New partnership of Physical Education and sport specialists gives support to primary schools
This autumn, education experts from three renowned organisations are coming together to offer primary schools tailored support to help pupils learn core subjects and develop essential life skills through the power of sport.
Move.Learn.Grow will see experienced sports teachers, coaches and internationally-acclaimed educators from the Harlequins Foundation, Kingston University and Sport Impact working together to provide schools with unique learning solutions.
The launch of Move.Learn.Grow comes amid fears that children’s physical exercise has fallen sharply since the pandemic. Sport England found that during lockdown, just 19% of children under 16 were doing one hour or more of physical activity every day – the government’s recommended daily amount.
Move.Learn.Grow offers bespoke and wide-ranging support packages to primary schools, initially across three London boroughs. This ranges from curriculum development and planning to numeracy, literacy and Science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) programmes. It also includes extra-curricular clubs and inter-school sport competitions, as well as training for teachers who are less confident or experienced in delivering PE.
Marc Leckie, Head of Harlequins Foundation, said the partnership – Move.Learn.Grow – came out of a desire to help pupils recover “mentally, physically and educationally” from six months of school closures.
Leckie said: “As sports education experts, we know exactly how to use the appeal of sport to help children with their core subjects and to develop in them the inner confidence and resilience that is needed more than ever in these testing times.
“The value of sport goes well beyond what happens in PE lessons and on the pitch. Our focus is on the whole child and the transformative effect of physical activity to inspire, engage and empower children.”
Alan Watkinson, Partnership Director of Sport Impact, said his organisation was already well-known to schools in Hounslow and was excited to be working with schools in Richmond and Kingston through the partnership.
Watkinson said: “Move.Learn.Grow will boost the physical education and sport experience of young people at the very time they need it most.”
Greg Dryer, Director of Kingston University’s Centre for Physical Education, Sport and Activity, said: “The demands on teachers have changed over recent months and it is more important than ever to provide them with professional support and learning so that they can confidently deliver exceptional experiences for their pupils at school.
“Move.Learn.Grow will be a leader in its field.”
Kathryn Harper-Quinn, Headteacher of Hounslow Heath Infant School, said many schools were struggling to deliver school sport and needed outside support.
“Move.Learn.Grow is invaluable. High-quality enrichment activities, alongside help with curriculum development, are making a big difference to our children’s mental and physical well-being, as well as their learning and development. The fact that Move.Learn.Grow takes a whole child approach makes it an important part of our recovery curriculum and means that we’re getting much more from our Sports Premium than purely physical activity.”
For more information, visit www.harlequins.foundation/movelearngrow/
