Coopers Edge School

Active Edge’

Active Bodies and Active Minds = Healthy and successful learners for the future.

Overview
In April 2013, the Government announced a new programme of directed funding, the ‘Primary PE and Sport Premium,’ investing more than £450 million pounds over its first three academic years. The funding must be spent by schools on making additional and sustainable improvements to the provision of PE and sport, benefiting all pupils within the school and encouraging the development of healthy and active lifestyles. Each school is able to determine the best use of this funding for their children.

In March 2016, the Government used its Budget statement to announce there would be further investment in the Sports Premium funding programme, saying it would double the money available (from September 2017), using redirected tax revenue from the new levy on soft drinks to support it. 

What have we done so far?
Since opening in late 2011 Coopers Edge School has seen a rapid growth in pupil numbers, from around 40 to 420 pupils – Our full school community! Our fantastic modern site and buildings were opened in April 2012 and offer extensive grounds that are capable of providing many options to encourage and facilitate active lifestyles during both curriculum and non-curriculum time. However, from the outset it was essential and obvious that the school needed to secure appropriate PE and sport resources for the fast growing student roll, to use within the environment, as well as support the CPD and induction needs of an ever increasing number of staff. In addition, the school were conscious of the wider public agenda and ongoing debate around the activity levels of the next generation. The school’s initial focusses therefore were:

• To ensure adequate and appropriate resourcing of sports equipment, in line with the actual roll number at any given time, across all key stages.
• Acquire and implement appropriate PE Schemes of Work (SOW).
• Support staff’s CPD, with qualified assistance, especially in relation to new SOW.
• Promote physical activity during non-curriculum time (playtimes and community based). 

So how has previous funding helped?

Coopers Edge School have utilized the funding to help:

• Ongoing augmentation of sports and activity equipment to reflect the school’s growing pupil numbers; meet high levels of equipment and pupil ratios and ensure a wide variety of resources to facilitate diverse pupil experiences (curriculum and non-curriculum).
• Purchase new subject Schemes of Work, providing staff with an appropriate resource to support planning of focussed lessons in key topics. The schemes are now being used and have given staff increased levels of confidence in preparing and delivering lessons, across the depth and breadth of the PE curriculum. The schemes were also supported by initial and follow-up CPD activities.
• Purchase additional equipment to support clubs with non-curriculum focuses, for example Yoga. This has enabled us to facilitate further opportunities beyond the curriculum and in some cases engage otherwise dis-interested demographic pupil groups.
• Install large playground equipment. Our new 9 metre long climbing wall, which is in use daily, has been a great hit and provides all pupils with a physical challenge and yet more choice.
• Purchase hand-held playground equipment and games to provide pupils with a wide choice of activities to participate in during breaks and lunch. Additionally, purchase dedicated storage facilities for the new resources (Inc. ‘Scrap Store’). Higher levels of activity have been observed in both sport specific and non-specific activities, as well as increases in appropriate social play.
• Train and provide guidance to existing and new MDSA’s in the leadership of play, resulting in dynamic MDSA’s who confidently support the children and each other in delivering active playtimes.
• Aid Sports Coaching students from the University of Gloucester, to design and deliver a package of traditional and contemporary games that the children can play as part of a ‘How and What to Play’ initiative to support social development in our pupils.
• Initial acquisition and further timely purchases of balance bikes and associated equipment to support the delivery of the Balanceability programmes, as the school cohort grows. The initial impact was an over 85% increase in EYFS pupils being able to ride a bike. Funds have also enabled us to aid the development of KS2 pupils’ riding skills and road-safety competence, through the Bikeability schemes.