A firm which goes into primary schools in Derbyshire and Staffordshire to run “exciting and creative” PE lessons believes that sport should be at the top of the curriculum.
Progressive Sports, which works with schools across the city and county, has had its busiest ever summer of coaching with courses in Matlock, Swadlincote, Etwall and just over the border in Uttoxeter, selling out every day.
Managing director Adam Holland said there was a waiting list of students who couldn’t take part, due to a combination of the restrictions placed on numbers and an increased demand for activities.
All sessions – from Glow in the Dark Dodgeball and Nerf Wars to gymnastics and Futsal – were carefully planned so that they were Covid-safe and complied with the local county council guidance.
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And Adam believes that those sessions helped children overcome any anxieties they may have had before returning to school in September, following six months off after the Coronavirus outbreak.
He said: “PE has moved on so much in the past few years and there is much more awareness of the positive effect that taking part in activity has on children, as long as that activity is engaging and varied and as inclusive as possible.
“The restrictions that have been placed on schools and families during the lockdown have also heightened awareness of how important it is for children’s mental and physical wellbeing for them to get outside into the fresh air and get active.
“That’s why we believe that PE should be top of the curriculum. Not only does it help with general wellbeing, it can also aid communication, anger management and we can bring in elements of more traditional subjects such as maths and English into our sessions, too.
“Our participation figures over the summer were our best yet – and it’s starting to impact on our school programme too. Schools are under huge pressure to ensure that their children stay safe during the lockdown while ensuring that they still play their part in keeping pupils engaged in physical activity.
“Our PE sessions fulfil both of these criteria because our coaches are fully trained to ensure that we deliver exciting and creative lessons that keep children interested without breaking the necessary social distancing rules.”
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A recent survey of over 450 schools in the UK suggested that 32% of teachers felt uncomfortable delivering PE with 53% wanting more training and 42% of teachers saying that they don’t enjoy the lessons.
“Our staff, who have recently completed Youth Mental Health Awareness training, can deliver well prepared lessons that meet all Ofsted requirements,” added Adam.
“We can offer PPA Cover and both breakfast and after-school clubs. We’ve worked so hard to make sure that these out-of-hours clubs are Covid-safe, including introducing bubble only clubs, either class bubbles, year group bubbles of key stage bubbles.
“We ask that children are ready dressed for sport, too, which works well.
“We want children to fall in love with sport again and to enjoy being children.”
ENDS
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