UKPE Newsletter March 2008

Welcome to the March edition of the UKPE newsletter!

At last Spring is nearly here! Although it may not feel like it, the weather will be warming up soon and you and your pupils can look forward to some fresh air and sunshine during PE lessons.

Easter is also nearly here, and as a small thank you and to help you stock up on your resources for the new summer term, we are offering a 10% discount on ALL our books and DVDs for ALL our customers. Please see the voucher at the bottom of this email for further details.

Have a great Easter break!

In the UKPE Newsletter this month…
	Product of the month… Use change, challenge and choice to maximise participation in physical activity A marathon challenge for staff at Human Kinetics Schools make children more obese, leading doctor says Obesity ‘in the genes’ Eighty-nine new specialist schools announced Teachers engaged in CPD reaches 200,000 Swimming pool closures are national disgrace Netball’s ten year game plan Product of the month… Physical Activity still dominates the public health arena as active lifestyles continue to be an important part of programmes of disease prevention and health promotion. As physical education is an important part of becoming physically active, primary school PE remains the first step in creating a healthy population. Primary teachers can use Physical Education Methods for Elementary Teachers, Third Edition, to help children become more active and steer them to better health. The new edition of this book includes new sections on character development and more practical tools for developing teaching skills. In addition, the authors place more emphasis on goal orientation and motivational climate, two factors associated with maintaining physical activity. They outline strategies for creating an environment where students choose to participate in physical activity with confidence, enthusiasm and a desire to learn. The book comes with a DVD-Rom and if you are a teacher who is not accustomed to teaching in the gym environment, you will find the video clips on this extremely useful. You can use the lesson plans provided on the DVD-ROM in concert with the video clips to apply the concepts to your teaching. The goal of this book is to provide you with the skills and knowledge necessary to offer an excellent physical education programme. Accessible, interesting, current and practical, Physical Education Methods for Elementary Teachers, Third Edition, will help you to create a healthier school and feel confident in presenting essential information and creating exciting learning activities for your pupils. PRICE: £36.50 (54.75 Euros) Read more! Use change, challenge and choice to maximise participation in physical activity The purpose of Teaching Physical Activity: Change, Challenge, and Choice is to share ideas about maximising participation in physical activity, in order to help inspire children to become physically active. Often teachers will ask how it is possible to create conditions in a physical activity setting so that all pupils are fully engaged – this book provides the answers and offers practical ideas about how to do just that. Teaching Physical Activity guides teachers to create healthy learning environments where all pupils feel safe, capable, successful and motivated and where pupils feel they have a sense of ownership in the activities. The sense of ownership comes from the choices pupils are able to make to change certain physical activity challenges. With the combination of change and choice pupils will no longer fear being embarrassed in front of their peers, but will welcome the trials of a safe and fun learning environment. Teaching Physical Activity includes foundational material on teaching activities and games, 45 ready-to-use games as well as activities and numerous tips, ideas and strategies to help teachers fully understand the approach of change, challenge and choice. Teaching Physical Activity: Change, Challenge, and Choice guides teachers in designing activities and games through which they can meet their objectives while engaging all the participants in their class, regardless of their skills and fitness. This will benefit children now and will pave the way for a lifetime of physical activity. PRICE: £14.50 (21.75 Euros) Read more! A marathon challenge for staff at Human Kinetics On Friday 14th March 2008, ten members of staff from Human Kinetics will walk, jog or run the equivalent of a 26.2 mile marathon between them, all in aid of Sport Relief 2008. The event will begin at the Human Kinetic’s office and staff will complete the marathon by following a one mile route. Sportier staff members, who really want to challenge themselves, will repeat the route to make up the 26.2 mile jaunt. On the Friday afternoon staff will abandon their desks and reach for their sports gear as they attempt a fitness challenge to raise money for an excellent cause. As well as seeking sponsorship for their efforts, Human Kinetics will make a charitable donation to Sport Relief. All the money donated to Sport Relief will be spent to transform lives in the UK and across the world’s poorest countries, helping to change the world for the better. Sara Cooper, Managing Director at Human Kinetics Europe, says: “I’m really pleased so many staff at Human Kinetics have agreed to take part in our Sport Relief Marathon Challenge. As a sports company we have no excuse not to be involved in Sport Relief, it’s a great chance for us to pull together as a team and raise money for such a good cause – and it’s also an excellent opportunity for us to have some fun on a Friday afternoon!” Are you, or is your school completing a challenge for Sport Relief? If so, send us the details and a picture and we may feature you in our next UKPE newsletter! Please contact rachell@hkeurope.com To make a donation to Sports Relief, call 08457 910 910 (local rate call charges apply) or for ideas on how to get involved in Sport Relief 2008, visit the website: www.sportrelief.org Schools make children more obese, leading doctor says A leading doctor has accused schools of making children more overweight after government figures showed rates of obesity rise through primary school. Dr David Haslam, clinical director of the National Obesity Forum, called for children to do more PE and be made to play outside during breaks after data showed the proportion of pupils classed as overweight rises by nearly 10% between the first and sixth year of school. Nearly a quarter (22.9%) of four or five-year-olds in England are deemed either obese or overweight, with the figure rising to 31.6% by the time they are aged 10 to 11, according to a health department survey. In both age groups, boys were more likely than girls to be obese. The findings, from the National Child Measurement Programme, which weighed and measured 80% of pupils aged four to 11, will make grim reading for ministers who have pledged to tackle Britain’s “obesity time bomb”. Haslam said it was a “scandal” that the rate of children who are overweight or obese rises while at school. The Guardian, 21st February 2008 Read the full story… Obesity ‘in the genes’ Genetic make-up is more important than upbringing in determining whether a child will become overweight, a new study suggests. The research on over 5,000 pairs of twins found that variations in children’s body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference were 77 per cent attributable to genes and 23 per cent attributable to the environment in which they were growing up. Lead author Professor Jane Wardle said the findings suggest parents should not necessarily be blamed if their children are overweight. Last year a report warned that a quarter of children could be obese in the UK by 2050. The researchers looked at identical pairs of twins who share all their genes and compared their measurements with non-identical pairs of twins who only share half their genes. The findings are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. inthenews.co.uk, 7th February 2008 Read the full story… Eighty-nine new specialist schools announced Schools Minister Andrew Adonis has congratulated 89 schools across the country on successfully achieving specialist status, including 24 Special Schools. The extra 89 schools joining the specialist schools programme means that 88% of all maintained secondary schools are now specialist and 26 local authorities are 100% specialist, joined by Middlesbrough and Kingston upon Thames. Schools Minister Andrew Adonis said: “Congratulations to the 89 schools that have been granted specialist status. Their new status will give them the benefits others such schools have gained, including support from their sponsors, strong leadership and a clear sense of mission backed by challenging targets and partnerships with other schools.” Dr Sue Campbell, Chair of the Youth Sport Trust said: “The Youth Sport Trust is particularly delighted that a further 10 schools have gained sports college status. They join a thriving network of schools that will be supported by us to continue to raise standards for all young people and will be critical to the ongoing success of the national sport strategy.” Department for children, schools and families, 31st January 2008 Read the full story… Teachers engaged in CPD reaches 200,000 The Department for Children, Schools and Families is pleased to announce that the PE and School Sport Professional Development Programme has passed a significant milestone in providing high quality professional development for those delivering PE and sport in schools. Since it began in 2003, over 200,000 professional development places have been taken up on the programme. This remarkable achievement represents the commitment of teachers and Adults Supporting Learner’s to contribute to the improvement of high quality teaching and learning in PE and sport. The Department would like to praise the Consortium Management Group who are leading the delivery of this important work and the network of Local delivery Agents who are making sure that the training is delivered where it matters. The national PE and School Sport Professional Development Programme is managed by the Youth Sport Trust, Association for PE (AfPE) and sports coach UK (scUK). Youth Sport Trust, 29th February 2008 Read the full story… Swimming pool closures are national disgrace The Daily Telegraph has exposed the neglect and the willful disregard for swimming pools in this country. Year after year pools have been closed and not replaced. Others have been allowed to be run down, badly maintained with councils pleading poverty as an excuse. We should be ashamed that there is less swimming now in primary schools than there was 30 years ago. Local authorities have no legal duty to support recreational activities in the way that they do for libraries or social services. This must change. Unless and until swimming pools are given the same statutory protection as libraries the desecration will continue. If I have a right to borrow a book free from a library why do I not have the right to swim free in a public swimming pool? Swimming is one of the easiest and most enjoyable sports to participate in and, unlike other sports, it was singled out to be mandatory in primary schools because, as well as being a superb recreational activity, it is critical in reducing the risk of drowning. So by the age of 11 children must be taught to swim competently for at least 25 metres. However, unless your child happens to attend one of the few primary schools with a pool the swimming experience will vary radically. As pools have closed schools have had to travel further and scramble for pool time. The Telegraph, 29th February 2008 Read the full story… Netball’s ten year game plan Netball has been written off as just playground favourite for too long. Loved by 11-year-olds but forgotten by teenagers who are ‘too cool for school’ let alone PE lessons, the sport carries a stigma that means for many netball is just a nostalgic memory – like orange segments at half time. Which might explain why are we losing precious British talent – namely our Superleague players – to professional netball leagues in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s a travesty when you consider that England netball’s national squad is ranked third in the world and that the game attracts more women than any other sport in Britain. Even the Prime Minister has called for netball to be showcased at the London Olympics in 2012. Fortunately there’s a man with a plan – and a huge team behind him – fighting to get the sport the recognition and status it deserves. We chat to Paul Clarke, the former PE teacher from Bishop Stalford turned chief executive of England Netball. Clarke, 55, has already implemented a ten-year plan – nicknamed ‘Netball 1011′. The plan is simple. Clarke wants netball to be ranked number one in the world, the first choice sport for women and “Britain’s tenth most popular sport in terms of participation.” The Daily Express, 26th February 2008 Read the full story…