P.E. & School Sports

School Sports Partnerships (SSCo)

The School Sport Co-ordinator programme was launched in September 2000 with an initial 600 School Sport Co-ordinators (SSCos) being funded through Sport England's Lottery Fund. These were targeted at areas of greatest deprivation. With its announcement of £459 million for the PE, School Sport and Club Links (PESSCL) strategy, the government has ensured that SSCos are now an integral part of every Local Authority and school's PE and school sport strategy. Along with Sports Colleges, the SSCo partnerships will be the key to ensuring that 75% of all children will spend at least 2 hours a week on high quality PE and sport by 2006. This target is being driven through the Department for Education and Skills (DCSF) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Its overall aims are to raise standards and narrow the achievement gap in schools, improve the health of the nation and ensure that the UK competes successfully on the international stage.

£224 million of the £459 million has been set aside for the development of the SSCo partnerships and a national CPD strategy for all primary and secondary schools. The structure of these partnerships builds on the good practice demonstrated by the first few phases. Wherever possible, Sports Colleges will be at the hub of the SSCo partnerships and be given funding to employ a full time Partnership Development Manager (PDM), who is responsible for the strategic development of the partnership and liaison with other agencies.

Around each Hub Secondary school, there will be 4 secondary schools in the first instance, rising to 8 after two to three years. Each of these secondary schools will have a SSCo, an existing teacher that is released from the teaching timetable for at least 2 days per week, who is responsible for the co-ordination and development of school sport in their own school and family of primary / special schools. Each secondary school will be linked to, on average, 5 primary or special schools. Each of these will have a Primary Link Teacher (PLT), an existing teacher that is released from teaching for 12 days per year, who is responsible for the development and delivery of high quality PE and sport in their own school.

In Bexley, the first partnership was been set up around Trinity School in Sept 2002 and has been running events and training for nearly 2 years now. It is held up as an example of good practise by the Youth Sport Trust in many areas of its work.

A second partnership is being set up around the Hurstmere/Chislehurst & Sidcup Sports College from Sept 04.

• Diagram of Expansion Model 2005 (81KB, PDF file)

The PDM, SSCos and PLTs work together to produce and implement a 3 year development plan that addresses 6 aims:

• Strategic planning: to develop and implement a PE and school sport strategy, as part of school development plans, through working in partnership with key strategic organisations and providers in the area.
• Primary liaison: to improve PE and school sport programmes by establishing and developing links within and between families of schools (particularly around the KS2/3 interface).
• Out of school hours: to provide new and enhanced out of schools hours opportunities for all young people in the partnership, including out of school hours learning, non-competitive participation and competition.
• School to community: to increase all young people's participation in community sport through creating and strengthening links with sports clubs, leisure facilities and community providers.
• Coaching and leadership: to provide training, support and deployment opportunities in leadership, coaching and officiating for senior pupils, adults other than teachers (AOTTs) and teachers.
• Raising standards: to raise standards of pupils' achievement in all aspects of their school life, through increased participation and improved performance, motivation and attitudes.

The British Association of Advisers and Lecturers in Physical Education (BAALPE), the Physical Education Association of UK (PEAUK) and the Youth Sport Trust jointly manage a national education and training programme that addresses the continuing professional development needs of the PDMs, SSCos and PLTs. Courses are delivered nationally by a team of trainers and locally through local training agencies such as LEAs.

For information how this project is being implemented in Bexley, please contact Lorraine Everard on 020 8294 6989 or e-mail lorraine.everard@bexley.gov.uk.

The Trinity Partnership also had a very successful launch event which was attended by 24 schools, the mayor, various councillors and council officers as well as head Teachers and Youth Sport Trust representatives. Students were lucky enough to try a wide variety of activities, including golf, trampolining windsurfing and rock climbing!

Overall Aim

Active Schools aims to develop school sport including physical education and physical activity. It is raising quality and providing links between school sport and the community. It uses a number of National initiatives.

This aim will be achieved through 3 objectives:

1. Supporting LEA in terms of physical education and school sport.
   This will be done by:

   The TOP Programmes Sports Colleges School Sports Co-ordinator

   Supporting schools in the delivery of the National Curriculum for physical education through the training and support of staff. Liaison with the Higher Education Institutions to support initial teacher training in physical education and school sport. Working in partnership with the Bexley School Effectiveness Team to ensure work is complementary and supports the LEA's education development plan. Supporting and empowering sports colleges and school sports co-ordinator schemes to deliver elements of Active Schools initiatives in Bexley.

   
   

2. Supporting schools and other organisations in the development of school sport.
   This will be done by:

   Coaching for Teachers Sportsmark and Sportsmark Gold Activemark and Activemark Gold Adults other than teachers

   Encouraging good practice in schools. Encouraging and supporting schools with the development of out of school hours learning provision in sport. Supporting schools with further continuing professional development opportunities.

   
   

3. Working towards providing a strategic overview of school sport and physical education in the County in partnership with other stakeholders.
   This will be done by:

   'PE and School Sport Network NOF PE and Sport Programme Bexley Sports Partnership Board

   Providing links between internal and external organisations concerned with PE and school sport. Providing a Borough-wide co-ordination of school sport. Promoting successes and achievements of schools in terms of PE and School Sport. Improving the communication to schools and other organisations on school sport and PE.

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