WEB YSF Birkby School Huddersfield 65

Centre of Excellence for Physical Activity

The Centre of Excellence award recognises and celebrates primary schools who are providing outstanding opportunities for their pupils to be active during and beyond the school day.

Schools can achieve Centre of Excellence status in any of seven categories. All seven are aligned with the pioneering Creating Active Schools Framework that highlights how the physical and social environment of a school and the staff who work there can support effective ways for children to be physically active.

We want to celebrate those schools who are providing outstanding and sustainable physical opportunities for their pupils, and support other primary schools to learn from them.

Categories

This category relates to sustainable and inclusive participation in events and trips (which provide one-off/periodic opportunities for physical activity engagement.

You may wish to consider:

  • How you use regular trips to local woods, parks, outdoor adventure centres, museums or local clubs to inspire children and promote physical activity
  • Participation in regular inter/intra school competition, wider sporting and wellbeing events or athlete visits.

This category relates to break/lunch interventions that extend the duration, increase the frequency and/or enhance the delivery of physical activity for children at these times.

You may wish to consider:

  • How playtime is valued and what support is in place to keep all children active
  • Active play provision including resources and equipment (indoors/outdoors)
  • How you make play time fun and engaging

This category relates to Physical Education interventions that extend the duration, increase the frequency and/or enhance the delivery of physical activity for children.

You may wish to consider:

  • How you train staff to deliver high quality PE.
  • How you ensure your PE curriculum is inspiring, fun and inclusive with a clear progression.
  • How PE is valued in school and used as a driver for whole school improvement

This category relates to how physical activity has been expanded consistently and sustainably into curricular lessons (not Physical Education).

You may wish to consider:

  • How you upskill staff to increase confidence and capability in delivering physically active lessons
  • How active breaks are used across school to reduce sedentary time
  • How you use high quality resources to support teachers to deliver active lessons

This category relates to before/after school clubs and how the amount and quality of the provision in this area significantly contributes to a child’s whole-day physical activity levels.

You may wish to consider:

  • How you ensure clubs are varied, sustainable and include all forms of physical activity
  • How you target, monitor and evaluate pupils accessing your provision
  • How you identify any barriers to participation and the solutions you use to overcome these

This category relates to active travel and how the amount and quality of such provision significantly contributes to a child’s whole-day physical activity levels.

You may wish to consider:

  • How you use active travel plans to promote active travel to and from school
  • How you communicate to and engage parents and the wider community in the promotion of active travel.
  • How you influence children and families to take part in active travel initiatives organised by the school or wider organisations
  • How you use moveable resources such as bikes and scooters to promote active travel

This category relates to how a school can influence family and community physical activity beyond school time. This may involve providing active homework, signposting families to local events provided by community organisations or opening school facilities beyond the school day to support community organisations.

You may wish to consider:

  • How you create links with local clubs and community to promote and increase physical activity amongst children and families
  • How do you use active homework or bespoke open days to showcase the physical activity taking place at school
  • How you use your school facilities to create opportunities to be active beyond the school day

The application process:

  • Choose your category and complete an online application form
  • We'll arrange a chat with you to go through your application in more detail
  • We'll come to your school for a half-day visit, chatting to SLT, other staff and pupils
  • You'll receive your accreditation, which is valid for two years.

    Fill out an application form, or contact daniel.neath@yorkshiresport.org if you have any questions.

 

A Centre of Excellence will receive:

  • A plaque to display at the school to highlight their achievement
  • Local media coverage to celebrate the success with parents and the wider community
  • Support to share their good practice with other schools