You donā€™t need to teach sport with Ryan Ellis
In the penultimate episode of this series of The PE Huddle, Dan meets Ryan Ellis to talk about what Ryan sees happening in schools and his tips and tricks for juggling the many demands on you as a PE Lead, including pointing out that the National Curriculum for PE doesn’t actually require you to teach specific sports.
Who is Ryan Ellis?
‘The PE Umbrella Man’, as he is often called, lived a childhood filled with sport and physical activity and always had a burning desire to teach PE. After several years of coaching and then teaching, Ryan turned his full focus towards making a bigger impact in primary PE.
In 2015, Ryan set up The PE Umbrella which has evolved from a podcast platform into a consulting career allowing him to provide training for schools, universities and SCITTs.
Listen to this week’s episode of The PE Huddle: Make PE the golden thread in your school to hear Ryan’s words of wisdom.
In the podcast, we discuss
...Physical Activity for Whole School Improvement with Andy Heald
Whole school improvement is no small matter. As a teacher, SLT member, or school governor, it is your responsibility to plan for and make changes that will have a positive impact on not only assessment data but also the wellbeing of all members of the school community.
As an experienced school governor, Andy Heald is no stranger to school improvement and he believes that physical activity is key to success.
Listen to this week’s episode of The PE Huddle: Physical Activity for Whole School Improvement to find out more.
In the podcast, we discuss
- The importance of asking “What is the bigger picture?” when looking at the PE curriculum
- Why you should focus on the WHY, before the How and the What
- Andy’s belief that Activity + Achievement = Fun
- The need to create great physical activity experiences for children
Available to listen NOW wherever you get your podcasts
West Midlands PE and School Sport Conference 2021 - Workshop leader: Steve Caldecott
Have you signed up for the WMPESS conference yet?
The importance of an ambitious, compelling, needs-driven and well-structured physical education curriculum
As a former teacher, school leader, and physical education specialist, Steve Caldecott knows the reality of school life and leading PE. As a school inspector, he knows what the expectations are for physical activity within the curriculum. And as a representative of the Association for Physical Education (afPE) he has his finger on the pulse with all the latest developments, trends and advice.
Who better, then, than Steve to give a keynote speech at this year’s West Midlands PE and School Sport Conference?
Steve’s not-to-be-missed speech will cover:
- Using some key wording from the Education Inspection framework to support your curriculum planning
- Making effective use of the national curriculum
- The introduction of some key questions to help you to reflect on your physical education curriculum.
...
WMPESS Conference: Final keynote speaker announcement
This year's WMPESS conference will be held on 12th November in Edgbaston. For those who have been following the journey of this exciting event, you will probably know that two of our keynote speakers have already been announced. Our final keynote speaker for this year's conference has now been confirmed and we are delighted to announce that Greg Dryer will be presenting on 'Supporting all your pupils in developing a physical activity habit'.
In this keynote you will have a chance to think about:
- The key messages children hear about physical activity and whether or not they are effective
- How we might be able to present physical activity in a more inclusive way to support more children
- How this would play out in curriculum content and in school sport and physical activity
Greg will also be leading a workshop: Defining (and staying in) our lane.
He explains: “Physical education, school sport and physical activity is pulled from pillar to post by policy makers, the...
Birmingham Awards 2021 Finalist
We are delighted to share that Aspire have been shortlisted for this year’s Birmingham Awards 2021 in the 'Business of the Year' category.
The winner will be announced next month. An interview with judges and a public vote will help decide who walks away with the award.
Organisations who have been shortlisted for Business of the Year must demonstrate an all-round excellence in business. In particular, the winning business must demonstrate success, the impact of new products or services, evidence a strong team culture, show how they have been innovative and creative, as well as impacting their community.
The Aspire team have worked tirelessly over the past 18 months and made a huge impact on children, young people and their families both directly and via their partner network, Aspire Active Partnerships.
Co-Founder, Paul Griffiths said
“Recognition of our achievements is always nice, especially when it comes from your home city....
Agenda and Keynote speaker announcement: WMPESS Conference 2021
The West Midlands PE and School Sport Conference is only a few weeks away and we are thrilled to be able to show you the agenda for the day. We’ve packed a lot into a single day to make it really worth your while coming along.
Take a look at the agenda below and you’ll see there are keynote speakers, three sessions where you will have a choice of practical or theoretical workshops, several opportunities for networking, and plenty of refreshment and movement breaks.
We will be welcoming Caroline Sidell as a keynote speaker, presenting on the important topic of Building a whole school wellbeing strategy.
‘Wellbeing’ is a term that has been used to describe a multitude of activities and can mean different things to different people. Caroline is here to help you make sure what you’re doing is meaningful and will have a positive and lasting impact on your school community.
Caroline is the perfect person to talk about health...
West Midlands PE and School Sport Conference 2021 - Workshop leader: Ryan Bradley
As a former international gymnast competing for Great Britain and England for over 10 years, there aren’t many people more qualified to lead a gymnastics workshop than Ryan Bradley.
Now the Director of RB Gym & Sport, Ryan works to develop and enhance the teaching of gymnastics in schools, to support both teachers and pupils.
At the 2019 conference, Ryan’s practical workshops were extremely well received so we are thrilled to welcome him back this year to lead sessions on the Fundamentals of Primary Gymnastics.
Many teachers tell us that they lack confidence in teaching gymnastics, so if balances and rolls, horses and beams fill you with fear then you are not alone. Ryan is a pro at providing opportunities for teachers to learn by doing and can answer your questions during the session.
If you want to improve the delivery of gymnastics in your school, then you won’t want to miss this one. You’ll come away with actionable ideas...
West Midlands PE and School Sport Conference 2021 - Workshop leader: Crichton Casbon
We’re excited to announce that the inspirational Crichton Casbon will be leading not one, but TWO unmissable workshops at this year’s WMPESS conference.
- Great Teaching in PE
- Assessment in PE – made simple and usable
If you’re looking to make your PE lessons more memorable and meaningful, or wondering how to make assessing PE more than just a hoop to jump through, then these workshops are for you.
Crichton is a curriculum designer with a specialism in Physical Education and he really knows his stuff!
Crichton managed the implementation of the secondary curriculum in England for QCA and directed the PE and School Sport (PESS) project as part of the Government’s national strategy for PE and Sport. He has led the development of three national curriculum programmes of study in PE, national schemes of work and co-authored a book on assessment in PE. A former teacher of PE, geography and English, he has also worked as a LEA Adviser for...
Aspire:ED Membership is here! Varied and flexible content available wherever, whenever and however suits you.
Traditionally, CPD looks something like this:
You sign up to go on a course.
The day before the course, you spend hours putting together everything for a cover teacher.
On the morning of the course you travel to the specified location, do the course (sometimes broken up by some coffee and custard creams) and then you travel home.
Courses can be great. You get a day away from the hustle and bustle of the classroom, you might get a free pen, and theoretically, you come away with some new learning about a particular topic.
But what if the course you want to go on clashes with a parents’ evening?
What if the trainer you really want to meet works at the other end of the country?
What if, on the day of the course, you are tired and just not feeling it?
Well, you might have to provide your own beverage and biscuit of choice, but in Aspire:ED we think we have the solution to all your CPD problems, and it’s so much more than just a one-day course.
Aspire:ED is an...
How do you measure the quality of your primary schoolā€™s PE?
How do you know if your school’s primary PE, sport and physical activity (PESSPA) is high-quality?
Is it what it needs to be in order to equip children with the knowledge, skills and confidence to lead healthy lives?
To work this out, you need to objectively measure it against the Department for Education’s five key indicators.
But this throws up challenges.
For one, how can you make sure you’re being objective?
Also, what is actually meant by “measure”, practically speaking?
And even if you could reach an objective result, what do you do then?
All of this is solved by the new Primary School PE Scorecard.
What is the Primary School PE Scorecard?
40 quick-fire questions you can answer in under 5 minutes.
The Scorecard benchmarks your current PESSPA offering against the DfE’s five key indicators.
Created by primary school PE and children’s activity specialists, the bespoke algorithm measures the quality of your school’s...
