As the term gets underway, it’s time to start bouncing into action again. If you’re planning to help your pupils to get more active this term, we’ve put together 5 ways to encourage children to take part in sport and PE over the coming months.
1. Make sure your outdoor space is ready for action.
The benefits of taking PE and sport outdoors are well-known and to get the most from them it’s important to make sure that your outdoor space is ready. It’s crucial to have a space that is accessible to all ages and abilities and is adaptable to a variety of sports and activities. The great news is that there are lots of funding opportunities available for sports facilities. Get in touch if you'd like to find out more.
2. Find a way to make every lesson active.
Physical activity doesn’t have to be limited to PE lessons, there are lots of ways you can incorporate sports into the curriculum. Accompany English lessons with live dance or measure your speed in the playground in maths.
3. Seek inspiration from role models.
Sporting heroes will always be role models to children and often they can be used as inspiration for taking part in sport and PE. The Olympics were a fantastic motivation for getting children active last year and still can be. Find out who your pupils look up to and decide, as a class, how the children can train in the playground to be the next Usain Bolt or Joanne Jackson.
4. Create school events to encourage a little healthy competition.
With the right set-up and encouragement, sports competitions in school can be a great incentive for more physical activity. It’s important to teach children about sportsmanship and teamwork (plus a lot more benefits you can read about here) and a little healthy competition is the perfect place to start. Yardley Hastings Primary School used the Olympic Legacy as inspiration for their playground and helped change the children’s attitudes towards sport and exercise.
5. Make it fun.
And last, but certainly not least, the best way to encourage your pupils to take part in more sport and PE this term is to make it fun. Outdoor play is key to developing a happy and healthy relationship with exercise. If the children are having fun and moving, sport and PE will become less of a chore and more of a reward.
Make sure your outdoor space is ready for action.?The benefits of taking PE and sport outdoors are well-known and to get the most from them it’s important to make sure that your outdoor space is ready. It’s crucial to have a space that is accessible to all ages and abilities and is adaptable to a variety of sports and activities.?
Find a way to make every lesson active.?Physical activity doesn’t have to be limited to PE lessons, there are lots of ways you can incorporate sports into the curriculum. Accompany English lessons with live dance or measure your speed in the playground in maths. ?
Seek inspiration from role models.?Sporting heroes will always be role models to children and often they can be used as inspiration for taking part in sport and PE. The Olympics were a fantastic motivation for getting children active last year and still can be. Find out who your pupils look up to and decide, as a class, how the children can train in the playground to be the next Usain Bolt or Joanne Jackson.
Make sure your outdoor space is ready for action.?The benefits of taking PE and sport outdoors are well-known and to get the most from them it’s important to make sure that your outdoor space is ready. It’s crucial to have a space that is accessible to all ages and abilities and is adaptable to a variety of sports and activities.
Find a way to make every lesson active.?Physical activity doesn’t have to be limited to PE lessons, there are lots of ways you can incorporate sports into the curriculum. Accompany English lessons with live dance or measure your speed in the playground in maths.
Seek inspiration from role models.?Sporting heroes will always be role models to children and often they can be used as inspiration for taking part in sport and PE. The Olympics were a fantastic motivation for getting children active last year and still can be. Find out who your pupils look up to and decide, as a class, how the children can train in the playground to be the next Usain Bolt or Joanne Jackson.
Create school events to encourage a little healthy competition. ?With the right set-up and encouragement, sports competitions in school can be a great incentive for more physical activity. It’s important to teach children about sportsmanship and teamwork (plus a lot more benefits you can read about here) and a little healthy competition is the perfect place to start. Yardley Hastings Primary School used the Olympic Legacy as inspiration for their playground and helped change the children’s attitudes towards sport and exercise.
Make it fun.?And last, but certainly not least, the best way to encourage your pupils to take part in more sport and PE this term is to make it fun. Outdoor play is key to developing a happy and healthy relationship with exercise. If the children are having fun and moving, sport and PE will become less of a chore and more of a reward.
Create school events to encourage a little healthy competition. ?With the right set-up and encouragement, sports competitions in school can be a great incentive for more physical activity. It’s important to teach children about sportsmanship and teamwork (plus a lot more benefits you can read about here) and a little healthy competition is the perfect place to start. Yardley Hastings Primary School used the Olympic Legacy as inspiration for their playground and helped change the children’s attitudes towards sport and exercise.
Make it fun.?And last, but certainly not least, the best way to encourage your pupils to take part in more sport and PE this term is to make it fun. Outdoor play is key to developing a happy and healthy relationship with exercise. If the children are having fun and moving, sport and PE will become less of a chore and more of a reward.
Concerned about funding for PE and sports in school?
The government has announced that it plans to double the value of the primary PE and sport premium to £320 million from September by using some of the funds from the new sugar tax. It also plans to continue to ring-fence the funding until 2020. The levy has been welcome news to campaigners for children’s health, ourselves included, and is a step in the right direction towards combatting childhood obesity.
If you are a state-funded school, the PE and Sport Premium can be used to improve your play facilities when making additional and sustainable improvements to the quality of PE and sport you are offering your pupils. This means that you can use the premium to develop or add to the PE and sport activities that your school already offers and make improvement now that will benefit pupils joining the school in future years. You can read more about the premium here or you can contact one of our local advisors to find out how you can improve your sports and PE facilities.
All schools and other community groups can also take advantage of new grant funding released from Sport England. Please contact us if you'd like to find out more about this fund, and we'd be more than happy to take you through the process, as we have done for other schools across the country.