Management Information Sheet
Government Funding for PE and a Countywide Approach
Following the announcement of £150 million funding for PE and school sport we are writing to engage with you about our strategic vision for ensuring that every child in Norfolk receives a high quality entitlement and experience in and through PE. This fantastic opportunity to bring about systemic change in the teaching and provision of PE must be capitalised upon. We need also to ensure that we build in sustainability from the outset and build capacity that is both resilient and locality based. We welcome this funding and the new emphasis that will be placed on accountability and impact through Ofsted looking at how well schools use this 2 year ring-fenced funding to make a real difference.
Norfolk schools are incredibly well placed to drive systemic change. Our national award for ‘Leadership and Advocacy’ recognises that we have, together, developed innovative approaches that work in raising standards of teaching and learning in PE. Access to high quality accredited CPD, quality assured programmes, effective measures for pupil standards in PE (County PE Assessment Framework and High Quality PE Chartermark) embed the improvements at school level and they are all making a difference here and through our wider work in other counties. Through a strategic approach to the further development of PE in Norfolk we want to ensure that high quality is ‘built in- not bolted on’.
We want to help schools optimise the funding to make the biggest impact at local level for the benefit of children and young people and ensure that this is sustainable after the funding ceases. Through our Centre of Excellence in PE and Adventure model, we believe that we can help ensure schools not only work together but develop cluster based solutions which work for the locality. We believe we can and are answering the growing call for specialist PE teachers in primary schools. We have an infrastructure of 400+ highly trained specialist teaching assistants in schools – all of which have taken the Norfolk PE Teaching Competence Standards (NPETCS) award. Now with a new emphasis on accredited CPD (combined with ring–fenced funding for teacher release) we can deliver our nationally recognised courses to more teachers and school staff increasing the quality of teaching and learning, pupil achievement and quality of provision (Ofsted).
Key questions from the Ofsted Report into PE and on-going engagement of the inspection process will be how schools ensure that pupils are able to excel, develop greater levels of fitness and have the opportunities to take part in sport, receive high quality coaching and competition. We have for example developed a self-review toolkit for the new framework which is embedded into our accredited training for subject leaders in PE which can be shared through a dedicated new website we are setting up to help deliver the outcomes we all want. We are shaping up a Power of Five campaign to show the improvements in pupil fitness, strength, stamina and suppleness without complex processes or time consuming tests. We want to share with you what we are doing to help, to sustain, to grow and to excel in and through PE here in Norfolk.
We currently have 65 schools which have already achieved the High Quality PE Chartermark – demonstrating through evidence, externally verified, that their provision for PE is “Good†or better. Norfolk is committed to ensuring that all pupils receive this high quality PE entitlement and experience and with this recent announcement of ring-fenced funding for all primary schools we have an exciting opportunity to work together to make this a reality.
Together we can achieve so much more for our children and young people. I hope that like us you are excited about the announcement. We will write to you again after the school break outlining our plans and seeking your engagement. Welook forward to discussing the opportunities further with you and outlining our strategy for a sustainable programme at one of the High Quality PE briefings that we will be running across the county in the Summer term. These sessions will explore a more joined up and strategic approach as well as sharing our guidance on the implications for schools posed by the new curriculum for physical education and the recommendations and implications of the recent Ofsted report into PE and new accountability which Ofsted will require around impact and quality of provision. In the meantime should you want any further details about our accredited, quality assured programmes then do contact martin.radmore@norfolk.gov.uk .
We have attached the full announcement , outlining details of the funding from the Department of Education for your convenience. Please do not hesitate to contact me to discuss any aspect of this letter or your thoughts about the development of a high quality countywide PE system with accredited, quality assured programmes that will be held up as a model of good practice. Let’s make the funding count.
Norfolk schools are incredibly well placed to drive systemic change. Our national award for ‘Leadership and Advocacy’ recognises that we have, together, developed innovative approaches that work in raising standards of teaching and learning in PE. Access to high quality accredited CPD, quality assured programmes, effective measures for pupil standards in PE (County PE Assessment Framework and High Quality PE Chartermark) embed the improvements at school level and they are all making a difference here and through our wider work in other counties. Through a strategic approach to the further development of PE in Norfolk we want to ensure that high quality is ‘built in- not bolted on’.
We want to help schools optimise the funding to make the biggest impact at local level for the benefit of children and young people and ensure that this is sustainable after the funding ceases. Through our Centre of Excellence in PE and Adventure model, we believe that we can help ensure schools not only work together but develop cluster based solutions which work for the locality. We believe we can and are answering the growing call for specialist PE teachers in primary schools. We have an infrastructure of 400+ highly trained specialist teaching assistants in schools – all of which have taken the Norfolk PE Teaching Competence Standards (NPETCS) award. Now with a new emphasis on accredited CPD (combined with ring–fenced funding for teacher release) we can deliver our nationally recognised courses to more teachers and school staff increasing the quality of teaching and learning, pupil achievement and quality of provision (Ofsted).
Key questions from the Ofsted Report into PE and on-going engagement of the inspection process will be how schools ensure that pupils are able to excel, develop greater levels of fitness and have the opportunities to take part in sport, receive high quality coaching and competition. We have for example developed a self-review toolkit for the new framework which is embedded into our accredited training for subject leaders in PE which can be shared through a dedicated new website we are setting up to help deliver the outcomes we all want. We are shaping up a Power of Five campaign to show the improvements in pupil fitness, strength, stamina and suppleness without complex processes or time consuming tests. We want to share with you what we are doing to help, to sustain, to grow and to excel in and through PE here in Norfolk.
We currently have 65 schools which have already achieved the High Quality PE Chartermark – demonstrating through evidence, externally verified, that their provision for PE is “Good†or better. Norfolk is committed to ensuring that all pupils receive this high quality PE entitlement and experience and with this recent announcement of ring-fenced funding for all primary schools we have an exciting opportunity to work together to make this a reality.
Together we can achieve so much more for our children and young people. I hope that like us you are excited about the announcement. We will write to you again after the school break outlining our plans and seeking your engagement. Welook forward to discussing the opportunities further with you and outlining our strategy for a sustainable programme at one of the High Quality PE briefings that we will be running across the county in the Summer term. These sessions will explore a more joined up and strategic approach as well as sharing our guidance on the implications for schools posed by the new curriculum for physical education and the recommendations and implications of the recent Ofsted report into PE and new accountability which Ofsted will require around impact and quality of provision. In the meantime should you want any further details about our accredited, quality assured programmes then do contact martin.radmore@norfolk.gov.uk .
We have attached the full announcement , outlining details of the funding from the Department of Education for your convenience. Please do not hesitate to contact me to discuss any aspect of this letter or your thoughts about the development of a high quality countywide PE system with accredited, quality assured programmes that will be held up as a model of good practice. Let’s make the funding count.