Sports Premium and Swimming

PE & Sports Grant 

Ramsgate Arts Primary School PES Funding

Background Information:

The government provided additional funding to improve provision of physical education (PE) and sport in primary schools. This funding is referred to as the Sports Premium or PES and is provided jointly by the Departments for Education, Health and Culture, Media and Sport. The funds must be spent on improving the school's provision of PE and sport, and the school can choose how they can do this.

The three main purposes of the funding are:

• allow schools to increase the skills of their staff by providing high quality professional development opportunities
• enable children to participate in extra-curricular sport, which will lead into local clubs and extended services
• provide such a variety of opportunities for our children that they will develop a lifelong love of sport

At Ramsgate Arts Primary School we believe that participation within physical activities is essential in supporting development of a well-rounded child. The benefits of exercise on our physical and mental health are explained to our pupils.

To this end we have used, and will continue to use, PES funding to encourage, develop and enthuse children in achieving in sports and fulfilling their potential.  We are mindful to ensure the PES funding is used to ensure a robust PE and Sporting legacy for the school and continue to develop the provision available for all pupils.

The Viking Academy Trust Board delegate responsibility for monitoring the spending of PES funding to the FAR committee (Finance, Audit & Risk) under the agreement that the funding must be used so that:

• all children benefit, regardless of sporting ability
• all children have the opportunity to compete against others at some level 
• the most able children are given the opportunity to compete in high level competition, both at school level and beyond.

To facilitate the continued development of PE and sport across the school we have employed a part-time P.E. Specialist (Sports Coach). This allows every child in the school to have access to an active physical lesson at least once a week. The funding for this member of staff is not taken from our PES funding.

• 2023-24 RAPS PES Strategy
• 2022-23 RAPS PES Strategy

Swimming

Each KS2 year group has an opportunity to go swimming one a term. Swimming is a statutory requirement of the National Curriculum for all children in England and Wales.

See below percentage of children for 2022-2023 meeting National Curriculum requirements.

Swim kit:

• Boys: tight fitting shorts or trunks. Not long shorts, as these fill with air and are not suitable to learn effectively.
• Girls: one-piece swimming costume

Without the correct kit children may not be allowed to swim.

• All children need a towel
• All children must have swim hats –even if they have short hair. Not only is it more hygienic but all hair clogs up our filters and we need to minimise this. Swim hats are very cheap to buy and can be found in many supermarkets and sports shops. Do not send in buoyancy aids with pupils as we have plenty of these.
• Children must have any relevant medical items in their bag to take over to the pool.
• Earrings need to be removed where possible. Children are only allowed studs in school, but if these can come out this preserves the pool liner.
• If your child has a verruca, then they need a verruca sock
• Swimming is a statutory part of the National Curriculum, as with all lessons at school. If your child cannot swim for a medical reason we need a letter from parents that explains this.
• If your child is very nervous about swimming, please ensure you make contact either with your class teacher or Mrs Elliot our Well-Being Assistant. If this is the case, we can make provision for them to run through pool routines well in advance and sort out any issues.