Newsletters

National Curriculum Swimming 

Under the National Curriculum for PE, every pupil is expected to achieve the following by the end of Year 6:

•  Swim competently, confidently, and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres
• Use a range of strokes effectively, such as front crawl, backstroke, and breaststroke
• Perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations

It is essential that schools prioritise these requirements—not only because they are statutory, but because they equip children with life-saving skills. Swimming is the only sport in the curriculum that could directly save a child’s life, making it a critical part of their education. By focusing on these outcomes, schools help ensure that every child leaves primary education with the ability to swim confidently, understand water safety, and respond appropriately in emergencies. This commitment builds lifelong confidence, wellbeing, and resilience in aquatic environments.

If you have any questions, please contact Chloe Scott from Plymouth Active Chloe.Scott@plymouthactive.co.uk

Bikeability Bikes for Schools 

The PSSP have been successful in the last couple of years with our application for ‘Fleet Bikes’ from the Bikeability Trust.  This has meant that we have now created a stock of bikes for each Bikeability Team delivering in your school.  This has also meant that we have been able to retire some of the bikes that have had several years of use.  However, these bikes are now stored in a container, and I would like to get them out, in schools, fulfilling their purpose; to be ridden.

We are offering schools the opportunity to request bikes on a long-term loan, and it will be up to each school to decide how they use these. Suggestions would be to support non-riders by allowing them opportunities to ride before the Bikeability courses run at your school so that they can be competent to complete the Level 1 & 2 Training.  You may wish to loan these to students who have completed the training and want to ride to school but do not access to a cycle.  We are happy for schools to manage this in the best way they feel for their students.  All bikes will be serviced prior to coming to your school. We will not be able to provide helmets with these at this stage. If you are interested in loaning bikes, please contact a.clooke@sjhcsc.co.uk letting me know how many bikes you would like for your school.  We will do our best to fulfil all requests but we may have to share the bikes out or loan for set lengths of time.

What Makes School Games Special for Schools? 

School Games has evolved so much over the years and we wanted to take the opportunity to both celebrate and refamiliarise yourselves with how we work, and the impact we can have in both primary and secondary school settings.

What do we do?
Our School Games initiatives help children and young people discover the joy of being active, while supporting schools to achieve the goal of 60 active minutes a day for every pupil. We make the biggest difference by focusing on those who are less active or underserved, ensuring no young person is left behind.

How do we do this?
Working in partnership with schools, we identify those pupils who need the opportunities most and then create bespoke opportunities tailored to their individual needs and motivations.

School Games is more than a series of events - it can be an intervention or a targeted activity that engages young people for the first time, as well as leadership or organisational opportunities.

Why you should work with us?
Our approach benefits not only the young people we support, but your whole school community. By improving health, wellbeing, behaviour, and readiness to learn, our interventions help primary and secondary schools achieve their wider goals.

Please contact us
Too often, the children who would benefit most have the least access to opportunities. We invite schools to work with us to maximise impact - both for their pupils and across the whole school community.

We want to partner with teachers to offer as many positive experiences for children as possible. Reach out to your SG) to explore how we can work together to make a lasting impact in your school community.

Please contact - h.tasker@sjhcsc.co.uk or j.gilbert@sjhcsc.co.uk

Introducing the Well Schools Accreditation 

Is your school ready to be recognised as a Youth Sport Trust Well School?

The Well Schools Accreditation recognises schools that successfully meet the Well Schools Framework, demonstrating a clear commitment to placing wellbeing at the heart of school life.

The process includes:

• A thorough self-assessment, informed by your Well Check responses
• Submission of supporting evidence
• Independent evaluation by trained Well Schools peer reviewers
• Schools can achieve a 3, 4, or 5-star rating, reflecting their level of impact and commitment. Accreditation is valid for two years, after which schools are invited to refresh and resubmit to maintain their Well School status.

 GET STARTED today and lead the way in making wellbeing the foundation of your school’s success.