School sport in the High Peak will never be the same again thanks to a new government-funded programme that aims to get all school children actively involved in at least two hours a week high quality PE and sport at school. Working closely with ourselves the High Peak School Sports Partnership hopes to improve PE and school sport by developing sporting links between schools and with local clubs. It will also look to improve the quality of teaching and increase the range of sports available to all children of all abilities in schools. For those children who show particular aptitude there will be gifted and talented programmes put in place.
Every primary and secondary school in the High Peak is involved in this exciting new partnership - six secondary schools, forty-one primary schools and one special school (Peak School). Every secondary school has appointed a member of their PE Department as a School Sports Co-ordinator (SSCo), who will be released from their normal timetable for two days each week. Each secondary school is responsible for co-ordinating the development of PE and school sport in its family of feeder primary schools. Every primary and special school has a teacher called a Primary Link Teacher (PLT) who will, for the first time, be released from teaching for twelve days each year to train and lead their school in improving PE and sport. In all, 55 teachers, at a cost of over half a million pounds over the next three years, are involved in this exciting new venture.
'High-quality PE and school sport produces young people with the skills, understanding, desire and commitment to continue to improve and achieve in a range of PE, sport and health-enhancing physical activities in line with their abilities.' This statement has been developed with new guidance available for schools and clubs from the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). High Quality PE and Sport for Young People (published March 2004) is designed to help schools and clubs evaluate, and then set about improving, the quality PE and/or sport in schools and clubs. It sets out what high quality PE and sport looks like and how schools can achieve it.
