“We believe that physical education, experienced in a safe and supportive environment, is a unique and vital contributor to a pupil's physical development and well-being. Through the selection of suitably differentiated tasks, it is intended that pupils, irrespective of their starting ability, will enjoy success and be motivated to further develop their individual potential.”

At Byker Primary School, we believe that PE, sport and physical activity have the power to positively shape children’s lives. They play an important role in bringing our school vision to life by supporting every child to be healthy, confident, resilient and ambitious, while developing teamwork, leadership and a lifelong enjoyment of being active.

We are committed to using the PE and Sport Premium effectively and sustainably to strengthen the quality of PE across our school and provide children with a rich range of opportunities to participate, compete, lead and achieve. This includes high-quality PE lessons, competitive sport, enrichment activities and an inclusive programme of clubs designed to encourage participation from all pupils.

Our specialist PE teacher, Mr Danquah, works across the school to provide high-quality teaching and sporting opportunities, while supporting the continued development of PE provision. Through our curriculum and wider sporting offer, we aim to ensure that every child can experience success, develop positive attitudes towards health and physical activity, and discover opportunities and talents that can continue beyond primary school.

Sustainability and Staff Development

We use the PE and Sport Premium strategically to create sustainable improvements that continue to benefit pupils beyond the period of funding. Investment in high-quality CPD for our PE Coordinator, teachers and support staff, alongside working with specialist external PE providers, enables us to build expertise and confidence within our own staff team.

Through coaching, team teaching and professional development across all phases of the school, staff strengthen their knowledge and skills to deliver high-quality, inclusive PE lessons independently. This ensures that improvements in teaching, curriculum delivery and opportunities for physical activity are embedded across the school and sustained for future generations of pupils.

What does the Sport Premium mean for Byker Primary School?

'Schools must spend the additional funding on improving their provision of PE and sport, but they will have the freedom to choose how they do this’ (DfE June 2013).

At Byker Primary School we are using the following key indicators:

• Engagement of all pupils in regular physical activity
• Raising the profile of PE and Sport across the school
• Increased confidence, knowledge and skills of all staff in teaching PE and Sport
• Ensuring that children experience a range of sports and activities
• Increase opportunities for participation in competitive sport

Youth Sport Trust

At Byker Primary School, we are committed to ensuring that girls have opportunities to lead, influence and inspire others through PE, sport and physical activity. Working with the Youth Sport Trust approach to girls’ leadership, we are supporting girls across Key Stage 2 to develop confidence, communication, teamwork, resilience and leadership skills through meaningful leadership opportunities.

Our Girl Sport Leaders are encouraged to have a voice in school sport, become positive role models and help inspire other girls to be active and involved. This is particularly important as girls can experience increased barriers to participation during the transition from primary to secondary school.

By developing leadership skills early, we want our girls to leave Byker feeling confident, ambitious and ready to take on leadership opportunities at secondary school and beyond—helping them to recognise that their voice matters and that they can make a positive difference to others.

School Games Award