William Bellamy positive experiences of competition

Context, Intent and Target Group

Background Information

William Bellamy Primary is located in Dagenham, in an area identified as being in high-deprivation, with an indices score of multiple-deprivation score of 3. Since Covid-19 the school have ensured that PE, extra-curricular clubs and competition is a focus of the PE Team and an action plan to return to previous levels is met. These actions have been monitored and evaluated regularly with new focuses adopted as milestones are met.

Pre-Covid the school was at platinum level with competition, extra-curricular and young leading as means to support pupils emotionally and physically. Whist over schools have shared that the impact of covid is now an issue of the past, as a school we were finding the barriers to meeting similar pre-covid levels a challenge and we embraced these to ‘be real’ about the specific needs of the families and pupils at our school.

These were challenges we needed to overcome before we were able to begin to embed change:

1. Parent paid clubs were now a struggle, parents unable to pay.

2. Pupils needed more nurture support to be mentally and emotionally ready to compete.

3. Sports such as hockey, tag rugby, girls’ football, athletics, cross country and other wider sports had lost their status.

4. The borough competition calendar was not at full capacity.

5. Parents were concerned to let their children to attend competitions offsite.

6. Pupils did not want to go offsite, they felt safer at school.

7. Pupils did not want to try new activities, mistake making was no longer seen as part of a process and pupils were reluctant to challenge themselves.

8. Friendships were now in their own classes only and not across year groups and other year groups.

Steps put in place:

1. Source funding opportunities such as OSF funding to allow pupils to attend clubs free of charge. Staff to deliver extra-curricular clubs weekly and taster sessions.

2. Team training included nurture time. Employing an additional member of staff to work in the PE team but also alongside the nurture team.

3. Revamp the Curriculum Overview to ensure exposure to those diminished ‘sports,’ skills and knowledge was increased with an aim to raise the profile.

4. Use intra-competition opportunities, create onsite inter competitions, inviting other schools to our site. Keeping in contact with SGOs and other organisations.

5. Use a focus group of pupils to promote the excitement of pupils who attend offsite competition through assemblies, with teachers and on school social media.

6. Inviting other schools to our site, holding mini competitions at lunchtimes through the introduction of our Challenge Masters and Personal Best Leaders. Pupils who had attended offsite competitions speaking to their classes. Setting up buddy systems. Supporting pupils understand their nerves and anxieties.

7. In lessons, introducing ‘let’s be successful’ and ‘let’s challenge ourselves’ activities, so each lesson pupils began to understand what to do to be successful e.g., throw low, and the challenge themselves e.g., throw high, we might not catch it but if we perserver we are on a learning process. Through our lessons, ensure that we cover previous skills and prior learning and well as the coverage to close any gaps, especially for those who are new to our school. Using lessons as a tool to promote extra-curricular sessions and increase the uptake, in turn pupils want to compete.

8. Using lessons to mix pupils from different classes, especially in the applying section, getting to know others, leading into extra-curricular sessions and then into competition teams. This is also extended to inter competitions, us and the others PE Coordinators delivering ‘friendship activities’ find out someone’s name from another school, what is their favourite colour etc. Being a role model here is very important, ensuring pupils witness staff being friendly to each other, congratulating each other.

What was the aim of work?

The aim of the work was for pupils of all abilities and age groups to have access to competitions, but not just attending the event, to be ready and well prepared to excel and enjoy the competitions holistically. By holistically, we are referring to the pupils having the appropriate equipment, embracing the challenge, feeling emotionally ready and physically prepared to attend, feeling positive about participation, understanding their bodies and reactions to certain stimuli, being proud to represent the school, feeling supported in defeat, able to celebrate successes gracefully, have a sense of belonging, using the competition as a key learning tool, being able to reflect and improve going forward, embrace making new friends and forming friends in our team and with other schools, being respectful to young leaders and other officials, understanding and manging their emotions, asking for help when appropriate, have empathy towards others, building resilience which can be transferred to other areas of life in and out of school.

We use the above, as well as creating new milestones for this group, we use the same approach for a new set of pupils who were previously hard to reach, now we have achieved engagement with these, the same key steps apply.

Which outcome(s) did it focus on?

• 2. To ensure all competition has a clear intent and creates positive experiences based on the motivation, competence and confidence of the young people that need our support the most

Which expectation(s) did it meet?

• Using the events calendar to upload a termly offer of events and activities with a clear intent, updated once each term.
• Work with schools to maintain and grow their active engagement in School Games.
• Encourage the use of tools, such as School Games Mark, Inclusive Health Check and Active School Planner to help schools better understand their needs.
• Planning for and increasing delivery of 60 active minutes for every child.
• Work intensively with a minimum of two low engagement schools to improve their understanding, engagement and access of the School Games offer.
• Co-ordinate and signpost schools and young people to a programme of relevant training of leadership, coaching, volunteering and officiating experiences.
• Engage in county, regional and national networking by the Youth Sport Trust. This includes face-to-face and virtual support, Development Coach engagement, monthly updates and your termly review of your development plan.

Community links

• Active Partnerships
• Community sports clubs
• SEND leads / SENCO

Intent

The importance of pupils competing in a range of sports competitions and varying levels is extremely important to the ethos of our school and department. The Head of PE and School Sports has been in post for 11 years with the Sports Coach/PE Teacher in post for 10 years, both teaching PE across the school and supporting class teachers and delivering intra and inter competition. Both remember the established activities and pathways to ensure that pupils were emotionally and physically prepared for competition at the appropriate level, providing team training and meet up sessions. The wider benefits of this such as making friends, building resilience, being respectful, persevering and embracing mistake making, were all part of school life and these attributes were organically transferred to the wider parts of pupils’ life, in and out of school.

Our first post-covid two-year action plan was very successful however not all wider opportunities were available. The determination of our PE team and successes of meeting important milestones was inspirational and the school took the decision to employ an additional member of staff. This member of staff (In role for the previous two years) would teach PE and also would be an integral part of us actioning more challenging aims/goals and more innovative steps to achieve this. This added to the team’s motivation and the drive for our current action plan to be successful, which we are pleased it has been.

As mentioned, we knew the need was there due to us previously experiencing, first hand, the benefits of a full competition calendar which can be accessed by varying abilities, current emotional level, physical level and behaviours.

We used a range of different ways to gain insight to the new current barriers which were different from the previous two years. We used pupils voice, parent voice, observation, monitoring, keeping regular communication with teachers, pupils, parents, family support team, we review our safeguard system. Uptake of competition and a reduction of pupils wanted to play competitively had increased but still were not close to original levels.

Within the overview above is the barriers to pupils accessing competition and below are the steps we took to overcome the barriers. Even though we had many pupils playing in competition, there were still pupils who were reluctant and would only participate in intra-competition, we now needed to ensure that more pupils followed out lunchtime to intra to inter competition pathway.

Target group

• Free School Meals
• Girls
• Primary Schools
• Pupil Premium
• SEND
• Specific Year Group
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6

Implementation

These   were our original target activities:

Girls   Dodgeball

Girls   Football

Mixed   Athletics

Mixed   Dodgeball

SEND   Dodgeball

We   continued to offer the sports which were our previous years focus, we did not   wasn’t to lose the momentum from the work already been made, therefore this   remained a full year focus and we used our previous model to add to rather   than change.

Below   are two examples of the flow charts which are followed. Other examples of   these were used for other areas of competition. As you can see, these   activities are completed strategically with clear aims and outcomes. All of   our flow charts are interlinked, especially as pupils begin to make friends   and are exposed to different area.

As   an example, Pupil A, whose friends are in the cross-country team may not like   running competitively but wants to come to the before school club to see her   friends. The pupils in the team want to train for the competition, so they   attend team training. All can attend the before school club and can socialise   and walk, jog or run. At the club, she develops more confidence and now asks   if she can attend dodgeball club with her friends, she then is accessing two   clubs. She realises she enjoys the competitive game of dodgeball and now   wants to try for the team. This has now provided the opportunity to have a   sense of belonging and enjoying the activities. She attends cross country   club as general fitness, dodgeball to train and compete and now she wants to   attend athletics because she has more confidence in trying something new.

Pupil   B finds it hard to make friends so we invite him to our lunchtime dodgeball   club (SEND), he can bring a friend. At the club he is active and makes more   friends. Now they have a social group and have other people to speak to in   the playground. We speak with another school who has SEND pupils who enjoy   dodgeball and they are looking at ways to build their confidence. We arrange   a dodgeball festival/ competition afternoon. We arranged with our dodgeball   sports company who delivers. 1 hour SEND festival/competition. 1 hour girls’   dodgeball competition and 1-hour mixed ECD competition. The feedback was   amazing and share this with others in the school, as a result, more children   wanted to attend and the activities grow organically.

We   have many examples of this and how pupils are supported to have a positive   experience in competition.

Impact

The   engagement was a snowball effect. The first section was to use those who were   previously engaged, use them as a foundation and a showcase, as more pupils   were showing interest, we increased the clubs and promoted extra-curricular   activities within lessons and throughout the school day. When we had new   interest, we would consider the barriers, like unable to attend after school   clubs so we introduced a morning session, introduced SEND sessions at lunch,   bring a friend session, all of this meant that the focus group was   continually expanding. We had the capacity for this growth. The work reached   all of the above teams, with more and more pupils wanting to attend clubs and   work with the challenge masters and personal best leaders to trial for   competitions. For those pupils who had emotional barriers, we set up in house   competitions and used our end of unit session in lessons to provide mini   competitions which would provide a more positive outcome for those pupils   than attending offsite borough competitive ones. For pupils when they began   to show a new interest in an activity such as girls’ football, we offered the   opportunity of attending festival style events as a pathway. All of these   offers were catered to the appropriate level of the pupils ensuring positive   outcomes both physically, emotionally and mentally.

All   pupils have received a positive element of competition and we strive to   continue to impact on a whole school level.

This   work has reached over 500 pupils with the main impact is that PE, School   Sports and Physical Activity has been restored to the heart of the ethos of   our school. Pre-Covid levels we had a healthy and inspirational competition   calendar which was inclusive to all. We needed to be realistic about our   journey to get back to those levels, which originally took us 5-7 years to   really establish to meet all pupils needs. We now have had to face new   challenges but we are a determined to achieve the best outcomes for our   pupils. Having such high expectations from the outset, 10 years ago, meant   that we already had a model which we knew was successful, even though this   did need adapting and evolving.

All   of our current targets have been met and we are excited for our next   challenges. As new pupils come into the school, as pupils change year groups,   as their family circumstances change, all this brings new challenges that we   feel we are well equipped to overcome.

SEND   and Girls have been our biggest success. Through the OSF funding we have   succeeded our original target, meaning that we were able to engage 50% more   SEND and Girls that we would have been able to without the extra funding.

Pupils   A was selected in Year 5 to be in the Y5 Athletics Team, she had previously   been a part of the Y4 team so therefore had experience in competing and going   off site. We began team training and her best friend was also part of the   team.

We   were preparing for a ‘mini competition’ against another school in preparation   for the borough event, these types of activities allow our pupils to get to   know each other, make friends, support each other and feel a sense of   belonging before the borough event.

We   went along to the school and the pupils participated in a range of   competitive races. Pupil A came to me privately and expressed that she didn’t   think she should be in the team and was not good enough. We explored reasons   why she felt this and it was apparent that she was lacking in self-belief in   other areas of school life too.

We   provided the normal support for the competition which included showing Pupil   A her own data which was actual evidence that she derives a place in our   team. We worked with her so she understood additional reasons she was   selected: behaviour, attitude, kindness, empathy etc. I did ‘check ins’ where   I could ask about feelings and confidence. We arranged for her to attend some   other activities where competing was at intra level or at other   extra-curricular clubs.

She   attended cross country with her sister and friends, they could exercise at a   recreational level. She joined the dodgeball club where she could play mini   competitive games.

We   arranged for her and other pupils to participate in the Westminster Mile in   London.

All   of these activities meant that she should access sports in different ways and   really feel the different levels of participation. We stayed in regular   contact throughout all of these.

In   athletics training we discussed changes in how she felt from before, there   was so much more positivity and I was able to reassure her and the rest of   the team that they had earned they place in the team, now we need to go to   the competition and try our best and enjoy it. We provided time for all the   children to discuss their nerves, their excitement, their doubts, their   hopes, this was completed, as always, in a fun way where they can all laugh   about how these feelings are there at every competition.

The   competition came and all pupils including Pupils A enjoyed it.

In   the next few weeks, we arranged for these pupils to help train the Y3 and 4   pupils. Pupil A excelled at this as we invited Pupil A, her sister and best   friend to become on of our Challenge Masters and Personal Best Leaders. She   received her training and displays a very healthy response to competition at   all levels, she is excellent at supporting others.

Pupil   A has been a very competent pupil during year 6, attending competitions   including cross country, cricket and athletics, she joins in activities at   recreational level and at competitive level. She does this with a smile.

Pupil   A is now a very confident and kind pupil. We have been very lucky to have her   in our sports teams and as one of our pupil volunteers. We wish her well as   she moved onto secondary school and we hope she continues to recognise all of   her attributes and talents.

The wider benefits we have witnessed as   elaborated on in other parts of this application:

Attendance,   particularly with our Persistent absentees (Having two of our dodgeball clubs   on a Monday and Friday)

Attainment   and behaviour, pupils have to focus in classroom learning to be able to   access some of our offers such as Challenge Masters and Personal Best., also   to be able to attend competitions.

Friendships-   getting to know others across different classes and year groups.

Competition,   Health, PE and Sports at the heart of the school ethos.

Pupils   develop supportive relationships with adults who can be relied upon.

Pupils   feel safe and encouraged to intrinsically challenge themselves.

Pupils   have a sense of belonging, encouraging other teams as well as their own.

Celebrating   success and supporting each other in defeat developing empathy.

Pupils   are happy and engaged.

Pupils   want to compete whether in-house of external.

Families   feel supported, we are able to break barriers to help their children access   opportunities.

Parents   can ask for help, need boots, socks etc, they know we will do our best.

Nurture;   pupils access preparation before a competition or event so they can arable to   enjoy the experience.

Behaviour   at lunchtime has improved, pupils can access a range of activities.

Staff   feel their efforts are acknowledged and respected..

Challenges

The main challenges were to seek the barriers to success, to do this we had to ensure we had a wide sample of parents as many of their barriers were different. Then we had to seek the views from the pupils, take this into account but also realise pupils cannot comment of things they haven’t experienced. For example, if they haven’t played dodgeball or table tennis how can they rate it.

Another challenge, as the project was becoming more successful our resources were becoming stretched, even with our new member of staff. We had to be creative to meet the needs and the demands of the new pupils who were interested especially as the project evolved. Our flow charts allow us to reflect and manage areas which we could interlink.

Evidencing successes, all pupils’ journeys are very individual and support is personalised. On the outside many staff, parents, pupils just see the attending of competition but the work with happens before and after the competition is vital to ensure that there are positive outcomes for pupils. They emotional wellbeing has to be key. Friends may have had a disagreement, a pupil may have felt like they under achieved, they may have been off sick and missed their event, one team may have received medals and they other hadn’t, they may have been knocked out of a cup. All of these situations bring emotional turmoil into children’s thoughts and as professionals we need to acknowledged and addressed that these feelings are ‘real’ to their lives and they need to be supported to put each situation into perspective. A simple but effective way to do this is to show the pupils the photos of the events, ones where they are smiling with friends, doing their best, just a little reminder of the fun and highlights of the day can normally have an imminent positive impact on mood.

Sustainability

The majority of the work is currently   sustainable. With the new cohorts coming from Y2 to Y3, and new pupils   arriving, new staff moving year groups, keeping the scheme of work and   adaptions by the PE Team and retaining staff within the PE Team will allow   the school to provide these positive outcomes to the pupils. Our bank of   resources such as football boots, shin pads, hijabs, spare waters, spare   clothing, team kits will allow us to meet the needs of the pupils as they   change, e.g., as pupils’ feet grow, as they develop, when   families go into crisis, we have the staff resources and additional resources   to meet these needs, and as a rule we now pre-empt these situations. The   whole school safeguard system allows us to be in communication with key   members of staff so we understand the current situation of pupils.

We have met all of our targets in the   last two academic years.

We plan that we can offer some of the   OSF funded clubs for a minimum fee as a transitional period. Many of the paid   clubs were originally undersubscribed because the children had not developed   a love for that particularly club and therefore parents were worried about   paying for something that the children were not invested in. The past 3 years   has really allowed us to change this.

The next steps are to encourage more   staff to deliver extra-curricular clubs which can provide a pathway into   competition or that provide mini competitions which are festival style. We   are aiming to build on from the ‘soft’ competitive approach in house which builds up the pupils’ resilience in appropriate steps and set the foundation for a   love of the sport and competing.

We have just delivered our Challenge   Master and Personal Best Leader training; our Year 6 pupils have trained the   Year 5 cohort so this project will continue once the Y6 have left the school.

We will continue to invite the Y5 and 6   Athletics team to train the Year 3and 4 and then in the summer term begin to   train the Y1 and 2, this has proved positive, not only in pupils progressing   but developing overall friendships between year groups. Pupils wishing each   other luck.

To continue to liaise with the SENCo   and Family support workers so we can continue to provide competitive   experiences that are appropriate for the needs of those pupils.

We have received funding for the OSF   project. We work with Ultimate Vision Sports, Dagenham and Redbridge FC and   Community Trust, a coach from the local college, the BDSFA, our SGOs, Toshi   Kazoku Judowai.

I ensure that I am in regular contact   with the Directors, community managers, attend meetings, keep in contact with   the community pathways, liaise vis email and share their community-based   activities. When another school has dropped out of an event last minute, I do   my best to attend. When I have booked an activity, session, or event, I meet   deadlines and provide other requested information (GDPR is always respected).

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