Nine teachers from across Cambridgeshire have achieved a national qualification for Physical Education (PE) leadership in their primary schools.
The teachers were presented with the Level 6 Award in Primary School Physical Education Subject Leadership at Cambridgeshire County Council’s Stanton House, Huntingdon, on Thursday (January 25).
Cllr Simon Bywater, Chairman of the Children and Young People Committee was joined by Mike Crichton, Chairman of the Association for Physical Education, and Chris Faley, Training Manager of Sports Leaders UK to present the awards.
Cllr Bywater said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be presenting these awards. Cambridgeshire is committed to high quality PE teaching and this course helps teachers to deliver lessons that inspire a healthy and active lifestyle for all children. I hope that more teachers in the county take this qualification to help them deliver compelling PE lessons that raise the standards of PE teaching in our schools.”
The award is a recognised qualification in leadership and management of PE within primary schools and qualifies subject leaders to support and train colleagues who teach the subject. As part of the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Department for Education devised and implemented a new national strategy for PE and school sport. All primary schools receive PE and Sport Premium funding to boost PE provision and improve the quality of PE teaching and last summer the Premium was doubled.
Schools use the money in a variety of ways, including providing staff with training and resources to help them teach PE and sport more effectively, introduce new sports, dance or other activities to encourage more pupils to take up sport and physical activities or enter or run more sport competitions.
Nationally, around 81% of the funds are invested in professional development and training and courses such as the Level 6 award are regarded as best practice. Last year 415 teachers attended training with Cambridgeshire’s PE service.
Ian Roberts, Cambridgeshire County Council’s PE and School Sport Adviser, added: “It is so gratifying that our schools are committing to putting PE at the heart of school life. Whatever happens must be sustainable, and having teachers like this in our schools is the most sustainable solution of all”.
A countywide Primary Schools’ PE conference for teachers and senior leaders is taking place in Huntingdon on April 24, in collaboration with Living Sport. For more details, visit https://www.cambslearntogether.co.uk/services-to-schools/pe/
The teachers who received the award are:
Leah Harwood – Yaxley Infants School
Luke Seaber-Shinn – Jeavons Wood, School Cambourne
Karina Byrne – Bassingbourn Community Primary School
Sam Bryant – Barton CofE Primary School
Liam Smith – Priory Junior School, St Neots
Nick Coles – William Law CofE Primary School, Peterborough
Hayley Plater – Bewick Bridge Community Primary School, Cambridge
Charlotte Wynn – Abbey Meadows, Cambridge
Peter Archdale – Milton C of E Primary School
