The Primary PE Huddle

Who is our guest?

On our new season of PE Huddle Podcast, we had the pleasure of hosting Glenmead Primary School's class teacher and PE Lead, Hannah Davis. Hannah has been teaching for 4 years and has been in the PE Lead position for 3 years, having shadowed and supported the Deputy Head with PE previously.

Her background includes obtaining a degree in PE and Sport Studies combined with Childhood and Youth Studies, before completing a SCITT in Primary Teaching. Hannah has a strong passion for sports and PE, enjoying competing in athletics and cross country running regularly throughout my childhood and attending regular Aston Villa football fixtures to date. 

 
Stay tuned for more such engaging conversations on the PE Huddle Podcast!

What do we chat about?

• Making PE Integral Across the School
• Team Effort and Communication:
• Support and Networking for Teachers
• Effective Professional Development
• Pupil Leadership and Independence
• Involving Families and Community
• Data-Driven Improvements
• Ideal PE Lessons
• Listening to pupil input

The series 3 finale of The Primary PE Huddle is here and what a series it’s been!

For this final episode, we’re taking a look back over the series to bring you the very best insights, advice and words of wisdom.

Who’s joined us on the podcast this series?

Series 3 has seen us welcome a whole host of experts from the field of primary education:

Episode 1:  “We don’t move for functional reasons, we move for the joy of it” with Greg Dryer, co-founder and CEO of miMove

Episode 2:  “Once you’ve got the ear of SLT, then it’s about delivering on your promises” with John Haycock, PE lead at Chilcote Primary School

Episode 3:  “Let's make learning irresistible” with Bryn Llewellyn, founder of Tagtiv8

Episode 4:“My PE teachers were my heroes” with Shaun Dowling, Head of Sport at United Learning

Episode 5: “Engagement over compliance” with Deputy Headteacher Liam Gould and PE Lead Teresa Shackleton from Wodensfield Primary School

Episode 6:  “You’re not on your own” with Louisa Mulvey, class teacher and PE Coordinator

A big thank you to all our series 3 guests for joining us and sharing your experiences, thought-provoking insights, and inspirational ideas to embed a “top-down physically active ethos” in primary schools!

This week on the podcast we’re joined by class teacher and PE Coordinator Louisa Mulvey.

Who is Louisa Mulvey?

Louisa is a qualified teacher based in Hampshire. Louisa has been working in primary schools since 2014 where her career began on the sunny, leafy side of Wimbledon Village. Louisa spent three years teaching PE exclusively before qualifying in 2017 where she managed the role of class teacher alongside PE coordinator.

Louisa’s teaching journey began after graduating university armed with a 2:2 in Sports Science and minimal career advice. During summers Louisa worked as a children’s camp manager. The company proceeded to offer Louisa a job as a site manager/PE teacher/lunchtime supervisor/afterschool club manager/ competition coordinator. The following three years saw Louisa manage numerous apprentices alongside the continuation of full-time teaching.

At the beginning of Louisa’s third year in teaching she decided she needed to progress her career and gained qualified teacher status (QTS) through Schools Direct. Louisa began at a new school, training on the job whilst assisting the PE coordinator with competitions.

Louisa then moved schools to begin her NQT year, settling into the role with ease; before the end of the year Louisa was promoted to PE coordinator. Balancing class work and the PE coordinator role could be a challenge, but because Louisa’s role was clearly outlined within the school, she felt like she had full control over it whilst enjoying great support from the head. Louisa continued to enjoy her PE teaching and took children to numerous tournaments across the borough. 

And then Covid…

After leaving London and a brief hiatus from teaching and working in a pie shop, Louisa began a new role in Hampshire. Louisa began the role mid-year, and it was on her second day that the country went into lockdown. As a result, Louisa was unable to get to know colleagues and was given a jumble of classes on her second day with absolutely no knowledge of the logistics of how things worked around the school.

After around 3 months, Louisa started to get the hang of things and was allowed to begin PE teaching, with the addition of strict cleaning protocols. The following school year saw things get back to normal, PE was allowed to resume properly, and Louisa was delighted to take on the role of PE lead alongside an already established team of three. Working alongside a larger team was new to Louisa and at times it was confusing to ascertain who was meant to be doing what. At times there could be divided opinions on things such as how the PE budget could be spent. However, Louisa was pleased to get stuck into the role and quickly began organising lunchtime athletics trials and drawing up school teams for interschool competitions.

Louisa’s advice to anyone taking on the role of PE coordinator is to take charge of your role, ensure to clearly establish and (where necessary) divide responsibilities as there is nothing more frustrating in teaching than ‘too many cooks’…

What’s discussed in the episode?

• Communication is the key 
• Play to the strengths in your team 
• Prove that it works and benefits everyone 
• Get children moving 
• Let the children explore

This week on the podcast we welcome United Learning’s Head of Sport Shaun Dowling. 

Who is Shaun Dowling?

Shaun is Head of Sport at United Learning, a national group of primary, secondary and all-through schools across the state and independent sectors. As Head of Sport, Shaun supports Heads of PE and Directors of Sport in further improving the quality of their PE curriculum, school sport programmes and physical activity provision; Shaun ensures they’re using the power of sport to assist young people with their wider educational development.

Shaun is a former Head of PE and Director of Specialism, having progressed to Deputy Headship in two specialist sports colleges. 

Having trained at the West Sussex Institute of Higher Education, Shaun later gained his MA(Ed) from Southampton University. He achieved his NPQH before the opportunity arose to undertake a national role in the education team at the Youth Sport Trust (YST). 

Shaun’s extensive experience also includes:

• Curriculum, teacher-training and sports & school leadership work in America, South Africa and Iraq 
• 2013: Appearance before the Education Select Committee to give evidence on ‘School Sport following London 2012’  
• 2014: Co-wrote and edited ‘The A-Z of School Improvement through PE and Sport: Principles and Practice’, a not-for-profit book published by United Learning and sold around the world. 
• 2017: Gained the Level 7 Executive Coaching and Mentoring qualification from the Institute of Leadership and Management. 
• 2020: Shaun is elected Chair of SLQ Sports Leaders 
• 2020: Shaun wrote ‘Pivot Flex Adapt. Physical Education through the 2020 Pandemic’ 
• 2020: Invited to be part of the afPE Taskforce 
•  2021: Invited to be part of Ofsted’s PE Working Group

What’s discussed in the episode?

•  How we can be prepared for a range of needs
•  Why the primary phase is so pivotal
•  The importance of resilience
•  Failure is OK
•  What is your vision?
• Getting whole school and community ‘buy in’

In the words of a Key Stage 2 pupil, this week’s podcast guest “is a genius”.

For episode 3 of The Primary PE Huddle, we welcome Tagtiv8  founder Bryn Llewellyn. 

Who is Bryn Llewellyn?

Bryn worked in multiple UK schools for over 20 years as a teacher and school leader. In 2012, Bryn founded Tagtiv8. His pioneering approach to Physically Active Learning (PAL) provides a valuable and enjoyable alternative to classroom-based learning – crucial when challenging the increasing problem of sedentary lifestyles.

Research by Leeds Beckett University demonstrates that Tagtiv8 PAL solutions tackle inactivity and obesity levels, as well as impacting positively on academic performance. Following this research, Dr Andy Daly-Smith and Bryn Llewellyn co-delivered their TEDx Talk.

And Bryn’s work doesn’t stop there, he’s also co-director of Move & Learn (CIC), and education consultant for the BBC and Premier League Supermovers & Live Lessons.

What’s discussed in the episode? 

• Physically Active Learning for continued marginal gains.
• Let's break up sedentary learning.
• How do we get off the hamster wheel?
• What are the obstacles and how do we overcome them?
• Listen to the children, if they enjoy it, they will benefit.

This week on the podcast we’re joined by primary school PE lead John Haycock.

Who is John Haycock?

John has been a teacher at Chilcote primary school for 11 years, both as PE and class teacher.

Joining the school with a view to take over PE, John completed his NQT and became PE lead in his second year. 10 years on, John’s passion for sport and physical activity combined with his drive has put PE, school sport and physical activity at the heart of school life.

What’s discussed in the episode?

• Where to go to get support as a PE lead
• The role of a PE lead over the last 10 years
• Observing lessons - best practice
•  Making PE and physical activity the heart of school life
• Helping children to become young leaders
• Opportunities for those less active
• Split role as a class teacher and a PE lead

The Primary PE Huddle is back for Series 3 with a whole new host of experts from across the sport and physical activity sector.

To kick off the series, we welcome Greg Dryer, co-founder and CEO of miMove.

Who is Greg Dryer?

Greg is the co-founder and CEO of miMove, the world’s first bespoke app enabling schools to help pupils make physical activity a normal and regular part of their lives.  

Prior to the creation of miMove, Greg was founder and director of the Centre for Physical Education, Sport and Activity at Kingston University (CPESA) after a long teaching career that afforded him the opportunity to work with all ages from pre-school through to post-grad.  

Greg is a highly experienced physical educator and critical thinker, having led PE departments in three London schools before moving into higher education.  

Greg’s work disrupts exclusive practices in PE and sport. Drawing inspiration from psychology, critical theory, pedagogy and economics, Greg reimagines PE and sport practices to create more equitable and fulfilling experiences that will enable our profession to deliver more effectively on our universal goal: More young people finding a place for physical activity in their lives.

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What’s discussed in this episode?

·       Never stop learning, don’t shortcut what goes wrong.

·       Let’s trigger the conversation.

·       Everyone needs to find their playground.

·       Experiences that trigger an emotional response, embed life habits.

·       Stay in your lane and cut the confusion.

·       What is the clear journey?

This week on the podcast we welcome two of the team from Wodensfield Primary School, Deputy Headteacher Liam Gould and PE Lead Teresa Shackleton. 

Who is Liam Gould?

Liam is Deputy Headteacher of Wodensfield Primary School. Liam has over twenty years’ experience working in schools and leadership roles, but his passion has always been in sport and PE.  

From a young age Liam’s parents provided him with lots of opportunities to play and participate in different sports.  Liam’s first official participation in sport was playing for a local junior football team, as he moved into his teens this expanded to cricket, tennis, table tennis and golf.  This engagement with sports has continued into adulthood. Liam continues to play golf and has a handicap of 5, he coaches his son’s (U12’s) and daughter’s (U9’s) football teams, valuing the chance to provide his own children and their teammates with key opportunities to lead healthy lives. All this means most of Liam’s days are taken up by sport.

And why teaching?  Liam had great teachers, two of them being PE teachers. Liam wants to be that role model and difference in a child’s life. Having been fortunate to attend great educational establishments – Thomas Telford CTC and Worcester University – Liam wants to replicate in his own school what he has seen and experienced for it to be the best place it can be for learning.  

Who is Teresa Shackleton?

Teresa is a Year 5 teacher and PE Lead at Wodensfield Primary School. Teresa has been teaching since 1995, having qualified as a secondary trained teacher of PE and English from the University of Brighton and subsequently worked as a teacher and Head of PE at schools in the West Midlands.

After taking a break to have her three girls, Teresa’s keen interest in PE within the primary setting led her to return to the primary sector.

Teresa has always had a passion for sport, having played volleyball and competed in athletics both at a regional level. 

With sports-mad children, Teresa has taken her daughters to dance, gymnastics and swimming from a young age. Through their gymnastics, Teresa was able to coach and is a qualified Level 2 coach, with an additional cheerleading qualification, training that she’s found useful in her role at Wodensfield as she’s able to provide a higher-level gymnastics experience.

Teresa’s daughters now play netball and basketball at a high level, and she hopes to provide similar experiences to the children at Wodensfield, making them aware of the sporting opportunities out there.

Teresa’s primary wish for the children at Wodensfield is that she and her colleagues are able to show them the joy that physical activity can bring, regardless of the form that it may take. Teresa hopes that the children leave in Year 6 with a passion for being active that they share with others and lasts a lifetime.

What’s discussed in the episode?

• The importance of collaboration in primary schools to drive a whole school approach to physical activity
• Delegation of tasks
• Riding the highs and lows together
• The difference between primary vs secondary school PE from a PE lead position
• Progression of children from the start to the end of their primary school life
• How to support the confidence of staff when delivering PE

Episode 9: Don't be scared of healthy competition

With just shy of 30,000 followers, Emily is well-known in the Teacher Twittersphere. She’s known for her love of books, stationery, and initiating #TeacherSelfcareSunday which aims to help teachers focus on their own wellbeing and banish Sunday blues.

Just as she is always generous with her ideas and resources, Emily has taken time out of her busy week to give us her views on PE, in this week’s episode of The Primary PE Huddle.

Who is Emily Weston?

Emily has been teaching for eight years, predominantly in Year 6, although she has also spent one year working in Secondary as a Transition Teacher. With a real passion for this area of education, she now leads CPD on the subject, as well as creating resources and finding new ways to make the process easier for children. Alongside this, she has been Reading Lead, which is another area she has passion and drive to develop in schools.

Having played a whole range of sports throughout her own childhood and teen years, she knows what a vital place it has within schools not just to stay physically healthy, but mentally too.

Twitter and Instagram: @primaryteachew

What’s covered in the podcast?

In this episode, Emily and Dan talk about: 

• Using PE to teach the resilience that is needed across the curriculum. 
• Why getting reluctant pupils involved is essential – and how to do it.
• How PE Leads can support teachers who haven’t always had a positive relationship with PE

In the penultimate episode of this series of The PE Huddle, Dan meets Ryan Ellis to talk about what Ryan sees happening in schools and his tips and tricks for juggling the many demands on you as a PE Lead, including pointing out that the National Curriculum for PE doesn’t actually require you to teach specific sports. 

Who is Ryan Ellis?

‘The PE Umbrella Man’, as he is often called, lived a childhood filled with sport and physical activity and always had a burning desire to teach PE. After several years of coaching and then teaching, Ryan turned his full focus towards making a bigger impact in primary PE. 

In 2015, Ryan set up The PE Umbrella which has evolved from a podcast platform into a consulting career allowing him to provide training for schools, universities and SCITTs.

Listen to this week’s episode of The PE Huddle: Make PE the golden thread in your school to hear Ryan’s words of wisdom.

In the podcast, we discuss

• Why you don’t need to pressure yourself to think of new activities every week.
• How, as a PE Lead, you can look at PE through different lenses.
• Why it’s important to take every opportunity to be the PE advocate. 
• Why you shouldn’t let your own past experiences of PE affect how you approach teaching it.