, restrictions to exercise during the pandemic and a national mental health crisis. Alarmingly, almost a third of children in England achieve less than 30 minutes of activity a day, with disadvantaged pupils most affected. At St James, our innovative whole-school PE approach has positively impacted on pupils’ physical and mental health and attainment.
Our Academy is in a local authority which ranks in the top 3% nationally for poor health and where 38% of children leave primary school overweight or obese. To tackle this growing issue, we looked at ways to increase pupil engagement and interest in exercise. We hoped supporting pupils’ physical health would impact positively on wellbeing and achievement to create lasting impact for their future.
Approach
We wanted to go beyond PE lessons and developed a multifaced whole-school approach. By delivering a variety of initiatives, we were able to engage all pupils. A key part of our approach was redefining the role of PE Lead, moving away from just overseeing the PE curriculum, to influencing our school’s attitude and involvement in physical activity. Our PE Lead now works with teachers to explore how learning can be physical, whether that’s in our outdoor classroom, whole-school Friday enrichment sessions or hands-on experiments. This guidance was crucial to bringing staff on board. Another successful part of our approach was introducing active enrichment sessions, including archery, ju-jitsu and the climbing wall, every Friday. We also held Wednesday wellbeing sessions during lockdown and doubled our physical activity sessions per week to improve pupils’ approach to physical activity and reduce screen and sedentary time. Additionally, we created an outdoor classroom and Forest School built around the Nature-Friendly Schools and Wildlife Trust project to support children to get outside. Our wellbeing dog Jasper also provides a great source of emotional comfort and physical encouragement.
Impact
Our whole-school approach significantly impacted our children’s physical and mental health. Pupils are happier and more engaged in learning, make healthier choices with diet and exercise with the result that their confidence and health are improving. This is reflected in their attainment, achieving the best set of informal SATs results we’ve accomplished with reading results close to the top 5% in the country. Benefits extend beyond pupils with teachers enjoying our dynamic curriculum and parents taking part in bike riding lessons which will see better lifestyle choices in the wider community. In recognition of this great work, we have been designated as a PE Centre of Excellence, a Pioneer School for our outdoor education, won the Bradford Active Schools Award and our Early Years programme is being used as a framework for other schools as part of the Creating Active Schools (CAS). Through CAS, we are helping other schools implement effective PE approaches so we can make a lasting impact on the health and outcomes of all children.
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