Doncaster teachers singing the praise of the Higher Sports Leaders qualification

Primary school teachers from across Doncaster have praised the Higher Sports Leaders qualification, delivered by Active Fusion.

The nationally recognised qualification is accredited by Sports Leaders UK, with in-school duties counting towards the qualification. Teachers, lunchtime staff, volunteers and HLTA’s are given the option to take part with a specialist Active Fusion tutor. 

The programme is designed to provide teachers, support staff and anyone involved with delivering Physical Education greater confidence in teaching physical activities, enabling them to improve pupil attainment, engagement and participation in Physical Education. 

With the latest batch of training having taken place over the past few weeks at Travis St Lawrence Primary School in Hatfield, teachers have spoken out about the benefits of taking part in the course. 

Not only does the course increase confidence among teachers, it also introduces fresh learning into school, according to Woodlands Primary School Teaching Assistant, Dave Beech.  

He said: “It (the training) brings in new ideas from different people and then you can implement those ideas into your school, teaching the children some new, something different.  

“The course is ran superbly well, I can’t knock it. It’s done in a fun, meaningful manner, which makes it easy for someone like me to do the course. I felt like it was time to gain a qualification in school and Active Fusion has allowed me to do that.” 

Benefits seen by those who have taken part include increased knowledge in delivering extra-curricular activities independently, something which Sarah Tweed, a Higher-Level Teaching Assistant from Arksey Primary School, has experienced for herself. 

She said: “It’s been great. I’ve learnt a lot, and how to make activities easier and harder for the children I currently teach.  

“The training will allow me to go back to Arksey and teach the children a more robust PE curriculum, giving them their next steps to improve their PE and fitness. 

With an increasing amount of time being spent on giving children the opportunities to get involved in sport and physical activity, it’s easy to see why Physical Education needs to grow, especially in Doncaster. 

In May 2019, Doncaster was ranked as the 39th most inactive place in England, against all 317 Local Authorities, showing a need for more physical activity among schools, the workforce and across communities. 

Dave Beech has been involved in the schooling environment a long time, and added: “The kids get enormous benefits from taking part in Physical Education.  

“They make new friends, they learn new sports and activities, they get fitter. The kids just enjoy doing sport.  

“Not every child is academically minded, some children prefer sports so there must be parity between education and sports. Hopefully we can achieve that in Doncaster.” 

For more information on the next Higher Sports Leaders course, please contact Sports Development Officer Daniel Tinnion on daniel@activefusion.org.uk