WHAT IS THE SPORTS PREMIUM? 

The Government is providing funding directly to primary school headteachers to spend on improving the quality of sport and PE for all their children. The funding is ring-fenced and can only be spent on sport and PE provision in schools. The amount of PE and sport funding which schools receive is based upon the number of children they have in Years 1-6. 

When a school receives an Ofsted Inspection, they will assess how schools spend their PE and sports funding. Governors and the schools’ Improvement Partner will also ask about and assess how the funding is spent in between Ofsted inspections. 

Detailed information about PE and sports funding for Primary Schools can be found at: here

PURPOSE OF FUNDING 

Schools must use the funding to make additional and sustainable improvements to the quality of PE and sport they offer. 

This means that you should use the premium to: 

• Develop or add to the PE and sport activities that your school already offer

• Make improvements now that will benefit pupils joining the school in future years 

For example funding can be used to: 

• Hire qualified sports coaches to work with teachers 

• Provide existing staff with training or resources to help them teach PE and sport more effectively 

• Introduce new sports or activities and encourage more pupils to take up sport

• Support and involve the least active children by running or extending school sports clubs, holiday clubs and Change4Life clubs 

• Run sport competitions 

• Increase pupils’ participation in the School Games

• Run sports activities with other schools 

There are some things which the PE and Sports Premium Funding is not allowed to be spent on. These are: 

• Employ coaches or specialist teachers to cover planning preparation and assessment (PPA) arrangements - these should come out of your core staffing budgets

• Teach the minimum requirements of the national curriculum - including those specified for swimming (or, in the case of academies and free schools, to teach your existing PE curriculum) 

HOW WILL WE BE SPENDING THE FUNDING AND WHO WILL BENEFIT? 

The staff, children and governors at Rockliffe Manor Primary all agree that the money must be used so that: 

• All children benefit regardless of sporting ability

• Staff have access to resources and training opportunities, plus continued professional development to improve the quality of teaching and learning in physical education

• Children are exposed to a range of traditional and non-traditional sports and health enhancing activities through the curriculum, clubs and school visits. 

HOW OUR SPORTS PREMIUM FUND WAS SPENT IN THE YEAR 2023-2024 AND THE IMPACT IT HAS HAD 

For the 2023-24 academic year we received £17,700 premium funding. 

During this year, we used part of our sports premium grant to fund our ‘Sports, Health and Wellbeing Lead’ working with us on two days per week, he helps to support and help to deliver our three areas and actions: 

1. Raising profile of PE 

2. To ensure that we have appropriate resources to enable good quality teaching and learning 

3. Raising the profile of pupil sports leadership and aspirations for all. 

Of our total £17,700 we allocated spending as follows: 

£1,350 on educational materials (for updated PE equipment etc) 

£15,700 on professional services curriculum (to pay for Gymnastics, sports coaches and Sports, Health and Wellbeing Lead) 

£650 on costs associated with attending/taking part in sporting activities including guest coaches for themed weeks. 

Some highlights of the 2023-24 academic year include: 

• Weekly gymnastics sessions with a professional coach, collaboration also with coaches for Rugby and Cricket. 

• Weekly swimming lessons for Year 5, allowing them a year's worth of opportunity to build on their skills and their confidence in the water. 

• A variety of sports were made available to the children in after school clubs including football, multisports and gymnastics. These are always extremely popular with a waiting list. 

• Social skills through sports intervention well embedded with impactful outcomes for targeted children, improving social, physical and emotional skills

• Children had the exciting opportunity to participate in inter-school sporting events and competitions, fostering teamwork and school pride while allowing them to experience a competitive environment.

We look forward to another incredible year of PE and Sport, our priorities for 2024/25 include: 

• Expanding Access to New Sports and Activities: We aim to introduce additional sports, allowing children to explore activities which provide new physical and social challenges. Our goal is to foster broader interests in physical activity across all age groups.

• Enhanced Teacher Training and Development: Continued professional development will be a priority, ensuring that staff have access to advanced training opportunities. We’ll focus on upskilling teachers in specialised areas like gymnastics, inclusive PE strategies, and adaptive sports, improving the quality of instruction and engagement in every PE session.

• Promoting Pupil Leadership in Sport: We will build on our current success in sports leadership by empowering more children to take on leadership roles. Through the introduction of a pupil sports council, pupils will have opportunities to organise events, support peers in physical activities, and serve as ambassadors for health and wellbeing.

• Increasing Participation in Competitions and School Games: In the coming year, we’ll work to increase pupil involvement in inter-school competitions, providing greater access to local tournaments, School Games events, and friendly matches with neighbouring schools. This focus will nurture resilience, sportsmanship, and camaraderie among students.

• Health and Wellbeing Initiatives: We plan to incorporate more health-focused programs within the curriculum, with workshops on nutrition, mental health, and lifestyle choices. Our aim is to foster a holistic understanding of health and fitness that benefits our students beyond physical activity alone.

By continuing to prioritise these areas, we believe that the sports premium funding will make a lasting impact on our students' physical, mental, and social development. We’re excited to witness the growth and enthusiasm in our school community as we work toward another successful year.