Objective:
Striving Happy Pupils Succeed with the help of Teach Active
What is our goal?
Our motto says it all: Striving Happy Pupils Succeed. With two active PE subject leaders who are passionate about sharing their love of sport with our pupils and through initiatives such as the Daily Mile, the Daily Boost, active playtimes, a range of extra-curricular clubs, and a huge variety of sports being coached to our pupils during their curriculum PE, we were well on our way to achieving our objective of 60 active minutes for each pupil every day. The introduction of Teach Active to our timetables has provided the perfect solution to help spread this passion for keeping active across the curriculum and many pupils are now enjoying a different approach to learning English and Maths in parts of their lessons.
"Teach Active was exactly the right next step for Sketchley Hill and has proven to be even more effective in supporting our pupils to keep active during lockdown than we could have imagined. I am excited to see the impact of Teach Active over the rest of this academic year and beyond."
Philippa Campbell, Headteacher
How did ‘Teach Active’ find us?
Our PE coordinators were introduced to Teach Active by our Area Sport and Health Alliance during the Autumn Term 2020. Our Year 6 team (including one of our PE leads) trialled some of the maths activities: the pupils loved them…and even asked for more! Jon Smedley - Teach Active’s founder, was hugely helpful in getting us started and the ensuing whole school staff training session that Jon presented for us was invaluable.
During the third Covid ‘lockdown’ when we were all seeking ways to ensure that our pupils remained as active as possible whilst working remotely during periods of school closure, Teach Active provided excellent opportunities to engage pupils in their learning when they weren’t in the classroom. Now we are back in school, every year group is enjoying using the vast array of Teach Active ideas. Having an activity and accompanying resources at our fingertips for every learning objective across the curriculum and for each year group means that the resource is a huge help rather than a hindrance to integrate into our lessons.
What do our staff and pupils think of Teach Active?
FS - The children need more practical activities; the sessions help with this and play to the children’s strengths - being outdoors.
Y1 - Both pupils and parents enjoyed the activities when working remotely. In school, even those who are normally reluctant to read wanted to join in and try their hardest in order to beat the other team.
Y2 - The children at school really engaged in the lesson and liked being active and learning in this way. We had comments from parents on our online learning platform to say that their child really enjoyed it too.
Y3 - The activities work well supporting children with additional needs enabling them to access the curriculum. These pupils have been engaging much more since we have been using these active lessons and their success during these active lessons has helped build their self-confidence.
Y4 - The children really enjoy it. Everyone is engaged and it consolidates their learning.
Y5 - The children loved the opportunity to get outside of the classroom instead of being stuck in their seats. The lessons also lend themselves towards lots of teamwork and co-operating which has been brilliant.
Y6 - Our pupils love the active maths starters. Children of all abilities can access the activities and it is great to see the lively discussion and sharing of ideas that takes place amongst peers!
"Teach Active found us at exactly the right time: it has been invaluable as a resource to promote active learning both in the classroom, and when learning remotely at home. The pupils’ enthusiam in their learning is clear…I never thought I’d see such active enthusiasm in a Year 6 algebra lesson!"
Penny Masser, Year 6 Teacher and PE lead
Where do we go now with Teach Active?
The positive feedback from pupils, staff, and parents shows that the introduction of ‘Teach Active’ has been a huge success at Sketchley Hill. Staff are constantly looking at different activities offered by Teach Active team to integrate into our lessons ensuring that our pupils are as happy and active as possible, striving to learn, and succeeding in their goals.