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Blog 4: Want a world leading PE department? Follow our simple 10 steps

My first blog in this series explored the role of physical education. The second shared some useful tools that can be used to audit your schools current provision, ideas around quality assurance and suggested student voice activities. The third looked more closely at the importance of celebrating success and prioritising next steps in an action plan to fulfil an evolving vision for PE. In this fourth edition, I want to take you into the detail of how to build that ambition for world leading PE in your school and expand on that idea of stacking lots of complementary developments together to realise your strategy for a more purposeful PE offer. A great blog to get your juices flowing by @ImSporticus on his perception of Purposeful PE is available here if you have time.

‘Stacking’ to achieve a step change- Create & communicate a fit for purpose PE curriculum- Focus on core PE first – entitlement of all- Establish a PE faculty/ department structure that is fit for purpose- Empower and grow others

Creating and communicating a fit for purpose PE curriculum Using your underlying philosophy for what your whole PE offer should provide every student who passes through your school (from blog 1) and a clear picture of where you are currently at (from

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blog 2) it is crucial that you get your whole team of staff, students and parents on board with that vision. Probably the best example of this that I have seen has come from Joey Feith, a PE teacher in Canada and founder of thephysicaleducator.com. Joey tells a great story about how he got students and parents to buy into the purpose of PE through the North Face “Max your Days” video and inspiring the aspiration of adventure in all his students before explaining the building blocks of health and physical literacy in order to get there. Take a look at this evolving story here.

@ImSporticus writes lots of great blogs which challenge thinking and help rationalise the importance of a true multi ability approach to PE. We will explore this more in the fifth blog covering all the nuts and bolts, non-negotiables and key features of a world leading teaching, learning and assessment model.

Working with YST PE CatalYSTs during the lead up to and during five regional events in the summer term of 2017, we shared and explored the following areas. Start with a mission statement or vision for PE, that we encourage you to tweak (involving your students) and then make highly visible across your school through assemblies, conversations (including parents evening and reports) and perhaps most importantly displays in corridors, changing rooms and PE facilities. Focus on ‘why PE’ rather than what, perhaps this TED talk by Simon Sinek on The Golden Circle will help.

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The Simon Sinek model allowed leaders of PE to think differently, from the inside out to capture it on a diagram like this:

Here are examples of some of my favourites in terms of branded school visions:

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It is important to move the story on from talking about activities and sports towards outcomes and factors that are of value to all young people. As a part of this, changing your displays to talk less about this:

And perhaps more about this:

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We explore this in more detail in blog 3 on world leading teaching, learning and assessment. The value of setting achievable actions for the short, medium and longer term – my favourite is to commit to paper something you plan to do next week, something for next month and an ambition for next year (my third blog has already explored some more ideas around this).

Focus on core Physical Education first – the entitlement of all It is absolutely imperative that we get the core curriculum offer right before thinking about anything else. If all students are not engaged and enthused by the offer they must attend as part of National Curriculum requirements then excellence in extra-curricular provision or community engagement is pointless. That said, I do appreciate that restrictions of the curriculum mean that some individuals are better reached through intervention or relationship building in special events such as residential trips or enrichment activities. As these can afford the time to personalise the offer and allow intensive time for relationship building. However, you have no hope of getting students to respect and engage with your offer in their own time if they haven’t already been won over in compulsory time and if you want to make a bigger difference to school or community outcomes then you need a strong reputation of delivering the basics first and a high performing PE team. The best physical education harnesses young people’s imagination and embeds a love for movement. It is personalised, recognising individual motivations and personalities, to achieve engagement for all, build self-esteem and positive physical identity. It encompasses creativity, thinking, personal and social development for all learners through physical activity. It provides the most effective and authentic platform for young people to learn, about themselves and others. It effectively positions the subject at the heart of the school, demonstrating its ability to address whole school issues and contribute significantly to the development of the whole child.

Establish a PE faculty/ department structure that is fit for purpose To keep meaningful, relevant and maximise the role that PE plays across the school in terms of wellbeing outcomes, is there a need for a strategic manager of wellbeing in every school? Could the typical PE department transform and encompass far more, taking ownership of and driving health and wellbeing of all young people and staff across the school? Focusing effort where the greatest impact can be achieved, such as targeting the least active, whilst maintaining provision for the engaged and supporting effective exit routes to community participation in order that every individual achieves their personal best. Strategic positioning of a post on the extended senior leadership team along with a remit to have impact beyond the school day is paramount to the success. Close linkage with PSHE, careers, emotional and behavioural support teams, lunchtime supervisors and school catering services along with maximising the value and impact of student leadership as an extended workforce are also key. Do you still have a traditional set up with a head of boys and head of girls PE? Maybe a structure like this is more fitting?

Director of Physical Literacy - member of senior leadership team

Head of PE- responsible for curriculum PE

provision & examination pathways

Head of Health & Wellbeing- focus on engaging the least active & cross curricular links

Head of Sport- linking in to community sport & talend pathways

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Empower and grow others Even if budgets and whole school staff structures prevent you from creating an entirely coherent and desired PE team make-up there is still plenty that can be done. Investing in the energy, enthusiasm and areas of interest of your existing staff and targeting it on areas most in need of attention will still work. Whilst still being mindful of other responsibilities from PGCE students or NQTs conquering the basics of teaching and learning whilst building their evidence portfolio to experienced members of staff with Head of Year or other Assistant Head responsibilities.

(Source: www.matthewferrara.com/rssfeed/showbelief/)

Think about how you want to nurture and grow the talent within your team, to include students as leaders and the wider workforce. It is amazing how much momentum can be created and impact can be had, just remember to keep it focused and connected to that ‘grand plan’ or collective vision for PE and corresponding success criteria.

(Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/grow-model-craig-ellis)

Don’t be tempted to try and achieve too much too fast or to go it alone... perhaps you have already heard this African Proverb: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, GO TOGETHER” Keep up to date and get involved in our work by offering your critical voice around the future of PE and joining our national network of YST PE CatalYSTs and complete the expression of interest form.

Head of PE and Achievement, Youth Sport Trust (2015-2018) @WillSwaithes