DEEPDALE JUNIOR SCHOOL

LANCASHIRE HEALTHY SCHOOLS PROGRAMME PHYSICAL ACTIVITY STANDARD 2

DEEPDALE JUNIOR SCHOOL St Stephen’s Road, Preston, PR1 6TD Our inner-city school is situated close to the centre of Preston in the heart of the Indian, Muslim community. We have a large playground but no field, so many sporting events need to take place away from the school. That doesn’t stop us, though…

MISSION STATEMENT We are committed to providing the best education for our children and the Deepdale community to help us all develop into happy, healthy, caring and successful adults.

Why the Physical Activity Standard? Overcrowding at playtime Poor behaviour due to lack of space Dispute-solving occupied lesson time Boys’ football dominated playground Many girls failed to participate actively Junior Council comments that children were bored General lack of fitness

The Issue The problem of overcrowding at playtimes was an issue we felt we needed to address as it seemed to be causing knock-on effects in the classroom.

The Change We split playtimes so that years 3 and 5 play together then years 4 and 6 go out. There are now three members of staff on duty for approximately 180 children, with one of those dedicated to organising playground games.

Playground Games Children now have the opportunity to practise their game skills in a variety of different situations One of the teachers on playground duty leads the weekly activity

Comments What was said about before… Playtimes used to be boring. We just used to stand around getting cold. Year 6 girl It was rubbish before. We were squashed and there was no equipment. Year 5 boy Playtimes were busy and overcrowded. It was not easy for children to find a space to play away from the footballs. Year 5 teacher

Playground Activities Teachers supervise equipment use and encourage participation Older children take responsibility for recording participation, success and the awarding of certificates Year 5 and 6 monitors set out the equipment and ensure it is put away safely

Comments What is said about now… There are more activities and more people are enjoying playtimes. There is a space for the teacher’s game and we get certificates. Year 6 girl There is loads more space to play. We have football tournaments and matches whenever we want to. Year 6 boy It’s lovely to see the children being so enthusiastic at playtimes. They go straight for their favourite activities and interact far better than before. School Governor

Too little of the timetable devoted to PE lessons. The Issue Too little of the timetable devoted to PE lessons.

The Change We rearranged the timetable so that PE lessons took place in the mornings as well as the afternoons. This enabled classes to take two full hours within the timetable for indoor and outdoor PE, thus exploiting the valuable resource of our hall to the full.

The Issue The lack of a playing field at Deepdale Junior School has meant a tradition of no annual sports day. Instead, staff versus pupil rounders and cricket matches were held on the playground.

The Change We hired Preston Sports Arena, Cottam, and a double-decker bus for the day, enabling us to take each year group to compete in a whole range of athletic activities.

Sports Day I liked the sport when you got a heavy ball and threw it from your chest to see how many metres you could throw. I did 1.04 metres. Year 4 girl I thought jumping the longest was really good. Year 5 girl The people who won got medals. Year 5 boy

The Issue The school had a physical education policy in place which was in line with Curriculum 2000, but there was no physical activity policy.

The Change Junior Council is made up of two representatives from each class. With guidance, they created a physical activity policy which is now on display around the school.

The Issue The school had very few physically active clubs running throughout the week and attendance was poor.

The Change The PESS project inspired enthusiasm among staff – more clubs now take place Spotlight on Sport run several new clubs Outside agencies come in to run clubs Children win awards for regular attendance at clubs

Cricket Club Our school cricket team regularly qualifies for the Lancashire finals of the Kwik Cricket Tournament that are held at Old Trafford

The Issue The school had difficulty in convincing some of the children to participate in dance lessons due to their religious observance.

The Change Benefits of dance were promoted and made relevant to our children through careful curriculum planning A peripatetic dance teacher was brought in to run a lunchtime club Participation in country dancing festival was encouraged

The Issue The children did not seem motivated towards a particular goal. They worked as a class for rewards but there was a lack of unity across the school.

The Change A house system was introduced to create a sense of belonging Houses were named after birds of prey The launch theme was ‘Flying High’ A bird of prey display launched the initiative

The Issue The children did not always understand the significance or importance of their participation in sporting activities.

The Change Friday Celebration Assemblies were introduced Certificates are awarded for all sporting achievements Match reports are read out in assemblies Inter-house tournaments and matches are played The ‘Well Done’ song

The Issue The school did not have a code of conduct but did have rules, often negatively worded, on display.

The Change The teachers drew up a code of conduct which put forward the school’s ideals positively Junior Council worded the code of conduct in child-friendly language The code of conduct is now displayed throughout the school

Who is Involved? Healthy Schools Key Teacher PE Co-ordinator PESS Project Consultant & LEA PE Teacher Advisor All teaching staff All support staff Spotlight on Sport Coaches from local clubs Parents Governors Junior Council Pupils

Teachers and Support Staff The timetable was rearranged. Each class now has 2 hours of P.E. lessons every week. Support staff encourage disabled children to participate fully in these lessons.

Spotlight on Sport Funded by The Children’s Fund In partnership with various agencies Delivers a wide range of activities Increases the profile of grassroots sports Aims to improve children’s health and increase participation in a variety of sports Involves teenagers from the community who are trained as coaches and mentors

Hopscotch Championship Spotlight on Sport have organised inter-house hopscotch tournaments Competitors were coached during playtimes by their team captains

Scooter Races Spotlight on Sport have organised scooter racing tournaments Competitors were encouraged to test their speed against other racers in their class

Parents Parent volunteers have begun to run after school and weekend clubs Volunteers are provided with training We now have a champion baseball team at our school

Physical Activity At Deepdale Junior School PESS Project Spotlight on Sport PE lessons Extra-curricular clubs Playground equipment Inter-house tournaments Inter-school matches Evening classes Weekend activities Residential courses Coaches and instructors Holiday activities

Planned Projects Continuation of Government-funded PESS Project 2003/4 Government and LEA-funded PE Co-ordinators Project starting September 2003 as part of the Moor Park Consortium Continued teacher training Application for Active Mark Gold Award June 2003 Quality Mark Certificate for Lancashire Healthy Schools Programme in Healthy Eating Standard 1 starting May 2003

The Future The whole school community is now so enthusiastic about physical activity, that being a healthy school has become a way of life. Exercise will continue to be promoted and developed for years to come.

Thank you for watching Deepdale Junior School’s presentation application for the Quality Mark in the Physical Activity Standard of the Lancashire Healthy Schools Programme. Year 6 Pupils & Sarah Kazantzis Healthy Schools Key Teacher