We are delighted to announce that The Ecclesbourne School PE Department has achieved the following two significant awards following external verification:
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The School Games ‘Gold’ Mark Award
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The Association of Physical Education Quality Mark (with Distinction).
The School Games Mark is a government-led award scheme launched in 2012, facilitated by the Youth Sport Trust to reward and recognise school’s engagement (provision and uptake) in school games against a national benchmark and to celebrate keeping young people active. The Association for Physical Education (afPE) is the PE Subject Association in the UK. Their purpose is to promote and maintain high standards and safe practice in all aspects and at all levels of physical education, school sport and physical activity, influencing developments at national and local levels.
As part of each application, the department were asked to fulfil important assessment criteria and we are pleased that the hard work of everyone at our school has been rewarded this year.
The afPE validator has highlighted the following reasons for the award:
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The Ecclesbourne School is on fast upwards trajectory of improvement and change that is already seeing excellent results.
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Students and staff are extremely positive about their experiences and outcomes due to the excellent leadership from the HOD PE and support of the Department and Headteacher
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They are passionate and deliver a balanced, well thought through curriculum, which they are mindful of meeting the needs of all learners
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Learners make excellent progress in PE and have fantastic extra-curricular and leadership opportunities as well as being able to represent the school in many sport and activities
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The HOD PE is forward thinking and has implemented changes to modernise the curriculum whilst retaining the best aspects of what was there before, to which the student response is overwhelmingly positive
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The profile of the department in the school is high and there is clearly a lot of respect and excellent level of student engagement with the department.
The school will receive an engraved plaque and will also be listed on the afPE Quality Mark webpage. In addition, the Association will submit a report to the Department for Education (DfE) and the school will be listed as a high-quality provider of physical education.
We are extremely proud of our pupils for their dedication to all aspects of physical activity and school sport, including those young volunteers, leaders and officials who made our events possible. We are committed to using these awards to try and engage those young people who haven’t previously been active or represented our school and to try and ensure that all our students have a positive experience and want to try out new activities beyond school too in our community. We believe in the power of physical activity and school sport as a school and give opportunities to those young people that need it most either as a participant, leader, official or volunteer.
A special thanks to every member of the PE department, other colleagues that help to deliver school sport and to the many parents who support our extra-curricular provision.