PE & Sports Premium In March 2013 the government announced that it was to provide additional funding of £150 million per annum for academic years 2013 to 2014 and 2014 to 2015 to improve provision of physical education (PE) and sport in primary schools in England - The Primary PE & Sport Premium. This funding - provided jointly by the Departments for Education, Health and Culture, Media and Sport - is allocated to primary school headteachers. The funding is ring-fenced and therefore can only be spent on provision of PE and sport in schools. In the Autumn Statement 2013, the Chancellor, George Osbourne announced an additional year's £150m extended funding, taking the total investment to the end of the 2016 academic year. On 6th February 2014 the Prime Minister, David Cameron committed to contunue the funding for the Primary PE & Sport Premium until 2020. On the 17th July 2015 the Department for Education announced that 2015/6 funding will remain at the same level as last year. Purpose of funding 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. Vision All pupils leaving primary school physically literate and with the knowledge, skills and motivation necessary to equip them for a healthy lifestyle and lifelong participation in physical activity and sport. Objective To achieve self-sustaining improvement in the quality of PE and sport in primary schools. We would expect indicators of such improvement to include: The engagement of all pupils in regular physical activity – kick-starting healthy active lifestyles The profile of PE and sport being raised across the school as a tool for whole school improvement Increased confidence, knowledge and skills of all staff in teaching PE and sport Broader experience of a range of sports and activities offered to all pupils Increased participation in competitive sport Accountability Report 2020/21 Cave, River & Mountain Challenge In 2021 our Three Peaks Challenge was relaunched as the Cave, River & Mountain Challenge: - Year 4 - visit Ingleborough Cave and the Cave Rescue Organisation in Clapham Year 5 - walk along the River Wharfe from Burnsall to Linton Falls Year 6 - climb Whernside Each expedition is led by our own fully qualified Mountain Leader on Saturdays through the year assisted by members of school staff. The trips are voluntary and children participate because they choose to. The St Thomas Three Peaks Challenge started in 2015 and gave children in Years 4 to 6 the opportunity to climb the Yorkshire Three Peaks: Pen-y-Ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside. Over the years, more than 100 different children completed the challenge. Our last expedition was in early March 2020 just before COVID-19 restrictions intervened. In May 2021 our trips recommenced as The Cave, River & Mountain Challenge, which is designed to give the children a more rounded experience of the great outdoors. The St Thomas Tennis Academy The St Thomas Tennis Academy was launched in 2015. Tennis can be a difficult sport to access for many children and yet we think that it is a great way to develop some core skills. Tennis is a striking and fielding game and it helps to develop individual coordination, as each player is constantly involved in play. The idea behind the academy is that every child will have access to Tennis lessons during their time at St Thomas as well as the opportunity to take part in competitions and visits to Tennis events. Lessons are led by LTA qualified coach Andy Smith and he also runs after school tennis clubs. In addition to this a few children from each year group are selected to attend extra lessons and competitions at Rastrick Tennis Club. Rugby The St Thomas Rugby Academy is an initiative set up to introduce the concept of Rugby. As in years gone by, Rugby was a sport taught at secondary school and even now is still only taught at certain high schools. In addition to this, most schools will focus solely on teaching the specifics of Rugby Union or Rugby League. At St Thomas, we believe that it’s the fundamentals from both codes which are important, giving all pupils the opportunity at KS2 to participate in a sport which promotes a number of skills in addition to teamwork, fitness and fun. This area of the curriculum is considered to be an 'invasion game', which is a key part of learning to work within a team. Thanks to a high level of quality coaching, staff from St Thomas and the Huddersfield Giants work hard to deliver a programme (based on Tag Rugby) which gives our pupils a taste for more and an enjoyable experience they’ll never forget. With lots of freedom, no restrictions or complications, the St Thomas Rugby Academy is a great place to introduce Rugby. "It’s great fun and you learn new things every week, I really enjoy myself - it’s 10/10." Eva, Y6. “ I think it’s a really good club, we gain experience and it brings people together." Callum, Y5. "It is awesome and cool. I really like Rugby.” Kiera, Y4. “It was fun and I enjoyed it. I liked playing against other teams in the St Thomas Rugby festival. Learning to play Rugby means I can play against my Dad.” Ellis, Y3. Swimming Our KS2 children have swimming lessons organised by Kirklees Active Leisure at North Huddersfield Trust School; the objective is to make sure that every child can swim 100 metres before they leave primary school. We have a record to be proud of at St Thomas. Over recent years, 100% of the children have learned to swim. We also make sure that those children who have a particular skill in this area, have an opportunity to represent the school in the annual school swimming gala. Swimming Statistics office@stthomas.org.uk parents@stthomas.org.uk St Thomas CE (VC) Primary School Sherwood Avenue Bradley Huddersfield HD2 1RQ (01484) 226557 STAFF LOGIN