Each secondary school (and the sports college) will be linked to, on average, five primary or special schools. Each of these will have a Primary Link Teacher (PLT), an existing teacher that is released from teaching for twelve days per year, who is responsible for the development and delivery of high quality PE and sport in their own school.
Each partnership receives a grant each year to employ a PDM and to enable the schools to release these teachers to undertake the SSCo and PLT roles. In the case of the secondary schools, the partnership can use the funding to employ full time Specialist Link Teachers (SLT) to provide the cover for the SSCo release time. This enables the schools to enhance their PE provision, by recruiting SLTs with specific skills eg in dance, gymnastics, inclusion etc.
The Government believes that PE and sport in schools, both within and beyond the curriculum, can improve:
• Pupil concentration, commitment and self-esteem; leading to higher attendance and better behaviour and attainment
• Fitness levels; active children are less likely to be obese and more likely to pursue sporting activities as adults
• Success in international competition by ensuring talented young sports people have a clear pathway to elite sport and competition whatever their circumstances.
Targets The overall objective, a joint DfES and DCMS public service agreement (PSA) target, is to enhance the take up of sporting opportunities by 5 - 16 year olds so that the percentage of school children who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport, within and beyond the curriculum, increases to 75% by 2006 and to 85% by 2008, with at least 75% in each partnership by 2008.
However, the ultimate vision is that:
"By 2012 all children will be offered at least four hours of sport every week, which will comprise at least two hours high quality PE and sport at school and, in addition, the opportunity for at least a further 2 - 3 hours beyond the school day (delivered by a range of school, community and club providers)."
To help achieve this, the following sub targets have been agreed with the Prime Minister's delivery unit and HM Treasury:
• Establish a national infrastructure for PE and school sport • Improve the quality of teaching, coaching and learning in PE and school sport • Increase the proportion of children guided into clubs • The strategy and PSA target are also now integral to a number of other national frameworks, for example Every Child Matters; change for children in school.
Delivery is being overseen by a project board made up of representatives from schools (Headteachers), the PE professional associations, OFSTED, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), the Youth Sport Trust, Sport England, government departments and the national governing bodies of sport (NGBs). the impact of the strategy is also being monitored and evaluated including through reports from OFSTED.
PESSCL Strands The PESSCL strategy is delivered through eight strands:
• Specialist Sports Colleges - sport is one of the ten specialisms within the specialist schools programme. The aim is to have four hundred sports colleges, subject to sufficient high quality applications, by 2005. • School Sport Partnerships - there will be four hundred school sport partnerships by 2006. • Gifted and Talented Programme - aims to improve the range and quality of teaching, coaching and learning for talented sports people in order to raise their aspirations and improve their performance, motivation and self-esteem. • QCA PE and School Sport Investigation - aims to investigate the difference that high quality PE and school sport make to young people and the impact that this has on their schools. • Step into Sport - aims to encourage young people and adults to begin and continue and involvement in sports leadership and volunteering. • Professional Development - aims to raise the quality of teaching and learning in PE and school sport by ensuring that teachers and others have the tools and expertise that they need. All maintained schools in England are able to access the programme free of charge. • School / Club Links - aims to increase the proportion of children guided into sports clubs from school sport partnerships. • Swimming - aims to ensure that more children are able to swim the statutory twenty-five metres by the end of Key Stage 2. • There is also a link to coaching developed through the work of the Coaching Task Force.
More detail on each of the eight strands can be found in 'Learning through PE and Sport', published by DfES and DCMS and available from DfES publications (0845 60 222 60) or on the DfES and DCMS websites:
www.teachernet.gov.uk/pe
www.culture.gov.uk
Woodcote News
The next SSCo team meeting is set for Wednesday 5th September.
