Sports Development

The PE and School Sport project is a Sports Council for Wales funded project which aims to raise the standards of teaching and learning in curriculum PE. This project has been running in all local authorities in Wales since 2001.

The project aims to raise standards in physical education by making sure that all schools:

• Manage the subject effectively within the whole school curriculum;
• Set challenging targets for raising standards in physical education and school sport;
• Provide enough curriculum time to teach the requirements of the National Curriculum for physical education in all key stages;
• Develop young people's physical skills from one year to the next and improve their understanding of the importance of health and fitness;
• Raise standards in physical education and school sport by establishing accredited continuing professional development (CPD) programmes for all teachers;
• Support schools in Wales to extend opportunities for school sport beyond the school day by improving the quality and the breadth of after school activities for all young people whatever their age, ability, ethnicity, gender or geographical location;
• Establish Development Centre Partnerships and ensure they work together for the identification and development of good practice in PE and School Sport.
• PE and School Sport in Monmouthshire

In Monmouthshire the PESS project has had the opportunity of working to support all schools during the life of the project. PESS works with clusters of schools to develop good practice in PE and share this within groups of schools and more widely through the authority. 

PESS offers teachers the opportunity to access high quality support in PE through training days, staff twilight sessions, and mentoring of teachers with their own classes of pupils.

PESS training opportunities currently exist in gymnastics at Key Stage 1 and 2, dance at Key Stage 2 and 3, Health, Fitness and at primary and at secondary, playground development at primary and secondary and Adventurous Activities. All of these courses have the potential to be delivered as INSET days or a series of twilight sessions.

In addition...

schools from Monmouthshire have been working in partnership with PESS and UWIC to pilot opportunities to develop good practice in the use of ICT in PE over the current academic year. This pilot is the first long term study of using ICT in PE and will feed into a national training resource for schools to use with PE.

Still to come...

from the PESS project are further opportunities to develop and support schools in raising standards. From next September the gymnastics resources for Key Stages 3 and 4 will be ready and training courses will be offered to schools to share these approaches to teaching gymnastics. Training for supporting teachers with the foundation phase, physical development, swimming and competitive activities are planned for launch in the near future.

Booking with PESS could not be easier

In Monmouthshire all the above opportunities can be arranged with the PESS Co-ordinator and are provided to schools involved in the project free of charge.

Monmouthshire PESS is committed to working with schools to raise standards in teaching and learning in curriculum PE.