School Focus: Creation of outdoor provision through the development of teambuilding
Expression of interest overview
St Anthony’s, which is a primary school in an area of social deprivation in Saltney, Flintshire, is well positioned in the community as pupil’s live close and can easily walk (or use active travel methods) to attend school activities. Unfortunately, there has been little appetite for previously existing activities. To support pupils to engage in physical activity provision, the school planned to run a sport offer three days a week and run sessions in holidays and one day a month on weekends. The sessions were to be open to the wider community - specifically, pupils’ parents and siblings to encourage family participation. They will also be delivered with incidental Welsh. The intention was for the funding to be spent on three overarching areas to support the creation of a community hub:
- Additional support for vulnerable pupils (31.5% of pupils eligible for free school meals)
- Staff costs
- Session provision providers
Programme implementation
The school received funding from February to December 2022. Attendance numbers recorded by the school showed attendance fluctuated across the months, with the greatest attendance in May (82 participants) and June (69 participants). The lowest attendance was in April (32 participants), which was notably lower than most months. Monthly learning logs listed activities the school had been offering, such as activities offered by Planetree Adventure and Taekwondo. Through the monthly completion of learning logs, the following key reflective points were highlighted, and the school’s implementation of the programme was documented in the timeline shown in Figure 11.
What worked well:
- Whilst being a small school (75 pupils), both clubs ran for two hours a week after school and were well attended
- Pupils really enjoyed the sessions and gave the school a lift
- Pupils who attended Taekwondo began attending a local club, some with their parents
Learning points:
- Going forward, Taekwondo will be delivered for one hour a week with an emphasis on the younger children as the activity has been more popular with this age group
Next steps:
- School in discussion with a local football team about taking sessions next term and training up a parent to become a coach through the club
