DEEPDALE JUNIOR SCHOOLSt Stephen’s Road, Preston, PR1 6TD

Our inner-city school is situated close to the centre of Preston in the heart of the Indian, Muslim community. We have a large

playground but no field, so many sporting events need to take place away from the school. That doesn’t stop us, though…

MISSION STATEMENT

• We are committed to providing the best education for our children and the Deepdale community to help us all develop into happy, healthy, caring and successful adults.

Why the Physical Activity Standard?

• Overcrowding at playtime • Poor behaviour due to

lack of space • Dispute-solving occupied

lesson time • Boys’ football dominated

playground• Many girls failed to

participate actively • Junior Council comments

that children were bored • General lack of fitness

The Issue

The problem of overcrowding at playtimes was an issue we felt we needed to address as it

seemed to be causing knock-on effects in the classroom.

The Change

We split playtimes so that years 3 and 5 play together then years 4 and 6 go out. There are

now three members of staff on duty for approximately 180 children, with one of those dedicated to organising playground games.

Playground Games

• Children now have the opportunity to practise their game skills in a variety of different situations

• One of the teachers on playground duty leads the weekly activity

CommentsWhat was said about before…

• Playtimes used to be boring. We just used to stand around getting cold. Year 6 girl

• It was rubbish before. We were squashed and there was no equipment. Year 5 boy

• Playtimes were busy and overcrowded. It was not easy for children to find a space to play away from the footballs. Year 5 teacher

Playground Activities

• Teachers supervise equipment use and encourage participation • Older children take responsibility for recording participation,

success and the awarding of certificates• Year 5 and 6 monitors set out the equipment and ensure it is put

away safely

CommentsWhat is said about now…

• There are more activities and more people are enjoying playtimes. There is a space for the teacher’s game and we get certificates. Year 6 girl

• There is loads more space to play. We have football tournaments and matches whenever we want to. Year 6 boy

• It’s lovely to see the children being so enthusiastic at playtimes. They go straight for their favourite activities and interact far better than before. School Governor

The Issue

Too little of the timetable devoted to PE lessons.

The Change

We rearranged the timetable so that PE lessons took place in the mornings as well as the

afternoons. This enabled classes to take two full hours within the timetable for indoor and

outdoor PE, thus exploiting the valuable resource of our hall to the full.

The Issue

The lack of a playing field at Deepdale Junior School has meant a tradition of no annual

sports day. Instead, staff versus pupil rounders and cricket matches were held on the

playground.

The Change

We hired Preston Sports Arena, Cottam, and a double-decker bus for the day, enabling us to take each year group to compete in a whole

range of athletic activities.

Sports Day• I liked the sport when you

got a heavy ball and threw it from your chest to see how many metres you could throw. I did 1.04 metres. Year 4 girl

• I thought jumping the longest was really good. Year 5 girl

• The people who won got medals. Year 5 boy

The Issue

The school had a physical education policy in place which was in line with Curriculum 2000,

but there was no physical activity policy.

The Change

Junior Council is made up of two representatives from each class. With guidance, they created a physical activity policy which is now on display around the school.

The Issue

The school had very few physically active clubs running throughout the week and

attendance was poor.

The Change

• The PESS project inspired enthusiasm among staff – more clubs now take place

• Spotlight on Sport run several new clubs

• Outside agencies come in to run clubs

• Children win awards for regular attendance at clubs

Cricket Club

Our school cricket team regularly qualifies for the Lancashire finals of the Kwik Cricket Tournament that are held at Old Trafford

The Issue

The school had difficulty in convincing some of the children to participate in dance lessons

due to their religious observance.

The Change

• Benefits of dance were promoted and made relevant to our children through careful curriculum planning

• A peripatetic dance teacher was brought in to run a lunchtime club

• Participation in country dancing festival was encouraged

The Issue

The children did not seem motivated towards a particular goal. They worked as a class for

rewards but there was a lack of unity across the school.

The Change

• A house system was introduced to create a sense of belonging

• Houses were named after birds of prey

• The launch theme was ‘Flying High’

• A bird of prey display launched the initiative

The Issue

The children did not always understand the significance or importance of their participation in sporting activities.

The Change• Friday Celebration

Assemblies were introduced

• Certificates are awarded for all sporting achievements

• Match reports are read out in assemblies

• Inter-house tournaments and matches are played

• The ‘Well Done’ song

The Issue

The school did not have a code of conduct but did have rules, often negatively worded, on

display.

The Change

• The teachers drew up a code of conduct which put forward the school’s ideals positively

• Junior Council worded the code of conduct in child-friendly language

• The code of conduct is now displayed throughout the school

Who is Involved?• Healthy Schools Key Teacher• PE Co-ordinator• PESS Project Consultant &

LEA PE Teacher Advisor• All teaching staff • All support staff • Spotlight on Sport • Coaches from local clubs • Parents • Governors • Junior Council • Pupils

Teachers and Support Staff

• The timetable was rearranged. Each class now has 2 hours of P.E. lessons every week.

• Support staff encourage disabled children to participate fully in these lessons.

Spotlight on Sport

• Funded by The Children’s Fund• In partnership with various agencies• Delivers a wide range of activities • Increases the profile of grassroots sports • Aims to improve children’s health and

increase participation in a variety of sports • Involves teenagers from the community

who are trained as coaches and mentors

Hopscotch Championship

• Spotlight on Sport have organised inter-house hopscotch tournaments

• Competitors were coached during playtimes by their team captains

Scooter Races

• Spotlight on Sport have organised scooter racing tournaments

• Competitors were encouraged to test their speed against other racers in their class

Parents

• Parent volunteers have begun to run after school and weekend clubs

• Volunteers are provided with training

• We now have a champion baseball team at our school

Physical Activity At Deepdale Junior School

• PESS Project

• Spotlight on Sport

• PE lessons

• Extra-curricular clubs

• Playground equipment

• Inter-house tournaments

• Inter-school matches

• Evening classes

• Weekend activities

• Residential courses

• Coaches and instructors

• Holiday activities

Planned Projects• Continuation of Government-funded PESS Project

2003/4 • Government and LEA-funded PE Co-ordinators

Project starting September 2003 as part of the Moor Park Consortium

• Continued teacher training • Application for Active Mark Gold Award June 2003 • Quality Mark Certificate for Lancashire Healthy

Schools Programme in Healthy Eating Standard 1 starting May 2003

The FutureThe whole school community is

now so enthusiastic about physical activity, that being a healthy school has become a way of life. Exercise will continue to be promoted and

developed for years to come.

Thank youfor watching Deepdale Junior

School’s presentation application for the Quality Mark in the

Physical Activity Standard of the Lancashire Healthy Schools

Programme.

Year 6 Pupils & Sarah Kazantzis Healthy Schools Key Teacher