Category Archives: PE

The message of who you are and what you represent always connects directly to how you look. 

When it comes to “presence” – that most indefinable of concepts – many would agree there is neither start, nor end.

For “presence”, meaning the way your cricketers look on the training field as much as in the match, from the way they appear when getting off the coach to their behaviour in the nets, comes both from a conscious attempt decision to “look good” and the state of mind that lies behind that decision.

It is something we see time and again with the top cricketers.   But how on earth does one convince young players that the way they look, the way they approach training, and the way they play, are all interlinked?

Some get it straight away: they practice hard and play well, always looking the part.  But for others, realising the link between how one looks and how one plays the game is a longer journey.

Our view is simple: the way young cricketers look, be it in training, on the way to a game, or within the match itself, deeply affects how well they play, simply because there is a direct link between a person’s look and a person’s state of mind.

In fact, one could argue that getting students to appreciate that the way they look is as important as the way they behave, is a way of helping to turn a modest player into a good player, and a good player into one of the best of players.

One only has to look at the pride with which the best players wear their team’s colours to see how it works.

Click on the image below to access our full catalogue.

catalogue image

I look forward to hearing from you.

Simon Lambourne
Owner/Director, Chiltern Leisure Limited

Generating income whilst effectively maintaining the pupils’ interest in PE and sport

Many schools report that increasing the accessibility and variety of PE and sport offered in school allows them to create new and exciting lessons, with the added bonus of attracting local teams and programmes to rent the schools facilities out of schools hours, generating much needed additional income!

Kate Jones, Project Manager at Sport Surfaces UK explains,

“It can be hard to maintain the heightened interest levels generated at the start of any new facilities or sports programme.

To help we have developed a website that shows how a schools PE and multifunctional sports facility can be enhanced by following a few simple steps; including careful planning in the development phase of a new sports hall floor, the innovative use of new sports equipment and the careful maintenance and use of existing equipment. All of which make a huge difference to long-term pupil engagement and participation.

Over the years we have seen an increase in schools introducing new sports, dance or other activities, with particular emphasis on supporting and including the least active children. Research has shown that exercise is directly linked to brain development and academic performance, as well as tackling obesity, so the focus has to be on inspiring and encouraging all pupils in take part in regular physical activity”.

If you would like to learn more on how you can plan, deliver and maintain your sports facilities, to encourage more children to get active whilst also making your facilities the first choice for local sports teams, please go to www.sportssurfacesuk.com or give us a call on 01244 321200, we would love to hear from you.

 

What is the easiest way of making cricket ever more popular at school?

We make choices.  All of us, all the time.  And as we get older, so most of the time our choices become increasingly rational.  And that fact emphasises the reality that teenagers in particular are highly emotional beings.

Quite simply they can choose x rather than y for reasons that are, quite often, unfathomable.

We may notice this when a pupil or student chooses to focus on (for example) athletics or volleyball, or even disco dancing, rather than say, cricket, even though he or she is potentially one of the best cricketers the school has had in the past ten years.

It is clearly not talent that directs such a person away from his/her natural talent and into something else.  Rather it normally is emotion, feeling, friends, gossip, parents, TV programmes, what someone said on Facebook…

So how can we challenge such pressure?

One approach which has been adopted by a growing number of schools is to ensure that these young people feel good about themselves each time they practise and each time they play cricket.

In this regard, having the opportunity to wear professional cricket teamwear both when training and when playing a competitive game is singularly helpful.  True, it doesn’t directly affect their performance, but it does affect their mental attitude towards the game.  And that can and will affect performance.

Such an approach also encourages those with more modest levels of natural ability to extend themselves, and this is why Chiltern Leisure exists – to bring cricket teamwear to schools in which quality of presentation is deemed important.

The range includes wide choices of cricketwear, in-house personalisation, with delivery on-time, every time.  It even includes training and leisurewear designed to be worn on the way to and from matches and on tours.

Our online catalogue runs to 24 pages of cricket wear; there is an index on page two.  Plus, bottom right the zoom button, for a close-up view of anything that grabs your attention.  For a printed copy of the catalogue or if you have any questions about any of the products we offer, please do call 01844 338941 or email enquiries@chiltern-leisure.co.uk

You can make an appointment to meet at our showroom near junction 8a (Oxford Services) of the M40, where we can show you samples of cricketwear and discuss your precise needs.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Simon Lambourne
Owner/Director, Chiltern Leisure Limited

What is the most effective way to maintain the pupils’ enhanced level of interest in PE and sport after the first couple of lessons?

02Many schools report that increasing the accessibility and variety of PE and Sport they can offer allows them to create new and therefore exciting lessons.

However it can be hard to maintain the heightened interest level that can be generated at the start of the programme.

In order to resolve this issue and maintain interest throughout we have developed a website that shows how a school’s indoor PE and sports facility can be enhanced.

This new website looks at everything from the development of a new sports hall floor, the use of new sports equipment, to the maintenance and use of the equipment the school already has.

We also look at how schools are introducing new sports, dance or other activities, with particular emphasis on supporting and including the least active children.  All this encourages pupil participation which can eventually become pupils taking on leadership and volunteer roles in the future.

As a result schools are starting to see improvements such as the engagement of all pupils in regular physical activity, including in competitive sport.  At the same time the profile of PE and sport is raised and used as a tool for whole-school improvement.

Furthermore pupils show increased confidence and greater knowledge as they come to show a broader experience of a range of sports and activities offered.

If you would like to learn more there is an immediate opportunity on the website www.sportssurfacesuk.com

Educate your Year 11 students that are affecting attainment

With the exam season looming and PE exams now weighting 60% on theoretical knowledge, are you confident that your year 11 students are prepared, or are some of your students affecting the teaching and learning in your classrooms?

EDVirtual is a simple and proven way to engage your year 11 students off-site. Within our virtual classrooms your staff, alongside EDLounge staff, have the capacity to educate your students on specific timetabled pathways via a live video stream.

Learners follow a unique pathway designed around their needs and achieve support when they require it. This will ensure each student reaches their full potential in a controlled and safe environment.

Our platform includes lessons and mock exams for BTEC sport to test your students’ understanding and easily identify any weaknesses, allowing you to allocate suitable catch up programmes to your students before it’s time to sit the real thing.

Read More

Out Latest Case Study

In just six weeks following an English and Maths programme, we achieved the following results:

  • 15 students in 1 (KS4) class had a 93% success rate.
  • 353 out of 420 sessions were attended (meaning an 83% overall attendance, creating a 4% increase in whole school attendance)
  • Two students were successfully reintegrated back into mainstream education
  • 36% of students had 100% attendance
  • One student increased attendance by 15%, another by 43%

Read More

To find out more about how this was achieved please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on 01909 568 338 or email us at contactus@edlounge.com.

Kind Regards,

Sam Warnes
Creator of EDVirtual

T: 01909 568 338
F: 01909 568 350

E: contactus@edlounge.com

W: www.edlounge.com

Free BBL game tickets for your school basketball team

Complimentary tickets to a British Basketball League game for your school when you spend £150 on Molten balls.

I am contacting you from Sports Ball Shop regarding our free BBL game tickets for schools offer:

sportsballshop.co.uk/British-Basketball-League-Tickets.html

Sports Ball Shop, a sports equipment specialist and leading school supplier, has teamed up with Molten to offer you and your school basketball team free tickets to a British Basketball League game.

We are giving away 10 free tickets to each qualifying school for selected British Basketball League games.

Claim your free tickets and find your nearest British Basketball League game:

Claim my free tickets >

All you need to do is spend £150 on Molten balls in one transaction. This can include any combination of Molten balls; we have a range of training and match quality basketballs, footballs and volleyballs which can be found at: https://www.sportsballshop.co.uk

As well as a vast range of sports equipment, we provide resources, guides and Coaches’ Corner which offers a range of coaching packs created through working closely with teachers and coaches.

To claim your free tickets, or to find out more, simply contact us at sales@sportsballshop.co.uk

Kind regards,

Stuart Cardy;

Can you find the time?

Dear Colleague,

In a school not too far away from you a PE Department has come together to organise the planning and delivery of the new curriculum. The head of department is eager to get going around the white board…

Head of Department

“Right let’s get organised and ready! Ideas go!”

Teacher 1
“So we need lesson plans that are specific and involve cross-curricular elements.”

Teacher 2
“Also we need to make sure this is tied into the theoretical elements of the GCSE PE Spec now that its 60% weighted in favour of the exam.”

Teacher 3
“This needs doing for each year group, each term and each topic so… Football, Hockey, Trampolining, Rugby, Athletics… ” (This could go on for a while)

 Teacher 4
“Also we need to have our yr10 and 11 students work through exam style questions again relating to the GCSE PE Spec.”

Head of Department
“Right, and this needs to be in one consistent format, with differentiated tasks and drills that we can periodically assess”

After an hour (or so) the white board was filled with great ideas and the future looked bright… until…

Teacher 5
“How much time do you have in your day to accomplish this?”

Does this sound familiar?
At the PE Office we have dedicated our time to the creation of comprehensive lesson plans, schemes of work, task sheets, learning resources and a robust assessment platform. These have been designed to support any PE Department with the current curriculum and assessment requirements.

To find out more on what PE Office can offer you and your department please contact us on 01909 776900 or emails us at mail@peoffice.co.uk

Many thanks.

Sam Warnes

How can you acquire new sports equipment ready for September at 10% off the cost?

As part of Edventure’s 2016 Summer Sale we are offering all of our sports equipment for 10% off when you quote the code HH1007 on your order or at checkout before 22nd July 2016 (all orders must be completed by this date).

You can see the sports equipment that we offer by visiting www.edventure.co.uk/sports

Dart tennis cricket goal

We also have an extensive range of playtime games and equipment which you can see by clicking on the various category links below.

Active Play

Positive Play

Cooperative Play

Wet Playtime

Balls & Catching Games

Giant Games

To place an order with Edventure you can either:

  • visit our website at www.edventure.co.uk
  • fax your order to 01323 50 10 41
  • call us on 01323 50 10 40
  • email your order to us at sales@edventure.co.uk           
  • or send your order by post to Edventure Ltd, Hargreaves Business Park, Hargreaves Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN23 6QW.

Carriage is free on orders over £200 pre VAT.

Preparing your pupils for the Euros: multipack footballs and football equipment

Celebrating the Euros at school is a great way to get those pupils who are disinterested in football enthused with the sport. Why? Because the Euros isn’t just about football, it is about passion, competition, patriotism, celebration, team spirit, community cohesion and more.

To support you in celebrating the Euros at school with your pupils, we have devised a number of football and football equipment multipacks with savings, including:

A pack of three Size 3 Elephant Skin Footballs £26.85 + VAT (You Save: £3.00)

A pack of six Size 4 Match Footballs £28.50 + VAT (You Save: £6.00)

A pack of eight Mini Footballs £19.50 + VAT (You Save: £2.50)

A pack of 12 Soft Small Footballs £14.95 + VAT (You Save: £3.05)

A pack of two 180 x 150 x 120cm Football Nets £79.00 + VAT (You Save: £10.00)

As always, you can place an order with Edventure in a variety of ways, including:

  • on the website www.edventure.co.uk
  • by faxing us to 01323 50 10 41
  • by calling us on 01323 50 10 40
  • by emailing us at sales@edventure.co.uk        
  • by post to Edventure Ltd, Hargreaves Business Park, Hargreaves Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN23 6QW.

Quote HH0515 when you place your order and we will deliver it for FREE!

PE to the ready! (and yes, every step really does count).

With the end of term weeks away, I’d like to share with you today a great idea to give your pupils extra motivation as they run, swim, bat and field. After all, you work hard every day making the benefits of sport available to all your pupils. And our passion is helping injured and disabled people to walk again, very often using sports as a rehabilitation tool.

So here comes your Every Step Counts challenge, which will change the lives of people like 8-year-old amputee Nirmala! It could be a ‘race for rehab’ on sports day, an Every Run Counts cricket match, a sponsored walk or ‘stepathon’.

And until 18th July, all the money raised by your school will be doubled by the UK government. So there’s never been a better time to get involved – request your Every Step Counts pack today at www.handicap-international.org.uk/pack

Our Every Step Counts campaign is raising essential funds to provide life-changing rehabilitation to disabled people around the world. With every donation doubled, the money you raise will go that much further, helping twice as many injured and disabled people.

Please order your pack today online at www.handicap-international.org.uk/pack, by calling me on 0870 774 3737 or emailing john.mcgeachy@hi-uk.org.

By organising an event your school will play an amazing role in this special campaign. Every step your students take, and every pound you raise, counts!

Best wishes,

John McGeachy

Supporter Engagement Officer
Handicap International UK

P.S. To see who your support could help, why not read Nirmala’s story, who lost a leg in the Nepal earthquake last year. Nirmala has bravely taken her first steps with her prosthetic leg – will you please take your first step with us today?

Co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Handicap International is an independent charity working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work tirelessly alongside disabled and vulnerable people to help meet their basic needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights. It is a UK registered charity (no. 1082565). www.everystepcounts.org.uk

Using the interest in Wimbledon to develop an enthusiasm for tennis

There is no better way to make use of this enthusiasm than with a tennis net (that can also be adjusted to be suitable for badminton) which can be used inside and out to maximise its use.

Our 6m tennis (and badminton) net can be set up and taken down in moments, and is ideal for regular use in the playground and the sports hall. It comes in its own storage bag which makes transportation and storage easy too.

To complete the set of equipment, we have available a set of four Plastic Tennis Rackets plus two balls for £7.95 plus VAT.

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And, as always, you can place an order with Edventure in a variety of ways, including:

  • on the website www.edventure.co.uk
  • by faxing us to 01323 50 10 41
  • by calling us on 01323 50 10 40
  • by emailing us at sales@edventure.co.uk       
  • by post to Edventure Ltd, Hargreaves Business Park, Hargreaves Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN23 6QW.

Quote HH0515 when you place your order and we will deliver it for FREE!

(Without quoting the code the charge is £3.95.)

Answering six common questions asked about getting a synthetic sports pitch installed in the grounds of a school.

Installation of a synthetic sports pitch in the grounds of your school will always raise questions for the very simple reason that it will be viewed as a big project.

We have therefore put together a list of the six common questions asked about the installation of a synthetic sports pitch and answered them accordingly, so you can pitch the idea to your colleagues and reassure those who may be sceptical about the idea.

Question one: How fast can a new synthetic pitch be installed?

Question two: What is the lowest cost method of installing a synthetic sports pitch?

Question three: Is it environmentally friendly?

Question four: Are they safe?

Question five: Is it suitable to hire out to sports clubs in the community?

Question six: How long will a synthetic sports pitch last?

To answer all of this, and more, we install the very latest development in synthetic sports pitches which means we can now offer a huge reduction in construction time, so installation during the summer break (or any other time of year) is now perfectly possible.

ShockWave pitches cost no more than other pitches to install because of the use of modern techniques and materials and the reduced need for aggregate – and they bring with them both environmental and reduced injury benefits.

In a unique approach to shock absorption the amount of aggregate which has to be laid underneath a Shockwave pitch is halved, thereby not only cutting costs but also offering significant environmental savings and benefits.

ShockWave naturally meets the performance criteria of the FA, RFU, Gaelic Football and Rugby League Football and is seen as a cost effective solution for facility providers looking to hire out their pitches to as many users as possible.

Plus, a ShockWave pitch is guaranteed for 20 years.

There is more information on Shockwave at www.shockwave.nottssport.com.

To find out more about the various pitch surfacing systems designed and developed by Notts Sport, click here. We work closely with schools to make the installation of multi-use sport facilities an affordable option, providing advice on funding where it is needed.

There is further information on our website at http://nottssport.co.uk/ or if you would like to arrange a free review of your sports facilities do please call us on 01455 883 730 or email us at info@nottssport.com

 

How to avoid time-consuming administration, bureaucracy, and cash flow problems when procuring a brand new school sports facility.

It would be an understatement to say that having a brand new sports facility installed in your school is costly. And, in addition to the expense, such a project typically comes with a significant amount of time-consuming administration, bureaucracy, and cash flow implications.

So how can you get a brand new cricket facility (for example) installed in your school without encountering any such problems?

The answer: Notts Sport and the Fast Track Funding Scheme.

Notts Sport will design a bespoke cricket facility (or refurbishment) that’s perfect for your needs. Then, using Fast Track Funding, we will provide you with a flexible funding solution with monthly, quarterly, or annual repayments to suit you.

This means that no (or very little) payment is required until the facility is complete, and we won’t expect you to pay it all back at once, which will help to minimise the impact on your cash flow.

If you have any questions about the Fast Track Funding Scheme, please don’t hesitate to contact us, either by calling us on 01455 883 730 or emailing us at info@nottssport.com.

There is further information about Fast Track Funding on our website.

What’s more, you can find out more about the various pitch surfacing systems designed and developed by Notts Sport, by visiting http://nottssport.co.uk/.

See whether your school qualifies for a brand new sports facility at no cost whatsoever to the school

This is true – your school can get a brand new sports facility at no cost whatsoever to the school (and indeed many schools already have), but it does require a little bit of planning – which, fortunately, Notts Sport can help you with.

So, the immediate question is, how does it work?

There are two stages. First, we develop the facility that you require on your school grounds using Fast Track Funding, which means no payment is required until the facility is complete. After that, payment is arranged over a period of time – normally five or seven years.

This is when the second part of the arrangement comes in. Schools are finding that it is not at all difficult to hire out their new facility to local clubs on occasional evenings and weekends, and through that are able to cover all the costs of the development (and more).

And there you have it – a brand new sports facility at no cost whatsoever to the school, all whilst helping to promote sport and healthy lifestyles in the local community which will inevitably create a significant amount of positive PR for the school.

Such sports facilities that we install for schools under the Fast Track Funding Scheme include a new all-weather pitch for football, cricket, hockey, etc., and at the heart of the development plan is England Hockey’s Official Facilities Partner.

Unfortunately our seminars about Fast Track Funding have now finished. However we have created a presentation for those who couldn’t make it to the seminars and are interested in Fast Track Funding. You can view this presentation by clicking here.

We will be doing live Fast Track Funding webinars in the New Year. To register your interest or if you have any questions about the Fast Track Funding Scheme, please don’t hesitate to contact us, either by calling us on 01455 883 730 or emailing us at info@nottssport.com.  

There is further information about Fast Track Funding on our website.

What’s more, you can find out more about the various pitch surfacing systems designed and developed by Notts Sport, by visiting http://nottssport.co.uk/.

See whether your school qualifies for a brand new sports facility at no cost whatsoever to the school

This is true – your school can get a brand new sports facility at no cost whatsoever to the school (and indeed many schools already have), but it does require a little bit of planning – which, fortunately, Notts Sport can help you with.

So, the immediate question is, how does it work?

There are two stages. First, we develop the facility that you require on your school grounds using Fast Track Funding, which means no payment is required until the facility is complete. After that, payment is arranged over a period of time – normally five or seven years.

This is when the second part of the arrangement comes in. Schools are finding that it is not at all difficult to hire out their new facility to local clubs on occasional evenings and weekends, and through that are able to cover all the costs of the development (and more).

And there you have it – a brand new sports facility at no cost whatsoever to the school, all whilst helping to promote sport and healthy lifestyles in the local community which will inevitably create a significant amount of positive PR for the school.

Such sports facilities that we install for schools under the Fast Track Funding Scheme include a new all-weather pitch for football, cricket, hockey, etc., and at the heart of the development plan is England Hockey’s Official Facilities Partner.

Unfortunately our seminars about Fast Track Funding have now finished. However we have created a presentation for those who couldn’t make it to the seminars and are interested in Fast Track Funding. You can view this presentation by clicking here.

We will be doing live Fast Track Funding webinars in the New Year. To register your interest or if you have any questions about the Fast Track Funding Scheme, please don’t hesitate to contact us, either by calling us on 01455 883 730 or emailing us at info@nottssport.com.  

There is further information about Fast Track Funding on our website.

What’s more, you can find out more about the various pitch surfacing systems designed and developed by Notts Sport, by visiting http://nottssport.co.uk/.

It’s School Dance Week

What can School Dance Week do for you, and what can you do for School Dance Week?

Dance is the second most popular physical activity within primary schools, and yet curiously in the past there has never been a School Dance Week through which schools can celebrate their involvement with dance and share with each other ideas and suggestions relating to dance in schools.

So, we’ve rectified that by setting up the first ever School Dance Week.   And even though this is our first step forwards on what we hope will be a long-running campaign to get dance in schools noticed, and help all dance teachers develop their work in schools, we’ve already found a fabulous group of partners who have shown their willingness to work with us.   The list of partners is below.

Also we have over 100 participating schools of all sizes and types from all over the country, and we’d welcome your involvement with us too.

What we are asking you to do is to sign up with School Dance Week (it’s completely free and comes with no commitment – you just show your support for the idea.)    This will give you the opportunity access free resources and opportunities from all the professional partners who have supported the very start of School Dance Week.

Also you might like to have a look at the website we have developed, which now has details of the findings from our research into the state of dance in primary schools.   

Additionally there is an article which reveals exactly why dance is not just another activity for children to enjoy, but is one of the prime activities that strengthens children both mentally and physically. 

Now that we have got going we can say that next year’s School Dance Week will be even bigger – and we will be commemorating those schools that have chosen to support us at our very start with a Honour Board of Founder Schools.   All you have to do is sign up – there is absolutely no cost and no commitment.

To start on this journey all we ask is that you visit the School Dance Week website and complete the simple form.

From here on, having established School Dance Week our work is now to establish working relationships between schools and dance professionals, creating a potential outlet for long term educational work and increasing your Arts Mark.

And if you have your own ideas as to what School Dance Week can do in the future, we’d like to hear from you.  Please click here to contact us.

Here is our list of Founding Partners – to whom we are very grateful indeed.

  • Pineapple Community
  • The Movement Factory
  • Balletboyz
  • 2 Faced Dance
  • Motionhouse
  • Tilted Productions
  • The Place
  • C-12 Dance Theatre
  • Northern School of Contemporary Dance
  • Dance East
  • West End in Schools
  • Youth Dance England

I really do hope that you feel there is something for you in this new initiative, and that from this beginning we can really increase an awareness in the importance and benefit of encouraging dance in schools.