What if pupils could achieve higher academic attainment while ticking off their daily movement and exercise targets? With physically active learning (PAL), they can. 

Boosting results with physically active learning 

Physically active learning challenges traditional, desk-based teaching methods by injecting movement into lessons. PAL uses the brain-boosting power of physical activity to directly involve and engage pupils in education – with remarkable results. 

Targeted at primary school-aged children, PAL is proven to increase engagement, performance, behaviour, and cognition. Currently, most KS1 and KS2 children spend 50-70% of their school day seated. However, research repeatedly shows that when students sit less, they learn more. 

One Nottingham Trent University study found that physically active lessons improved cognitive function tests by an average of 30% and motor development tasks by 25%. What’s...

For most people, professional development means building new skills, enhancing performance and unlocking opportunities. For teachers and coaches, it means all those things and more.  

Because when you’re boosting children’s physical and mental health, expanding your knowledge base doesn’t just benefit you. It gives pupils a better start in life.  

According to Sport England, physically literate children are more likely to be active for the long term – but more than half of children aged five to 15 in England aren’t doing the recommended daily amount of exercise. 

For many pupils, school provides the mainstay of their physical activity. It’s where they learn Fundamental Movement Skills – from balancing to throwing a ball – that blossom into sporting talents and vital life tools like teamwork and taking part. It’s also where they discover the power of play.  

As an educator, the wider your...

The foundations of our physical activity behaviours start in the earliest of years.

Children who develop physical literacy in the Early Years are more likely to enjoy being physically active, and they have lower morbidity and mortality across their life course.

Physical activity helps young children meet key physical development milestones, improve body control and strengthen bones and muscles. 

And it’s not just physical development, there’s a growing body of research linking physical activity to cognition and future academic performance.

But the Early Intervention Foundation’s parent polling suggests that less than 1 in 5 under 6s are getting the recommended amount of daily physical activity. 

Time, cost, and access are all barriers to children’s physical activity outside of a learning environment.

And so, it is crucial that children have an abundance of opportunity to be physically active within the learning environment.

Physically active...

It’s in line with the national primary curriculum. It helps children master fundamental movement skills. And it can be transformative in its impact on a child’s physical, emotional, cognitive and social development.

And yet gymnastics is barely covered in initial teacher training.

As a result, it’s seen as a difficult and dangerous sport to teach, with teachers left apprehensive about delivering lessons.

But with the developmental benefits it offers, gymnastics is an essential component of the primary curriculum.

So how do you move from fearing the sport to making it one of your favourite to teach?

With this brand new course from Ryan Bradley, former international gymnast and founder and director of RB Gym & Sport.

What will you learn?

The course gives you the skills, knowledge and confidence to plan, teach and assess primary gymnastics.

It’s broken down into three modules. Module 1 focuses on KS1 gymnastics skills and progressions, Module 2 covers...

When it comes to a child’s development, gymnastics can be transformative.

The impact ranges from physical to emotional to cognitive to social.

Here we break down that impact and take a closer look at why gymnastics is an essential sport to teach in primary school.

Teaching gymnastics develops key physical skills

If you’re looking for a sport that covers just about all of the physical skills that children need to develop, gymnastics is your answer.

Flexibility, strength, technique, speed, control, coordination and balance are all developed through gymnastics. Which leads us on to our next point…

Teaching gymnastics is in line with the national curriculum

KS1:
“Pupils should develop fundamental movement skills, become increasingly competent and confident and access a broad range of opportunities to extend their agility, balance and coordination, individually and with others.”

KS2:
“Pupils should be taught to develop flexibility, strength, technique,...

94,000 fewer children and young people were active in the 2020-2021 academic year compared to 2018-2019

The number of children with a probable mental health disorder has increased from one in nine in 2017 to one in six in 2021

And so, if there was ever a time to make sure you’re making the most of your PE and sport premium, it’s now.

You’ve got until the end of this academic year to spend your premium in full, which includes any unspent funds rolled over as a result of the pandemic.

There’s so many ways to spend the premium, but how do you know what will have the most impact on your school and pupils specifically?

Get bespoke recommendations by completing the Primary School PE Scorecard. 

What is the Primary School PE Scorecard?

The Department for Education (DfE) states that schools should use their premium to secure improvements in 5 key indicators:

• Engagement of all pupils in regular physical activity
• The profile of PE and sport is raised...

This week on the podcast we welcome two of the team from Wodensfield Primary School, Deputy Headteacher Liam Gould and PE Lead Teresa Shackleton.

Who is Liam Gould?

Liam is Deputy Headteacher of Wodensfield Primary School. Liam has over twenty years’ experience working in schools and leadership roles, but his passion has always been in sport and PE. 

From a young age Liam’s parents provided him with lots of opportunities to play and participate in different sports.  Liam’s first official participation in sport was playing for a local junior football team, as he moved into his teens this expanded to cricket, tennis, table tennis and golf.  This engagement with sports has continued into adulthood. Liam continues to play golf and has a handicap of 5, he coaches his son’s (U12’s) and daughter’s (U9’s) football teams, valuing the chance to provide his own children and their teammates with key opportunities to lead...

This week on the podcast we’re joined by primary school PE lead John Haycock.

Who is John Haycock?

John has been a teacher at Chilcote primary school for 11 years, both as PE and class teacher.

Joining the school with a view to take over PE, John completed his NQT and became PE lead in his second year. 10 years on, John’s passion for sport and physical activity combined with his drive has put PE, school sport and physical activity at the heart of school life 

What’s discussed in the episode?

• Where to go to get support as a PE lead
• The role of a PE lead over the last 10 years
• Observing lessons - best practice
• Making PE and physical activity the heart of school life
• Helping children to become young leaders
• Opportunities for those less active
• Split role as a class teacher and a PE lead

 The Primary PE Huddle is back for Series 3 with a whole new host of experts from across the sport and physical activity sector.

To kick off the series, we welcome Greg Dryer, co-founder and CEO of miMove.

Who is Greg Dryer?

Greg is the co-founder and CEO of miMove, the world’s first bespoke app enabling schools to help pupils make physical activity a normal and regular part of their lives. 

Prior to the creation of miMove, Greg was founder and director of the Centre for Physical Education, Sport and Activity at Kingston University (CPESA) after a long teaching career that afforded him the opportunity to work with all ages from pre-school through to post-grad. 

Greg is a highly experienced physical educator and critical thinker, having led PE departments in three London schools before moving into higher education. 

Greg’s work disrupts exclusive practices in PE and sport. Drawing inspiration from psychology, critical theory,...

Movement is our first language, our first form of communication with the outside world.

It also forms the foundation of how young children engage with themselves.  Fundamental physical skills provide children with essential life skills; the first touch, giggle, step and smile.  Interaction - reaction, body movement and language are the main methods of communication.  From birth the brain prioritises movement, it is one of the primary functions in early life after the rudimentary survival functions; heartbeat, breathing and digestion.  Each move a child makes builds critical neural pathways in the brain and develops physical competency.  The more repeated physical experiences the increased sensory receptors and subsequent cemented neural pathways.  Overtime movement becomes fully automated.  Once movements become automated children’s brains are then free to process other thinking (conscious) tasks like talking and listening.  Each...