Springcroft Primary School

The Use and Impact of Sports Premium

What is the Sports Premium?

The Government has provided funding of £150 million per annum since 2013 to ‘provide new, substantial primary school sport funding’. This funding is being jointly provided by the Departments for Education, Health and Culture, Media and Sport, and will see money going directly to primary school headteachers to spend on improving the quality of sport and PE for all their children.

The sport funding can only be spent on sport and PE provision in schools.

Purpose of funding

Schools will have to spend the sport funding on improving their provision of PE and sport, but they will have the freedom to choose how they do this.

Possible uses for the funding include:

• Hiring specialist PE teachers or qualified sports coaches to work alongside primary teachers when teaching PE
• New or additional Change4Life sport clubs
• Paying for professional development opportunities in PE/sport
• Providing cover to release primary teachers for professional development in PE/sport
• Running sport competitions, or increasing participation in the school games
• Buying quality assured professional development modules or materials for PE/sport
• Providing places for pupils on after school sport clubs and holiday clubs.

How will Springcroft Primary School be spending the Sports Funding and who will benefit?

At Springcroft, we believe that the money must be used so all children benefit regardless of sporting ability; that the most able children are given the opportunity to compete in advanced tournaments, that children who are not ‘sporty’ have the opportunity to try something different, and that staff have access to training opportunities and continued professional development.

How will we measure the impact?

We will evaluate the impact of the Sports Premium funding as part of our normal self-evaluation and provision mapping arrangements. We will look at how well we use our Sport Premium to improve the quality and breadth of PE and sporting provision, including increasing participation in PE and sport so that all pupils develop healthy lifestyles and reach the performance levels they are capable of.

Measuring the impact of the activities provided with sports premium funding can be achieved in different ways. We will look at progress in PE as well as other areas of development such as self-esteem, confidence and the numbers of pupils involved in sporting activities in and out of school. Assessments are made both formally and informally using our school assessment systems as well as feedback from staff and visitors to the school. We will also evaluate the impact of professional development opportunities in improving teaching and learning in PE.

Sports Premium Funding 2023-2024

The Sports Premium Funding allows us to offer the pupils at Springcroft the chance to experience a variety of different sports with qualified coaches. We receive £17,810 over three terms, which is spent as follows:

Sports Premium allows us to employ various sports coaches to support our PE lessons for all children with Time4Sport. Time4Sport sessions were used to support professional development for staff as they were able to observe lessons and discuss strategies and techniques with qualified, experienced sports coaches. This ensures that our PE teaching will be strengthened should the funding stop. From September 2018, Time4Sport support class teachers in teaching the skills of PE, allowing the class teachers to implement these skills into games independently.

PE lessons feature a range of skills and games such as gymnastics, ball skills, tennis, dance, dodgeball, bat and ball games, athletics, net and wall games, striking and fielding games, outdoor adventurous activities and healthy lifestyles. Time4Sport run multi sports clubs at lunchtime which are available for all, and sport specific clubs after school if the children wish to access them.

Numerous cluster events are organised by Blythe Bridge High School, organising sporting tournaments or experience for the children throughout the year. In addition, we are proud members of CADSSA; an organisation of 14 primary schools who provide opportunities for children to meet and participate in competitive sport. During the academic year we were able to operate a sports programme of ten different sports (athletics, cricket, cross-country, football, gymnastics, netball, rounders, swimming, tag rugby, dodgeball, water polo and tennis), to offer children the chance to represent their school, develop their skills in competition and also to make friends!

Over previous years, the children have experienced: tag rugby at Longton Rugby Club, trampolining at BBHS, multi skills at Stoke City Academy, A Chance to Shine cricket tournament at Meir Heath Cricket Club, athletics at Northwood Stadium as well as rounders, volley ball and dodgeball tournaments. There has also been the opportunity to try ultimate frisbee, archery and various dance styles.

Plus there was also the cost of transport to venues, hire of sports facilities, medals and some PE equipment to purchase, which amounts to £1600.

We spend more on sports experiences than the funding gives us. The children have commented on the fact that they appreciate the opportunities offered to them (through pupil questionnaires and pupil voice) and parents have also made the effort to come into school to reiterate the children’s remarks. Staff have valued the CPD, feeling more confident in developing pupils skills in various aspects of Physical Education and this will continue over future school years.