How to spend your Primary PE and Sport Premium to make the required improvements.

Any primary school with 17 or more pupils aged 5-11 receives an £8,000 lump sum, with an additional £5 per pupil. Schools with fewer than 17 will receive £500 per qualifying pupil. It is partially funded by the so-called 'sugar tax', aimed at helping schools promote and encourage healthy, active lifestyles in their pupils. Of course, the question then becomes, "Where could that money be spent to make the required improvements?" Too many schools focus on investing in extra equipment or sending teachers on bog-standard professional development courses, both of which are somewhat helpful but lacking when it comes to addressing the key issues that hold back the provision of genuine quality in PE lessons.

Identifying the real issues One of the fundamental issues is that although 88% of primary school teachers acknowledge that PE is equally important to the other subjects they teach, less than 75% of them actually feel confident to teach it. One of the key components of the DfE guidelines for the use of the Primary PE and School Sport Premium is professional development for teachers, and Physical Education &Active Kids have the PE Curriculum Support (PECS) programme to deliver this in a sustainable and impactful way.

A one-of-a-kind programme The programme delivers bespoke 1-to-1 mentoring for primary school teachers to develop their delivery of primary PE. It is used by hundreds of schools around England to help increase the confidence, skills and knowledge base of educators, treating every teacher as an individual with their own tailored support. PECS stands out from other professional development programmes in the way it meets DfE guidelines to maximise effective use of the PE and Sport premium. Here's how: 1. There should be a clear focus on improving and assessing pupil outcomes. The reflective practice model of PECS continuously evaluates the impact on pupil outcomes. Lessons are altered after a pre-programme delivery assessment to identify areas for improvement to help pupils make swift progress. 2. There should be evidence and expertise behind professional development schemes. The PECS programme always involves pre- and post-evaluation, with comprehensive impact data reporting and curriculum progress mapping. Evidence is reported via a state-of-the-art online portal, and every member of staff is given their own personal development folder. 3. There should be collaboration and expert challenging. The support, modelling and challenge of PECS mentors is ongoing, with regular feedback to help set, achieve and evaluate goals. All teachers can be supported, regardless of their pre-programme experience, confidence and competence. 4. Sustainability is key. The PECS programme is delivered on site in PE lessons, with mentoring available before, during and after lesson delivery. All teachers taking part receive ongoing mentoring, and extracurricular sports activities are also supported. Get involved PECS is the only PE professional development programme recognised by afPE as a programme which assures high-quality learning for teachers. If you would like to learn more about how we can help with the sustainable use of your Primary PE and Sport Premium get in touch today and we'll arrange to meet with you.