SPECIALIST STATUS UPDATE

Report by Peter Brennan – Director of Sport/Specialism

Looking forward: Plans for Year 2

The Year 7 information evening in September 2006 saw the launch of a new approach to learning and teaching in curriculum PE for Year 7 students. Since the start of the year in PE we have been piloting a new learning carousel in which students learn how to outwit, replicate, train, express, excel and learn through adventure. This exciting initiative places Hinchingbrooke at the forefront of developments in PE curriculum design ahead of changes to the National Curriculum in the near future.

As a sports specialist school, we aim to offer variety and challenge to all students in PE throughout their school lives and so our curriculum needs to reflect the broad range of interests students bring with them to school. In order to keep the curriculum fresh, interesting and relevant we need to venture into new areas to ensure that the curriculum retains its appeal for more of our students. With this in mind, an optional programme for Year 11 students in core PE was launched after October half term, This programme includes such varied options as climbing, golf, skateboarding, ice skating, judo, mountain biking, street dance and personal exercise programme.

The Junior Athlete in Education mentoring scheme, launched at Hinchingbrooke in September will soon begin to impact on our most talented and committed sports performers. This programme seeks to support students in balancing their sport, school and social commitments and to help negotiate, where necessary, tailored learning plans during particularly demanding periods in the sport/school year.

In striving to meet the needs of all students, we have to acknowledge that for some, PE and school sport can be daunting and even intimidating. Our ‘Springboard’ skills development initiative, launched in January 2007 of our sports specialist delivery programme, seeks to address this issue head on through identifying and supporting such students with tailored intervention programmes. Using short, one to one and small group skill development sessions, Springboard aims to give students the opportunity to ‘catch up’ their peers and develop the confidence to get more involved in PE and the extra curricular school sport provision on offer.

Students are now able to select from an expanding range of clubs and activities taking place before, during and after school. In addition to the traditional inter-school and inter-house competitions, new activities to be offered this year will include: triathlon, archery, parkour, handball and ultimate frisbee. Working with the National Governing Bodies of Sport, the Sports Development team at Huntingdonshire District Council and ‘Living Sport’, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s County Sports Partnership, the prospects for continued enhancement and enrichment of sporting opportunities through Hinchingbrooke and its partner schools looks very bright indeed. 

To find out more about any of these initiatives your first port of call should be the specialist status reception area. From here you will be able to pick up information, share with us what you think about our new developments and hopefully be inspired to try something new.

Contact:  Dawn Smith – Specialist Status Administrator

Tel:        01480 375700 Ext.5765

E-mail:   dls@hinchbk.cambs.sch.uk