PE
All current research indicates that pupils with good health and wellbeing achieve more academically, (Public Health England, 2014). Effective social and emotional competencies are associated with greater health and wellbeing, and greater academic achievement. The culture, ethos and environment of a school influences the health and wellbeing of pupils and their readiness to learn. Ofsted state that, “A positive association exists between academic attainment and physical activity levels of pupils.”
As a community school many of our children walk to school ensuring that oxygen is beginning to flow around our children’s bodies and brains before they arrive, awakening their cognitive functioning, increasing their heart rate (which is essential for improved learning), strengthening their muscles, bones and core stability.
From September 2018 a healthy breakfast will be available for all our children. Breakfast is vital fuel to ensure our children perform well academically, socially and emotionally. Children who eat breakfast are alert, able to focus, listen, process and retain information.
Youth Sport Trust
The Youth Sport Trust recommends that pupils aim to engage in 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day, parallel to PE curriculum and school sports activities.
Across EYFS and Key Stage 1 Mill Lane pupils engage in activities such as Write Dance, Shake Shimmy & Shine, OT Activities, Dough Disco, Go Noodle, BBC Super Movers, Play Stage and active classroom activities including lateral movement-based phonological awareness and semantic interventions.
Key Stage 2 children are part of our ‘Sports Leaders/Playground Friend’ initiative, designed to ensure all children in the playground are included and supported to practice skills introduced in PE sessions. Kwik Cricket, football, netball, basketball, dodgeball, hoola hoops, balance buckets and skipping ropes are available each break and lunch time for the children to access and hone their skills with the support of KS2 sports leaders. Children are encouraged to compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best and individual targets. Our ‘School Sports Leaders’ are engaged in the planning and development of School Sports and School Games, they are involved in the choosing of extra curricula sports activities and tournaments we choose to attend.
Specialist PE Coach
Currently we engage a specialist coach to deliver high quality PE that encompasses and focusses on fundamental movement skills in EYFS and KS1; relates to the curriculum across school and focusses on the mastery of physical skills and the values of honesty, teamwork, determination, self-belief, respect and passion. Teaching staff observe the specialist coach’s delivery as part of CPD and monitor children’s progress, identifying next steps and individual targets.
Extra Curricula Sport Activities
We offer all our year groups access to extra curricula activities including football, dodgeball, multi-skills, netball, athletics, gymnastics, basketball and dance. We monitor these activities and change them according to pupil interest, current inter-school tournaments and global sporting events such as the Football World Cup, International Cricket Tournaments and the Olympic Games. We particularly identify and encourage disengaged children with fundamental movement skills difficulties, those suffering stress, trauma and displaying low self-esteem to access these clubs and we remove any ‘barriers’ to accessing clubs by providing transport home and PE kits.
Sports Premium Funding
Each year we create a strategic plan for the sports premium funding that includes clear and measurable targets for whole school and individual child improvement. This year we have focused on early intervention strategies including occupational therapy equipment and activities, active classroom CPD, outdoor education adventure residentials and outdoor learning experiences.
Stockton School Sport Partnership
We buy into the Stockton Schools Sport Partnership, who believe all young people should be encouraged to lead a healthy, active lifestyle and that it is important for all children to develop a lifelong enthusiasm for sport and physical activity. The aim is to create opportunities for children to develop their physical, social and emotional skills through experiencing high quality PE, competition and sports leadership. Through the partnership we have accessed both competitive and non-goal orientated sport experiences, inter and intra school tournaments including;
- Y3/Y4 Tag Rugby Skills Day
- KS1 Multi Skills Festival Day
- Y3/Y4 & Y5/5 Sports Hall Athletics
- EYFS Multi Skills Festival Day
- Y3/4 Skipping Festival
- Y3/4 Hoopstarz Festival Day
- Y3/4 Netball Skills
- Active Schools Festival
- Y5/6 Netball
- Dance Festival
- Y3/4 Racket Skills
- Y3/4 Quad Kids
- Y5/Y6 Kwik Crickets
- Y5/Y6 Athletics Outdoor and SEND Athletics
- Stickman Adventure Trail
- Netball League
We are proud to report that Mill Lane won the Stockton Kwik Cricket, Quad Kids and Netball Tournaments, going on to represent Stockton in the Tess Valley Finals – an amazing display of gifted and talented sportsmanship! At Mill Lane we aim to support our most able children to achieve high standards in PE and sport. Our Athletics Teams brought home an array of medals and represented Stockton in the Tees Valley Finals – another amazing display of gifted and talented sportsmanship. All photographic evidence can be viewed in the drop down boxes opposite this PE home page. Due to their success, our children have competed at Stockton Cricket Ground, Wolviston Cricket Ground, Maltby Cricket Ground, Saint Cuthbert’s Primary School, Christ the King Primary School, Tilery Primary School, Saint Francis of Assisi Primary School, Splash, Preston Park, Northfield Science and Sports Secondary School, Middlesbrough Sports Village and Durham University Sports Centre. Our children have travelled far on their road to success.
Swimming
In alignment with research we send our Year 4 children for three two-week blocks of lessons. The children aretaught to swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations. This is at a cost of £2,340 plus £100 for the administration and reporting of school swimming activities to meet Ofsted requirements.
We also have an ARP class and buy into top-up sessions for our Year 5 and Year 6 classes, (2 week sessions for each class). This is also at a cost of £2,340 plus £100 for the administration and reporting of school swimming activities to meet Ofsted requirements.
School Games Days and School Sports Days
We hold two Sports Days in July. A Foundation Stage and KS1/KS2 Sports Day. The children compete in traditional sack, egg and spoon, relay, obstacle, howler, three-legged, water jug challenge intra sport tournaments in year group gem teams. Parents attend to encourage and support their children and the events culminate in parent, sibling and teacher races – much to the amusement of the children.
Sports Day stickers are given to every child, medals are awarded to each year group for excellent sporting attitude and trophies are given to captains of sports teams.
Community Links
In the Summer Term we had the huge privilege of hosting “Camp of Sport Champions” led by Sport Leaders from America’s Youth for Christ Foundation. 125 Mill Lane children accessed this amazing 2 hour an evening, week long opportunity to practise their sporting skills, partake in non competitive and competitive sports and activities. A finale family BBQ was held to promote healthier lifestyles and eating.
Mill Lane has taken part in Middlesbrough Football Foundation activities this academic year. Their mission is to raise aspirations and improve the life chances of young people across Teesside. They work to engage with those who are hard to reach through the delivery of inspiring sport, education, health and inclusion projects – all with the aim of improving attendance at school. Mill Lane children partook in their 100% Attendance Sports Tournament, Cleveland Police 7 A Side Football Tournament and their Foundation Coaches came along to our Mill Lane School School Summer Fair with a target goal to raise money and engage with our children.
We aim to broaden our children’s range of sporting opportunities and have supported many in accessing local sporting clubs to continue their mastery of specific sport skills. Beyond school, our children attend Stockton Cricket Club and compete in the North Yorkshire Area Junior Cricket League, Stockton Town Youth Saturday Morning Football Coaching, Natural Progression Junior Boxing Academy, Stainsby School of Gymnastics, Junior Splash Youth Swimming and Stainsby Grange Equestrian Centre.