Learning with Experts

30 minutes of physical activity recommendations

The Chief Medical Officer Guidelines advises that all children aged 5-18 should engage in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity for an average of at least 60 minutes per day across the week. At least 30 minutes of this should be during school hours.

This can include all forms of activity such as physical education, active travel, break time -school activities, play and sports.

When completing this review, think of the different ways you can incorporate more physical activity into each day.

Physical activity guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers’ report – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Swimming Recommendations

Primary schools only – Did you know that you can spend your Primary Sport Premium funding on activities that make sure all of your year 6 pupils can swim at least 25 metres unaided? This could include top-up swimming lessons, renting transport, instructor time and so on.

Have you checked to see if swimming has been included as part of this year’s Cornwall School Games programme? Maybe your school could get involved?

Have you checked to see if there are any School Games training and CPD opportunities?

If you have any questions about how else you might support your children’s swimming, please contact Karen Edmond, GLL Community Service.

PE, School Sport and Physical Activity recommendations

Embedding PE, school sport, physical activity and play throughout your whole school can have larger benefits that just ensuring your children can throw a ball. It can impact their social, emotional and mental wellbeing, their academic attainment, their physical health, their concentration levels, their ability to rest and relax and their memory.

Watch the 3 minute video below from Youth Sport Trust on the power of an active school.

Camelford Community Primary has used multi-component interventions directed by including the importance of physical activity, PE and school sport in the school development plan. New sports and activities have been introduced, students have been listened to, active lessons and active breaks between lessons and wake and shake, plus monitoring and evaluations conducted on physical and mental health and impact on learning.

Watch this video to see how Camelford Community Primary has achieved this.

Mental Health Awareness for Sport and Physical Activity

Student self monitoring recommendations

Coming soon

Active school planner recommendations

This is a free school for primary schools aimed at helping you increase levels of physical activity.

This easy to use tool will enable you to:

Look at where and how the school is increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behaviour in pupils
Find guidance and best practice to continue to make improvements
Provide reports as evidence to show how you are using Primary Sport Premium Funding to improve health outcomes for pupils

Active School Planner

Active Lives Survey recommendations

The Sport England Active Lives Survey is an online national survey that the government uses to understand how children aged 5-16 engage with sport and physical activity, and the data they gather plays a key role in informing future policy and funding decisions.

The Active Lives Children and Young People Survey offers a fantastic opportunity for teachers and school leaders to see how their provision benefits young people and develop it further, so more pupils have the opportunity to be physically active and enjoy sport.

Active Lives Survey CYP – Active Cornwall

Ways to use the report:

Include in your annual school report to parents and governors
Share across your staff
Learn which sports are most or least popular with your students to help guide choice and variety or after school clubs
Learn how levels of wellbeing are across your school to help inform decision about whole-school improvement priorities
Spot disparity and help tackle inequalities between students

Bikeability recommendations

The Cornwall Bicycle Project has a team of highly qualified Cycling coaches and instructors who are able to deliver a range courses or create bespoke courses. If there is a particular cycling activity that you would like us to host for you, your school, club or group of friends please get in touch with your idea.

Here is an example of what we can deliver: After School Clubs, Bikeability, Balanceability, Learn to Ride, adult cycle confidence and fitness, Curriculum Enhancement Weeks, adult rides, long distance rides, bike maintenance and more.

Education | Cornwall Bicycle Project | Community Cycling (thecornwallbicycleproject.co.uk)

Active travel campaigns recommendations

Active Travel Key Dates – Active Cornwall

Climate emergency recommendations

You can keep up to date on the activities happening in Cornwall as part of the Climate Emergency by visiting the Cornwall Council website:

Active travel plan recommendations

Benefits of active travelling to school.

Visit the Modeshift Stars website to learn more about developing a school Active Travel Plan.

Modeshift Stars – Active Cornwall

Active lessons recommendations

Teach Active provide schools with lesson plans and resources designed to deliver the Maths and English curriculum through physically active learning.

Teach Active – Active Maths & English Lessons

Read about the benefits of an active classroom: Active lessons can boost children’s learning and health – Schools Improvement Net

PE curriculum recommendations

These are the statutory programmes of study and attainment targets for physical education at key stages 1 to 4. They are issued by law; you must follow them unless there’s a good reason not to.

National curriculum in England: PE programmes of study – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Healthy lifestyle recommendations

Cornwall Healthy Schools is a health improvement programme designed to support schools to develop an ethos and environment that enhances learning, promotes the health and wellbeing of pupils, and consults and encourages participation of all within the school community.

The Cornwall Healthy Schools programmes specifically seeks to improve the health and wellbeing across the education sector by working with and supporting schools.

Healthy Schools – Healthy Cornwall

Watch how Nancealverne school have achieved this.

1:40 minutes video

Swimming recommendations

Swimming isn’t just about being able to have fun in the water with family and friends (although it is and you should!). It’s also about knowing what to do if someone gets into trouble. Or if a strong current takes your friend away from the edge. Or you fall in when running by a river or canal.

Swimming is also incredibly good for physical and mental health and wellbeing – it’s the only activity you can do at any age and at any ability.

For more information about swimming and water safety lessons in schools, please visit Swimming and Water Safety in Schools | Swim England or email schoolswimming@swimming.org.

Competitive sport recommendations

Competition can help children build wider social skills including resilience, determination, teamwork and confidence.

Take a look at how Trevithick Primary have achieved this.

2:30 minute video

Is your school involved in the Cornwall School Games? Sign up now.

About Cornwall School Games – Active Cornwall

Physical literacy recommendations

If you are not familiar with it, the Primary School Physical Literacy Framework can help you to ensure you build physical literacy into your school.

Physical_Literacy_Framework_Final.pdf (afpe.org.uk)

Choice and variety recommendations

Do you offer enough choice and variety to cater for all of your students? Some ideas could be:

For teenage girls – Home | Studio You (studio-you.co.uk)
Multi-sport for children with disabilities and special needs – Panathlon Challenge | Competitive Sport for Disabled & SEN Chilldren
School Games for those who do not engage in school competition – About Cornwall School Games – Active Cornwall

All children have a fundamental right to play.

International Play Association (IPA World)

Active school display recommendations

Why not try creating a ‘Daily Mile’ challenge board and encourage your pupils to walk, run, skip, cycle or scoot 1 mile each day as part of your routine?

Visit the Daily Mile website for free resources to get you started.

Resources | The Daily Mile UK

Active classrooms recommendations

Did you know your classroom can be an active environment? Activity breaks are a great way to add physical activity into the day and get pupils moving.

Watch how Treloweth School achieve this through using RealPE.

2 minute video

Active environments recommendations

The Healthy Pupils Capital Fund was distributed by Active Cornwall within three localities in Cornwall to help schools give their youngest pupils more access to physical activity opportunities. Learn more about how schools have created active environments to encourage their pupils to move more during the school day.

11 minute video

Deploying young leaders recommendations

Coming soon

Student's voice recommendations

Have you thought about leadership and the benefits this can have for young people? Take a look at the Youth Sport Trust Bubble Leadership Model to understand how to embed this in your school.

Bubble Leadership – Youth Sport Trust

Staff CPD recommendations

The delivery of CPD can vary. If you don’t currently do anything, why not start by getting your staff to take a look at the videos from the 2021 Cornwall Virtual School Sport, PE and Physical Activity Conference.

There are multiple workshops to help staff understand why being active is important and how they can help to integrate physical activity into the school day in easy, simple ways.

Welcome, Keynotes and Questions to Panel – YouTube

Keep up-to-date on all training by visiting our website or sign up to receive our Time 2 Move bulletin.

Training – Active Cornwall

Staff confidence recommendations

Upskill all teachers to be confident in making their classrooms more active environments. There are tools to help you embed physical activity into the school day:

Family engagement recommendations

Coming soon

Community recommendations

Gulval School provide an example of how they have engaged their local community with their PE, school sport and physical activity.

School governors and trustees recommendations

The Youth Sport Trust have a Governor’s Toolkit to help governors and trustees to identify how high-quality PE, school sport and physical activity can promote and improve the health, wellbeing and wider educational outcomes of pupils in schools.

Governor Trustee Toolkit – Digital Copy – Youth Sport Trust

PE recommendations

The minimum number of hours a child should be taking part in Physical Education during school is 2 hours per week.

National curriculum in England: PE programmes of study – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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