SELF ASSESSMENT FORM FOR ADULTS SUPPORTING LEARNING (ASLs) APPLYING FOR INSURANCE COVER AS A MEMBER OFTHE ASSOCIATION FOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Adults Supporting Learning(ASLs) are defined as working within a school and assisting in the delivery of physical education or school sport (see Appendix One for FAQs on ASLs).The term ASLrefers to any of the following:

  • Higher Level Teaching Assistant
  • Teaching assistant
  • Volunteer
  • NGB Coach
  • Community Sports Leader
  • Student
  • Parent

The following information is required yearly to assess the viability of insurance cover. Please note that 10% random check is made on all applications.

I am a member of afPE – membership number ______

I confirm the following:

Date / Tick
CRB Number (must be less than 3 years old)
(please append copy of CRB Certificate)
National Governing Body Qualification(s) which is fit for purpose i.e. I only undertake to assist in this capacity
I have attended an ASLs Physical Education Awareness Course (please append details)
I have attended a Child Protection/Safeguarding Children Course (please append details)
I have had no allegations made against me in the past.
I have read and understood the enclosed FAQs

I can confirm that all of the above information is true and accurate and I accept that any false declaration on my part will invalidate my insurance cover with the Association for Physical Education.

Name SignedDate

To be witnessed and countersigned by an education professional who has known the applicant for a minimum of 2 years

Name and Address:

Signed Profession Date

Capacity in which the applicant is known to the countersignature

N.B. Records will be stored for 20 years. Any issue arising from the details provided on this form that might need further discussion will be taken up by the Association’s Child Protection Officer.

APPENDIX ONE

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND EASY IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORKFORCE REMODELLING AGENDA IN PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SCHOOL SPORT.

Peter Whitlam and revised 16 June 2005 to include Governors as employers (1).

1.Can dance or sports coaches appointed to the school staff work independently of a teacher?

Where they are appointed to the school staff as an instructor (unqualified teacher status) they work independently. However, where appointed as support staff they must be directed and supervised – i.e. managed – by a teacher. This would involve checking planning, competence in the activities to be taught, class management and monitoring their work. According to the decision of the teacher, they may work with groups or a class at distance but under the direction of the teacher – in another work area for example. This is quite common and the decision needs to be based on a risk assessment to determine whether the support staff should be allowed to work at distance from the teacher.

2.Can anyone supervise practical cover lessons in physical education where the absent teacher has set some pre-learned activity?

Physical education activities can be high risk situations – where injury may arise due to large numbers moving about at speed in a confined space, often controlling a ball or implement. It is essential that anyone responsible for any practical session – with or without qualified teacher status (QTS) – has:

  1. expertise in the range of activities to be taught – i.e.
  2. technical knowledge
  3. knowledge of progression
  4. safety issues
  5. rules,
  6. observation and analysis skills to ensure that what is going on is safe,
  7. good class control.

Where these competences are not evident the lesson should take place in a classroom with pre-set study materials.

3.Can support staff/sports coaches escort groups or classes off-site without a teacher present?

Many school policies require a teacher to be present when groups or classes go off-site – check your school policy. Where this is not a requirement support staff can assume responsibility for groups off-site but the teacher retains ultimate responsibility for the event. The head teacher would ask the physical education teacher/s to ensure that the support staff or coach has the competence and necessary information to carry out this role safely. This would include consideration of:

  1. leadership ability
  2. confidence
  3. organisational skills
  4. good control and discipline
  5. understanding of their role
  6. communication skills – with the pupils and other adults involved
  7. expertise/experience/competence appropriate to the demands of the pupils and the activities to be delivered
  8. knowledge of the group going off-site
  9. provision of emergency contact information
  10. knowledge of managing first aid situations
  11. training, where needed
  12. CRB disclosure certification, according to the LEA/Governors/school policy
  13. the usual pre-employment screening to confirm identity, qualifications, references, previous employment history,
  14. a clear, detailed contract for services if an agency is providing the coaches.

4.Can support staff take large groups?

Yes. Whoever takes large groups for physical education or school sport – whether with QTS or not – there needs to be careful thought given to what is deemed to be a safe maximum number for the specific circumstances. It should not be assumed that large spaces can accommodate large groups with the minimum of adult supervision.

Some schools allow teams of sports coaches to take large groups without a teacher present. The school would need to ensure that all in the team have the competence to teach the activity in a safe context. One of the coaches would need to be delegated overall control for the session. The team would need to be monitored to ensure that the same standards of safety and learning are met as would be the case with a teacher present.

5.Can a school caretaker/site manager or secretary take physical education lessons or school sport sessions without a teacher present?

Yes – as a member of the school support staff. They would need to demonstrate the same competences as set out in answer 2. They would need to be directed and supervised by a qualified teacher for physical education lessons. The same standard of care and legal responsibility would apply to them as to a qualified teacher.

6.Can sports coaches with awards in specific sports lead multi-sport sessions?

Care needs to be taken in deploying coaches with qualifications in a specific sport to teach multi-sport sessions. They need to have the knowledge and competence to teach the multi-sport session safely. Competence means having the expertise in each of the sports to know what is safe and challenging and what is not. They need to know the progressive practices and be able to apply rules stringently in order to avoid injury.

7.If a national governing body sets lower adult- pupil ratios for teaching/coaching than the LEA, Governors or school, which takes precedence?

The LEA/Governors or school requirements would take precedence where the coach was working on behalf of the school.

8.Can parents cover lessons? If so, should they be paid?

Parents are often involved in teaching physical education as volunteers. They usually receive the same insurance cover by the LEA/Governors as would employees. They must work under the supervision and direction of a teacher.

If paid for their services then they become members of the school’s support staff and would work under the supervision and direction of a qualified teacher.

9.Who is held responsible should a pupil be injured whilst support staff work at some distance from a teacher?

The LEA or Governors, as the employer, would be held responsible. The employer (LEA/Governors) sets the standards and conditions under which people work in LEA schools through policies such as that for health and safety. The school needs to take account of the employer’s policy. Where injuries occurred when support staff were involved the school would need to show that a suitable risk assessment had been carried out. The teacher needs to monitor regularly the work and standards of paid coaches and school support staff as they work under the teacher’s direction and supervision.

10.What standard of teaching should support staff demonstrate?

DfES recommend that the Teacher Training Agency (TTA – now designated as the Training and Development Agency for Schools – TDA) Professional Standards for Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs) are applied to all who work with groups or classes at distance from a teacher. These standards can be found at .

11.How do I ensure that standards in physical education are not adversely affected by the use of sports coaches to teach their specific sports?

The Declaration for Physical Education (CCPR 2003 – ) sets out the dual fundamental purposes of physical education – learning to move and moving to learn, or, learning in PE and learning through PE (sometimes described as physical literacy or physical competence). Delivery of the national curriculum for physical education process model requires the four strands to be taught and developed, using activities as the context for learning. The outcome of physical literacy within the context of the national curriculum must not be subordinated to sporting outcomes through sports development. Teachers need to monitor and provide professional development where necessary to ensure that sports coaches understand and teach within a context of the requirements of the national curriculum for physical education and not allow physical education standards to be adversely affected through simple sports development.

12.Can schools arrange contracts with agencies, such as Leisure Services or private businesses, to provide coaches to teach aspects of physical education?

Yes. This is becoming increasingly common. Schools need to ensure:

  1. a clear and detailed contract for services is established which sets out the school’s requirements, including teaching and discipline standards to be met,
  2. the agency provides comparable insurance cover to that provided by the employer (LEA/Governors),
  3. coach qualifications and disclosure certification are checked by the agency,
  4. school provides adequate information about the school’s scheme of work, procedures and routines,
  5. risk assessment requirements are carried out,
  6. coaches are provided with information about the pupils,
  7. the quality of provision is monitored carefully.

13.Do the new Regulations and Guidance apply only to physical education but not to school sport?

Yes – technically the Regulations and Guidance on Workforce Remodelling apply only to curriculum time physical education and not to out of school hours school sport. However, LEAs or Governors, as employers, have overall responsibility for health and safety. The LEA delegates the day-to-day responsibility for health and safety to the Governors and hence to the head teacher. Thus, the head teacher is responsible for all that is organised by the school whether in lesson time or out, on or off-site, during the school day or at weekends. Case law identifies the same standard of care for pupils whether in curriculum time or out of school hours activities. Hence, schools are likely and,in the opinion of baalpe would be well advised, to maintain the same standards of management, supervision and direction of support staff for out of school hours activities as for curriculum time – a principle clearly set out in The Use Of Volunteers And Paid Coaches (Contractors) In Physical Education And School Sport (baalpe/DfES, 2004) and Guidance On The Organisation Of Inter-School Fixtures And Area Sports Events, (baalpe/NCSS 2004). Civil litigation precedent expects the school to maintain a responsibility for any pupil engaged in any activities organised at any time by the school.

14.Can a head teacher deliver the whole physical education programme using sports coaches as instructors (unqualified teacher status) because it is cheaper than employing teachers?

Within the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Act, 2003, head teachers must deploy a teacher to every class or group other than in exceptional circumstances. Cheaper cost does not constitute exceptional circumstances. Instructors may be appointed only where no qualified teacher or teacher in employment-based training is available to take a group or class. Where such an appointment occurs it may continue only for the period that a teacher cannot be appointed. This implies short-term appointment of instructors (unqualified teacher status). Where instructors are appointed – and prove to be an asset to the school – they should be encouraged to commence some form of teacher training scheme as soon as possible. Then they may continue with their employment, under the category of employment-based trainee.

15.If support staff work with groups/classes at distance from a qualified teacher who is responsible for what?

The teacher continues to have ultimate responsibility for learning – usually addressed by shared planning with the support staff, or closely monitoring the planning of the support staff, often participating in assessment and monitoring the quality of learning that takes place. Also, because support staff work to the direction and supervision of a teacher then that teacher maintains ultimate responsibility for matters of health and safety.

16.Can trainee teachers be used as support staff to carry out the specified work (the basic teaching tasks)?

Trainee teachers who have completed their programmes of training but have failed the skills tests may teach with unqualified teacher status and need not be supervised or directed. They have a maximum of 5 years to pass the skills tests, otherwise they cannot continue working with unqualified teacher status. Trainee teachers participating in their university course should not be classed as support staff as they are not employed by the school and the contract between the university and the school would determine that their status is one of training. This is not to say that they cannot carry out the basic teaching tasks under the supervision and direction of a qualified teacher – and, if sufficiently competent, sometimes work at distance from the qualified teacher.

17.Must sports coaches be on the school staffing roll to work in school?

Many are employed directly by the school but need not be. They can be contracted directly to provide an agreed level of service. They may also work in school on behalf of an agency – such as Leisure Services – that has been contracted to provide expertise.

18.Can the head teacher timetable all the physical education lessons for one afternoon and employ a team of coaches to teach the sessions whilst teachers have Planning, Preparation and Assessment (PPA) time?

Technically yes. It is likely that the head teacher would be the designated teacher as the other staff should not have any interruption to their PPA time – but schools can come to some arrangement with a teacher provided any disturbed time is made up. The key question is whether the school can demonstrate that this arrangement ensures appropriate standards in the subject. The coaches – and any QTS as well –should aspire towards demonstrating high quality skills as set out in the QCA “High Quality in PE” document and OFSTED’s “Handbook for Inspection” to ensure that both pupil outcomes and the provision to attain such outcomes were of high quality. Standards in physical education should not be subordinated to convenient administrative arrangements.

19.Can KS4 and VI form students take responsibility for younger pupils in PE or school sport independently of, or at distance from, a teacher?

No. A minor (under 18 and a student at school) cannot assume the legal responsibility for other young students. There are many excellent young coaches/leaders, working directly alongside and supporting school staff, in their own or other schools,

20.What is a good way to introduce and manage the use of coaches as support staff?

  1. the head teacher needs to determine any required conditions of service – as employee on the school staffing roll, agency contracted coach or volunteer
  2. all support staff ought to have enhanced disclosure certification;
  3. ensure that appropriate levels of professional and personal liability insurance are provided,
  4. parents should be informed when someone other than a qualified teacher is deployed to assume the immediate responsibility for a group or class;
  5. the extent of the role and responsibility the support staff assume needs to be made clear, based on the competence, confidence and ability of the support staff to lead sessions - on or off-site, in physical education lessons or in school sport, during weekdays, weekends or holidays - at the same standard of care as that of a competent teacher;
  6. the distinct dual contribution of physical education to children’s education – learning to move and moving to learn – and the requirements of developing the four strands of the national curriculum for physical education should be emphasised and not be subordinated to sports development,
  7. regular monitoring of the support staff is required to ensure that required standards are met.