From the Head of PE and Sport 26.03.2022
Preparing the next generation of Sport Leaders
When entering Key Stage 4, students have the option to choose to follow their own special interest in physical activity and sport and deepen their knowledge and understanding fitness and health by taking IGCSE PE as an elective.
However, all students still take PE as a compulsory core subject. Whilst not assessed like other subjects, PE still holds a lot of value and importance for examination students. Time to be physically active gives them a mental break from the stresses of their other subjects, which can then in turn, boost their ability to focus in lessons once back inside the classroom. Not to mention the numerous benefits to developing students’ physical, mental and social well-being by being active in a variety of games and activities.
This term, students in 10S have been exploring alternative roles in sport beyond that of a performer by undertaking a modified Sport Leader Award programme led by Mr. Bromley. Throughout the unit, students have had the opportunity to develop skills in communication, activity planning, time management and risk management, as they first experimented with these skills in leading short physical activity sessions for their peers. Before finally applying and testing their new skills with the most ruthless of judges – Primary students!
For the past two weeks, pairs of Year 10 students have planned and led 30 minute sessions for an activity of their choice for groups of Year 4 and Year 5 students with the aim to produce “Safe, Purposeful and Enjoyable” activities. As with learning anything new, there were certainly challenges (some of which you can read about from some student accounts) and mistakes made to learn from in the future, but they have without a doubt been highly successful in rising to the challenge and meeting the success criteria set.
Here are some personal accounts from some of the students on how they viewed the experience and what they got from it.
“I really enjoyed introducing and teaching a Korean traditional game called “Ttang Tta Meok Gi (Steal One’s Land)”, similar to the hopscotch to Year 5 students this term. They followed instructions really well enthusiastically and I was really glad that I had this wonderful opportunity to plan the session and proceed it. I think this term was special to me as I was able to communicate with younger friends and learnt how important this communication/team work skills are.” – Grace
“I enjoyed being able to work on my leadership and it was fun to watch my peers try too. I found actually controlling younger kids difficult but I managed through it fine. There was this one kid in my group who was hard to please and was definitely not happy to be there, but I managed to squeeze by without any problems. I’m really glad I got this opportunity to do this!” – Trinity
“I enjoyed getting to know the kids I led the most, but I also enjoyed the planning session as well as it in execution. I found it extremely fun since the kids themselves were very easygoing and pumped about the session. Skills I believe I have learnt: communication, positive presence, and overall, creating a good environment for the kids. I think the skills that we accumulated from this project would definitely be useful in future use when we’re approaching life in general.” – Charmaine
“Overall, I really enjoyed the experience of being able to lead and also seeing the kids enjoy themselves. At first, I wasn’t entirely confident about my game, in fact I had a lot of doubts and worries about leading my first ever session and making sure that it all went as plan. It was such a relief that everything ran smoothly and most importantly we all gained an amazing experience. Though it was fun, leading a class was quite challenging and chaotic, considering they are all so young (and cheeky!). It really taught me about the struggles and challenges of being a teacher, especially teaching younger kids. The planning on the other hand, took quite a while and I had to make a lot of changes along the way to make sure it was suitable and as safe as possible for them.” – Farah
“During the unit I have learnt how to speak to a large group of people and become more animated for the kids. I think this will come in handy in the future if I had to lead/talk to a group of people e.g. meetings and become more animated to boost up the mood.” – Isaac
The Sport Leader Award unit has certainly been a successful addition to the Key Stage 4 PE curriculum and a great means to put a spotlight on some of those other important life skills such as effective communication, teamwork, problem solving and the importance of planning for success. Another beneficial aspect of the programme is being able to build links and promote collaboration between Primary and Secondary. We are excited to see how this unit develops in the future.
Congratulations to all the students in 10S who have really stepped up to deliver some wonderful experiences for the Primary students in the last few weeks and I’m sure will again in the last round of sessions next Monday. All will receive certificates to acknowledge their participation in the unit. Also, thank you to Mr. Bromley for putting together the unit and guiding the students through the process to make sure they were successful.
FOBISIA Virtual Run Challenge.
You have just one more week to log your runs in this virtual competition. Don’t forget there are two opportunities or separate competitions to enter.
Firstly, by completing the FOBISIA Google Form that you can access by scanning the poster below.
Secondly, earn House Points and individual Dojos or Merits in the KIS Pokémon Challenge by posting your times on the Google Form here: KIS Pokémon House Challenge
I will be out on the green path early Saturday morning in an attempt to get my 10km in before the crowds and heat sets in and so will keep an eye out for some of the Pokémon! Maybe during Earth Hour on Saturday evening you could go for a 3km walk around your neighborhood and see if you spot any exciting nocturnal wildlife or maybe even an elusive Eevee or Dragonite!
Competition will close for the FOBISIA entries on April 1st, BUT I will be keeping the KIS Pokémon challenge running ALL through the holidays to give students more opportunities to catch some of their favourite teachers…I mean Pokémon!
Have a great weekend KIS and don’t forget to get out and get active!
Miss Catriona Watt
Head of PE and Sport
