Outstanding Primary Practice

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Awarded to a primary school that has used PE, sport and play to build a foundation for learning through prioritising the health and happiness of their young people. 

Winner

Summerhill Academy, Bristol

Summerhill Academy has distinguished itself by using physical education, sport, and play to prioritise the health, happiness, and overall development of its students, establishing a strong foundation for learning. Through a series of innovative initiatives, the academy has made significant strides in fostering student engagement and wellbeing. 

A key initiative is the introduction of the active uniform policy, which allows students to engage in physical activities throughout the school day without needing to change clothes. This innovative approach supports spontaneous movement and encourages students to stay active, making physical activity seamlessly integrated into their daily routine. This policy has proven to be a successful way to increase student participation in physical activities without disruption. 

In particular, the exceptional work of Sally Goodridge, a teacher at Summerhill Academy, in integrating PE into the school curriculum has been transformative. She revitalised the PE programme, developed tailored learning resources for staff, and utilised Sport Premium funding to bring expert sports coaches into the school. Her efforts, including the introduction of the Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds approach and the active uniform policy, have significantly boosted student participation in sports and contributed to the school’s outstanding personal development rating. 

Additionally, as a member of the Youth Sport Trust Advocacy Network, Summerhill Academy are advocates for the value of PE in fostering wellbeing, leadership, and academic achievement, with their headteacher and a PE CatalYST leading the charge.  The school influences local and national strategies by sharing best practices and testing innovative solutions, such as exploring the use of wearable movement trackers. 

Focused on holistic development, Summerhill Academy continues to align with the Well Schools criteria, prioritising students’ physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing, ensuring they thrive in all aspects of their education. 

Highly Commended

The Beacon Pupil Referral Unit, Reddich     

Beacon PRU child jumping onto crash mat

The Beacon Pupil Referral Unit is a primary-aged educational setting designed to support children with significant Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, particularly those who have faced exclusion from mainstream schools. At The Beacon, there is a strong emphasis on the importance of physical activity in promoting both physical and mental health. This focus on physical wellbeing is deeply integrated into the school’s overall mental health strategy, ensuring that students have the opportunity to engage in activities that support their holistic development. 

One of the key initiatives at The Beacon is the implementation of the Youth Sport Trust’s PE Life Skills Award. This programme, supported by My Personal Best resources, is incorporated into the curriculum for all pupils, with a new life skill introduced every two weeks. It provides students with opportunities to practice and demonstrate important life skills through PE and across the wider curriculum.  

In addition to the PE Life Skills Award, The Beacon also incorporates active learning strategies into its lessons, using the Teach Active programme to support engaging Maths and English sessions. By combining physical activity with core academic learning, The Beacon helps pupils to stay engaged, improve focus, and develop essential academic skills in an interactive environment. 

The Beacon’s commitment to enhancing play and physical experiences for students is also reflected in its achievement of the platinum Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) Award for play provision. The school has worked to significantly improve the range, quality, and quantity of play opportunities, developing its outdoor area to cater to a variety of play types. These efforts have increased students’ enthusiasm for outdoor activities as a result, making play a central part of their daily experience at The Beacon. 

Together, these initiatives form a comprehensive approach to supporting students’ wellbeing, physical health, and personal development at The Beacon Pupil Referral Unit. 

Full list of shortlisted entries:

  • Summerhill Academy, Bristol  

  • St Breock Primary School, Cornwall  

  • Mount Hawke Academy, Cornwall  

  • Orchard Meadow Primary School, Oxfordshire  

  • The Beacon Pupil Referral Unit, Reddich 

  • Cubitt Town Primary School, London  

  • Dame Dorothy Primary School, Sunderland 

Winner 2024 - Curwen Primary School, Newham

Photo of winners at awards evening

Curwen Primary School in Newham is part of the Tapscott Multi Academy Trust and is a Youth Sport Trust member school who recently have been awarded the Gold Quality Mark. The Quality Mark has allowed them to audit, identify and celebrate their strengths as a school, while identifying their action and development plan for the year. The school has a strong vision for PE, School Sport & Physical Activity (PESSPA) and this is widely understood by staff across the school.

As with all other core subjects, PE has its own action plan linked to the whole school development plan. PE and school sport is seen as a hook for the school to develop important relationships with parents and families. Opportunities for parents to watch, play and engage with their children alongside teachers presents a unique opportunity to build trust. Parents are then more open to approaching the school when they need help or have an issue and it is also easier for the school to have a conversation with the parents around their child’s development if they have previously engaged in something positive on the school site.

PE is fully inclusive, where all students are given the opportunity to learn alongside their peers. The curriculum is carefully considered, sequenced and revisits learning from previous years. Every child receives two hours of high-quality PE a week, taught in one-hour slots. Children come to school in their PE kits which has enabled more time for learning to take place within the timetabled slot. There is a consistent approach to assessment across the school, with PE using the same systems.

The school are engaged in the Sporthub, a collective of 13 schools and nurseries in East London which provides regular opportunities for competition, Continuous Professional Development and networking. Activities are open to all students, with targeted events to engage the least active.

Lunchtime supervisors receive regular training to promote active break and lunchtimes. The playground is designed to stimulate activity, including timetabled dedicated time for certain groups to use the sports hall. A good example of this is the dedicated girls only football session and there are also organised lunchtime clubs, like the 'Girls Active' club.

Sports Leaders are a highly sought after position within the school, with a formal recruitment and training process. The position sees students who are not typically high performers, but students that wish to develop their leadership skills and support others. The Sports Leaders support lunchtime activity activation among other roles within the school.

The school wanted to focus on getting more children confident in cycling, with more students achieving their level one and two Bikeability award. Cycling on the curriculum was introduced in September 2023 with the feedback from pupil voice contributing to its inclusion. Early Years Foundation Stage learn the basics through the Bikeability programme with progression planned in years one to three. The focus on cycling within the curriculum compliments the Friday bike club which sees a large number of families accessing a dedicated club onsite.

Continually monitoring students result led the PE department to start to deliver football and fitness classes to boys and girls separately. They had noticed the behaviour and attitudes of the year five girls were poor and motivation levels were dropping and engagement in PE was suffering. They saw a change was needed. The lessons are now split with a female teacher taking the girls, and a male teacher with the boys, offering an opportunity for wider role modelling. So far, the school are seeing a positive impact and are reviewed as part of an ongoing cycle.