Being active is absolutely vital for our children’s mental and physical health now more than ever. With the PE and Sport Premium funding stream continuing in 2022 and any unspent funds being carried over until July 2022 there has never been a better time to consider the best ways to utilise this funding.
The PE and Sport Premium is designed to prioritise children’s activity as part of their recovery and support primary schools to improve the quality of their PE and sport provision, so that pupils experience the benefits of regular exercise.
When you consider that the government’s main objective for providing the funding is ‘to achieve self-sustaining improvement in the quality of PE and sport in primary schools’, installing permanent, long-lasting sports and fitness equipment is one of the best ways to achieve this. The word sustainable appears regularly in the government guidelines, as they reiterate that these improvements must benefit the maximum number of children possible – now and in the future.
As well as improving the quality of PE and sport, the installation of outdoor playground equipment can also:
St Paul’s C of E Junior School in Barrow-in-Furness used some of their PE & Sport Premium on a timber Adventure Trail including Climbing Wall and Swing Bars that will encourage pupils to be more physically active, not just during structured sessions but at all playtimes too. This equipment will promote physical development, fitness, motor skills and balance. Our steel ground fixings mean that we can offer some of the longest guarantees in the industry; the timber posts on this equipment are guaranteed for 20 years. It would be quite a tricky sum to calculate how many children will have how many hours of fun and fitness on this trail…suffice to say – it would be a lot!
With 40 years’ experience of providing equipment to schools, we know the importance of designing equipment that promotes fun & fitness as well as being safe and affordable. As far as safety is concerned, there is no better peace of mind than knowing all Playdale manufactured equipment has been independently tested and certified as proof of compliance to the Europen Playground Safety Standard EN1176.
Yarlside Primary Academy in Cumbria invested parts of their PE & Sport Premiums over the course of two years (in two phases) on two permanent, sustainable Sportswalls with Goals, Nets and Hoops from our Agorespace range of Health & Fitness equipment. This has created a multi-use games area on an existing tarmac area that already had line markings. This video demonstrates how active it’s made the pupils, not just during PE lessons but more particularly at playtimes:
Yarlside’s headteacher, Janine Pierce told us “It’s vital that children’s heart rates are being raised on a daily basis, in addition to the PE lessons that are part of the curriculum. Our pupils in years 3-6 are loving their timetabled sessions on our new multi-sports area during breaks and lunchtimes. They couldn’t be more active!”
It is hoped that improved provision of PE and sport in schools will, in turn, help develop healthy active lifestyles in children that will then continue into their adult lives.
If you would like any free help or advice about installing outdoor equipment at your school, don’t hesitate to contact us to arrange a free, no-obligation appointment with your local Playdale Area Manager. We look forward to hearing from you!
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