Policy adopted: December 2009

Policy Review Date:December 2009

Person responsible: Heather Enright

Background Information

This policy document was produced in consultation with the entire school community, including students, parents, school staff and Governors.This document is freely available to the entire school community.

This policy links to:

  • Every Child Matter: being healthy; enjoying and achieving; making a positive contribution;
  • PESSCL PSA and PESSYP targets.
  • PSHE Policy
  • Health and Safety Policy
  • School Travel Plan
  • Teaching and Learning Policy

The latest Health Survey for England (HSE) data shows that in 2007, 60.8% of adults (aged 16 or over), and 31.1% of children (aged 2-15) in England were overweight or obese, of these, 24% of adults and 16.8% of children were obese. (Department of Health)

The Foresight report, Tackling Obesities: Future Choices project, published in October 2007, predicted that if no action was taken, 60% of men, 50% of women and 25% of children would be obese by 2050. (Department of Health)

We have a responsibility to help students and staff establish and maintain lifelong habits of being physically active. According to the Chief Medical Officer (Department of Health, 2004), regular physical activity is one of the most important things people can do to maintain and improve their physical health, mental health, and overall well-being. Regular physical activity reduces the risk of premature death in general and of heart disease, high blood pressure, colon cancer and diabetes in particular. Promoting a physically active lifestyle among young people is important because:

  • Its effects on mental health, physical activity can help increase students' capacity for learning
  • Physical activity has substantial health benefits for children and adolescents, including favourable effects on endurance capacity, muscular strength, body weight, and blood pressure
  • Positive experiences with physical activity at a young age help lay the basis for being regularly active throughout life.

Therefore this policy promotes practices within the school to reinforce our vision, and to remove or discourage practices that negate them.

Definition of Physical Activity

Physical activity is defined as ‘any force exerted by skeletal muscle that results in energy expenditure above resting level’ and includes ‘the full range of human movement, from competitive sport and exercise to active hobbies, walking and cycling or activities of daily living’.

Regular Physical Activity can improve quality of life, improve health, promote social inclusion, raise individual self-esteem and confidence and counter anti-social behaviour. Schools play a key role in promoting active lifestyles to young people through developing their attitudes, knowledge, confidence and competence to help encourage a lifelong commitment to Physical Activity.

Resource provision and facilities

Facilities available for Physical Activity include:

Onsite: Sports Hall, hard court area (4 netball courts or 6 tennis courts), Gymnasium, Fitness Studio, Multi-purpose studio, playing fields. Drama and Dance studios, in addition to large spaces are used to facilitate activities requiring larger spaces; these include the dining hall, school hall or 6th form common room. Farlingaye has an open site which includes areas on which students can walk and play outside safely in their free time.

Offsite: Limited access to Orienteering site and climbing wall. There are many links to external providers, e.g. sports clubs, swimming facilities, dance and drama experts, external coaches, etc. Students are also able to explore the wider locality in a supervised way, e.g. through running clubs, the school sponsored walk, etc.

The annual school budget allows for funding of the curriculum, equipment, transport, etc. Additional equipment is also purchased using voucher schemes offered by commercial companies and some additional resource is available via activities and developments offered by the School Sport Partnership. Relevant Faculties allocate monies according to their development plan and focus.

Aims

Context : “Healthy Living is not just about what we eat it also encompasses exercise. Government want schools to take every opportunity to ensure that students are physically active.They want children's experiencesin school to lay the foundation for an active adult lifestyle” (www.teachernet.gov.uk)

  • To increase the physical activity levels and well-being of the whole school community by developing a supportive environment conducive to the promotion of physical activity.
  • To develop an understanding of the importance of regular physical activity amongst the whole school community for maintaining a healthy life.
  • To develop ways of encouraging students who are less inclined to Physical Activity in ways that they feel comfortable with.
  • To encourage some form of physical activity in all lessons.

Objectives

  • To ensure that all students have the opportunity to develop the confidence, competence and enthusiasm to participate in physical activity and to establish and maintain an interest in regular physical activity as part of an active healthy lifestyle.
  • To improve student, parent/carer and staff knowledge, understanding, experience of and attitudes towards participation in physical activity.
  • To provide a wide range of quality physical activity opportunities both within and outside the curriculum for students and staff.
  • To ensure that physical activity provision in the school reflects the cultural, personal, social and medical needs of all students.
  • To share good practice on how to encourage physical activity in all lessons.

How our objectives are delivered

Physical Activity in school is provided through the following:

  • Ethos and environment
  • All those leading physical activity sessions adopt a caring and supportive approach and have a commitment to every student.
  • The school uses consultation with students to influence the provision of extra-curricular activities and the curriculum at KS3 and 4.
  • Facilities are improved and developed to promote increased participation in physical activity in consultation with students, staff and parents/carers.
  • Students’ participation in physical activity is recognised and celebrated through presentations in assemblies and information on notice boards and in the school Forum. In addition there are Sports Awards Evenings, Dance and Gym Evenings, school productions and concerts, etc. in which success is celebrated and shared with the whole community.
  • Curriculum
  • The school provides at least two hours curricular physically active education for KS3 groups each week, through PE, Drama and active learning activities across the subject base. At KS4 all students are involved in core PE, 40% participate in GCSEPE, 45% of students are involved in GCSE Drama and 4% Dance GCSE.
  • All physical activities are accessible to and appropriate to the needs and interests of all students; this includes those with special needs and who are gifted & Talented. The curriculum also considers differences of gender, cultural norms, fitness levels and self-image.
  • Schemes of work are in place which illustrate a planned approach to health related activity; e.g. the PE programme is broad and balanced, involving moderate to vigorous activities on a regular basis and complies with statutory requirements.
  • All students learn how active they should be, and activity levels are regularly monitored and discussed.
  • As part of the continued work of the Teaching and Learning group, the school has an interest in making lessons more active. Teachers are encouraged to use activities that get students moving around the classroom and energise them throughout the 100 minute lessons, e.g. speaking and listening activities in English, data collection in Science, brain gym activities, physical theatre in Drama and English, etc.
  • Out-of-school-hours learning
  • All students are provided with opportunities to be physically active through out-of-hours activities via a wide range of activities including both individual and team/group opportunities and non-competitive and competitive activities.
  • The emphasis is on participation and enjoyment and the opportunities are open to all students, regardless of ability.
  • Physical activity is promoted before school, during breaks and lunchtimes and after school.
  • Specific events such as Sports Day,Learning Focus Fortnights, school productions and Activities weeks are organised throughout the year and promote physical activity raising its profile across the whole school community.
  • Most extra curricular activities are led by school staff with some being supported by external partners. E.g. the PE staff work with SSCos and coaches from community clubs as well as other member of the teaching staff.
  • Community and club links
  • The school links with School Sport Co-ordinators, (where appropriate), and other relevant individuals and organisations in the community to utilise the available expertise and enhance the quality and range of provision. Students are informed of the opportunities available in the locality to work with specialist clubs and groups, e.g. karate.
  • Students and staff are made aware of physical activity opportunities beyond school through a variety of means.
  • Community links are displayed in school and are regularly advertised, e.g. ITFC Club sporting and well-being courses.
  • Specialist school funding has enabled a wider range of activities to be accessed, e.g. drama master-classes.
  • Active travel
  • The school has developed a School Travel Plan in association with the School Travel Adviser.
  • The school has a bike shed that provides a safe place for staff and students who cycle in to school. The cycle sheds are monitored regularly and are included in the schools CCTV network.
  • The Police regularly speak to the cyclists and promote safety and security guidance, e.g. giving out free bike locks to encourage students to cycle to school
  • Road safety awareness is raised through assemblies, posters in school, letters home and police visits.
  • Consultation
  • Students are consulted and involved in decisions about the range and type of physical activity opportunities offered.
  • Consultation takes place through the Sports Council, School Council, staff meetings, staff and student reflections on performances, and a short questionnaire at the end of each year including the PESSCL information. Parental involvement is used as appropriate, e.g. supporting musical performances.
  • The school takes steps to remove barriers to participation identified by consulting with students and, where possible, involves students in implementing these developments.
  • Involving parents and carers
  • Staff and parents/carers are consulted and involved in decisions about, and the delivery of, physical activity and other healthy schools issues through regular questionnaires and requests in the school newsletter.
  • An information leaflet is sent out to parents/carers highlighting the ethos of the school and the opportunities available throughout the year.
  • The school’s activity facilities are made available for staff to use before school and during late afternoon/evening and a range of activities have been offered.
  • Safety
  • The school is committed to providing safe and effective activities and appropriate risk assessments and trained guidance are employed to ensure this.
  • The school follows Health and Safety guidelines, including AfPESafe Practice in Physical Education.
  • The School follows Safe guarding policies with regards to CRB checks

for all staff and adults with contact with students.

Monitoring and evaluation

The curriculum and out of school hours learning programmes are monitored on an ongoing basis through annual reviews and self evaluation.

Aspects that are monitored include:

  • Students’, staff and parents/carers’ knowledge/understanding of and attitude towards physical activity.
  • Students’ progress/attainment in physical activity and how this is reported.
  • The range of curricula physical activity opportunities offered to students, and the levels of participation.
  • The number of links to clubs/activities offered as extra-curricular/enrichment activities both within the school and the community; and student participation in these.
  • The number of students walking or cycling from/to home.
  • The number of professional development courses attended by staff/activity leaders;
  • How and when students, staff and parents/carers have been consulted.

The methods of evaluation include:

  • assessing students’ achievements;
  • reviewing schemes of work;
  • reviewing programmes of activities;
  • reviewing registers for activities;
  • staff and student discussions;
  • minutes of School Council meetings;
  • questionnaires;
  • annual Sports Awards;
  • annual PESSCL survey;
  • school sport partnership reviews and meetings;
  • annual school travel survey.