What is the PE and Sport Premium

At Northern Counties School we believe that all physical activity, including PE and sport plays an important role in making our vision statement a reality for every pupil, with potential to change young people’s lives for the better.

The PE and Sports Premium is a Government allocation which is used to make additional and sustainable improvements to the quality of PE and sport we offer for primary age pupils. We are committed to using this resource in developing high quality PE lessons, alongside greater opportunities for sporting competitions and clubs for all our young people.

In 2024-25 we used our funding to:

Install a bucket swing on the field area, increasing access to movement-based PE programmes, improving access to sensory regulation and supporting gross motor development in our learners. We also used the premium to purchase a range of bicycles, trikes and go karts to increase activity and exercise in learners, supporting PE, balance and coordination, gross motor development, and turn taking skills.

What we used the funding for in previous years

In 2023-2024 we used our funding to:

1. Revamp the Swing Room to increase access to physical activities for all learners
   The Ayres Sensory Integration room is used for students who have a swing room programme, or are receiving ASI therapy. There are new pieces of sensory equipment that are now in place and training has been provided for staff supporting with these programmes.
2. installation and re-purposing of a hoist in the  PE Hall to increase access to physical activities
   Lack of a suitable hoist inhibits access to a full range of PE and physical development activities and so the purchase and implementation of suitable equipment increases access for the most physically complex learners.
3. Re-designing of Sensory Integration areas, and purchase of necessary resources to increase the physical development of learners
   Sensory rooms with light and sound (which support sensory integration), and outdoor play areas, enable students to be regulated and their vestibular and proprioceptive needs to be met. This enables learners to develop physically towards long term outcomes in their physical development, and in their EHCP, and to access further progress in physical education.

In 2022-23 we used our funding for the delivery of RealPE.

RealPE provides a holistic approach of teaching and developing the whole child.  RealPE ensures that all children are able to access fun learning opportunities that build on previous learning whilst encouraging them to be physically active and healthy.

This approach allows the development of the fundamental skills of agility, balance and coordination through differentiated progressive challenges that build in complexity and skill.

Throughout these physical challenges, the children are working on both their inter and intra-personal skills through the ‘cogs’ of personal, social, cognitive, creative, applying physical and health and fitness which allow children to grow and apply their own social and emotional wellbeing throughout their PE learning journey.

Throughout their time within Northern Counties School, the children also have opportunities to apply these fundamental movement and cognitive skills through team games and personal challenges Outside agencies also support staff in teaching gymnastics, dance and multi-skill team games. Within Early Years, physical education is incorporated within daily continuous provision alongside formal lessons to help continuously build and develop their fine and gross motor skills.

Additionally, we provide opportunities for children to practise their fundamental movement skills within a different context through themed days, These days include activities which challenge the children’s agility, balance and coordination in ways that they may have not experienced before. We aim to ensure that all children have access to an ambitious yet broad and balanced curriculum which has been coherently planned and sequenced to include all children to ensure that they are physically active with a good understanding of their own social and emotional wellbeing.

2021-2022 (Allocation)

Physical education and activity is a vital part of a children’s physical and emotional wellbeing and development. Physical activity is essential for developing and improving health as well as a child’s physical and emotional wellbeing which in turn leads to a healthier lifestyle, better understanding of their body and ultimately more effective learners. Physical education develops a child’s knowledge, skills and understanding so they are able to perform with increasing competence and confidence across a range of activities.

At Northern Counties School, our aim is to ensure that PE allows all children to develop the physical literacy, social and emotional skills to succeed in PE, sport and beyond into all areas of their life. Our child centred approach aims to allow the children to develop their cognitive and personal skills alongside the development of their fundamental movement skills. We want every child to feel safe and supported as well as challenged through an engaging and progressive curriculum which allows them to be physically active and flourish within a range of different physical activities. In 2021-2022 we invested in Phase 1 and Year 1 of Real PE which continued into Year 2 funding.