News & Events

Join National Family Week and celebrate family life in the UK

20/02/12

National Family Week aims to highlight the importance of quality time together and promote the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle. Over the last three years, National Family Week has cemented its place as the UK’s biggest annual celebration of family life. Across the country families have enjoyed thousands of events, competition, offers and promotions thanks to the participation of local and national not-for-profit organisations like yours.

National Family Week 2012 will take place from Saturday 25th – Friday 31st August and aims to be bigger and better, engaging with thousands of families nationwide.

Read more: Join National Family Week and celebrate family life in the UK

Sir Philip Craven, MBE, Awarded 2012 GSD Humanitarian Award

14/02/12

The Foundation for Global Sports Development (GSD) announced today that Sir Philip Craven, MBE, president of the International Paralympic Committee and member of the International Olympic Committee, has been named the recipient of the 2012 GSD Humanitarian Award.  As 2012's honoree, Sir Philip will receive a $100,000 grant for use toward advancing his interests in youth sport development. GSD will present the award to Sir Philip at a ceremony held at London's Globe Theatre on 28^th July 2012.

The GSD Humanitarian Award recognises and contributes to the exemplary work of those individuals and organizations that have contributed to the development of better individuals and communities through sport.

The Award recognises those who have:

• Striven for or enabled the development of sport and the opportunities it provides young people
• Provided an inspirational example for youth through an exemplary sporting career both on and off the field of play; or
• Introduced sport in a way that improves the lives and lifestyles of a community.

Read more: Sir Philip Craven, MBE, Awarded 2012 GSD Humanitarian Award

afPE Professional Learning Update - February 2012

13/02/12

Click HERE to download a copy of afPE's February 2012 Professional Learning Update.

This update features the following CPD opportunities:

• Learning to Learn - ‘Best Practice in Physical Education’
• afPE PE ITTE Conference
• Higher Duty of Care - Health & Safety Training
• The Crucial Role of Leadership – The reality of high quality Physical Education
• Raising Standards Through High Quality Teaching & Learning

If the above courses are not what you are looking for then contact us with your specific outcomes and we will design a course to meet your particular requirements.

For further details on any aspect of the afPE National College, to discuss working in partnership with afPE or to discuss your local needs please contact  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or telephone 07766 225 239.

Drugs in Sport: FREE Debate Kit

13/02/12

Sports science is more topical than ever and the use of drugs in sports is not going away.

Now you can bring lively, topical debate on sports science to your classroom by ordering a free debate kit asking students should ALL drugs be banned in sport?

Each kit, designed for students aged 11 - 18, contains a well-researched lesson plan and characters for students to adopt. The different ‘rounds’ of the debate help students think through the issues and reconsider their opinions. The structure also shows them how to build a discussion and back up their opinions with facts.

These free kits have been produced by the award winning I’m a Scientist team with funding from The Physiological Society.

You can sign up and read more information HERE.

University of Cambridge International Examinations: Free teacher training/information event

10/02/12

Cambridge Pre-U is an exciting new post-16 qualification. It prepares learners with the skills and knowledge they need to make a success of their subsequent studies at university.

University of Cambridge International Examinations are hosting an event for Sport Science on 6 March in Cambridge and have places available. Attendance is free of charge and refreshments and lunch will be provided. The workshop will cover:

• Pre-U in the UK context 
• The Cambridge Pre-U syllabus 
• Standards and assessment 
• Unique features 
• Resources to support teaching

Teachers can register for this event HERE.

Minister for Skills, John Hayes MP, launches "A New Era for Apprenticeships"

10/02/12

The National Apprenticeship Service last night launched a new campaign to promote Apprenticeships to employers, young people and parents. Titled ‘a new era for Apprenticeships’, the initiative was announced at a Parliamentary reception, attended by Minister for Skills, John Hayes MP and leading businesses. 

The scheme aims to showcase the talents, skills and commitment of real apprentices in everyday workplaces.  Six apprentices were chosen by the Government as the faces of the new Apprenticeships initiative; they feature current and former apprentices from Bentley Motors, insurance brokers Blue Fin, BT, builder’s Jelson Homes, housing association Incommunities and SEC Recruitment. 

The stars of the campaign are:

• Nisar Ahmed from Bradford, who works for local housing association Incommunities
• Shane Allum, from BT Operate, based in Farringdon, Oxfordshire
• Former building apprentice, Sam Fairgrieve, from Leicester who works for builders Jelson Homes
• Robyn Keating, who works for insurance brokers Bluefin, from Hornchurch, Essex
• Tolu Shobande from London who works for SEC Recruitment
• Miles Taitt, an apprentice from Bentley Motors in Crewe 

Speaking at the launch event in Parliament, Minister for Skills, John Hayes MP, said:

"These young people are an inspiration to anyone looking to break in to their chosen industry. They show how the gold standard training in the apprenticeship programme can be a launch pad for careers across all sectors. 

"This exciting new campaign will spread the word that apprenticeships not only deliver the skills businesses need in order to grow, they also enable people to build long, fulfilling and productive careers. We are committed to making it easier for employers to take on trainees, in part by cutting bureaucracy, raising quality standards and providing cash incentives to small firms who want to take on apprentices." 

Recent statistics showed that there were 457,200 Apprenticeship starts in 2010/11, an increase of 63.5 per cent compared to 2009/10, and that there were increases at all ages and all levels. 

The event also gave attendees the opportunity to ‘have a go’ at various apprenticeships’ skills and saw MPs having a go at confectionery and floristry skills alongside former WorldSkills Team UK competitors Will Torrent, Alistair Burt and Victoria Richards. 

At the event, Ministers announced that activity to boost skills in 2012 will include the first national Skills Show – a UK-only version of WorldSkills London, which saw 200,000 young people visit the biggest skills competition, careers and jobs event ever staged in the country last October.

imovesdance.com Competition

10/02/12

The imovesdance.com competition aims to create a unique urban dance scheme of work for 7 – 16 years using urban dance poses created by children in British schools. 

They are looking for 20 urban style group poses to create a scheme of work.  The scheme will be a free resource to any school who enters, even if your entry doesn’t make the final 20.

Step one: You and your students create a dynamic street style pose that could be held for at least 8 counts of music – i.e. no action shots! Other children should be able to look at the photograph and recreate the pose.  They would like a variety of work that show cases poses featuring pairs of students and groups of either 3, 4,5 or 6 students, who must be aged from 7 – 16 years.

Step two: Photograph the poses the children have created or post them on the imovesdance Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/imovesdance

The deadline for entries is Friday 29th June 2012.

Does your school want to be part of the excitement around the Olympic and Paralympic Games?

09/02/12

Gold Challenge is the UK’s first Olympic and Paralympic sport based charity challenge and is part of the mass participation legacy programme for London 2012.

The 2012km Challenge is a great way for your school to challenge itself in a variety of sports and achieve something amazing for your chosen charity. It is simple to organise and manage and Gold Challenge will do all of the administration for you.

On 1st April 2012, Gold Challenge is hosting an amazing event in the Olympic Stadium and if you sign up to Gold Challenge, your school could be part of it!

What is the 2012km Challenge?

The class, year group, house or whole school covers an aggregate distance of 2012km* by one or more of the following sports:
Running – Swimming – Cycling – Walking – Rowing – Canoeing – Sailing – Windsurfing - Horse-riding

This can be done in class, extra-curricular activity, or by active travel to and from school.

The challenge is fully inclusive with every team members’ efforts counting towards the total. It is open to everyone aged 5 upwards.
Gold Challenge will create a page for each team so that they can record their distance travelled on their Totalizer and see how far they have left to go to reach the 2012km target!

Easy Steps to Sign Up

1. The Gold Challenge team will send you the registration form and parental consent form or you can download it from the media centre on the Gold Challenge website.
2. You fill in one form per team and select
3. Send back the forms to Gold Challenge and they will upload them.
4. Once uploaded, your Gold Challenge contact will provide you with the following:
a) Login details for each team (including username and password).
b) The unique team totalizer URL.
c) Details of your fundraising page if required.
5. Get started!

Team members will receive a Gold Challenge wristband once they get under your charity (a team captain is required – this can be the same person for all teams if preferred).

Princess Diana Award winner launches the Birmingham School Games

Princess Diana Award winner Matthew de Redman last week helped launch the Birmingham School Games, part of the London 2012 Olympic legacy. 

Matthew, a local Year 12 pupil at Bishop Challoner Catholic College, won the award in 2011 for his outstanding contribution to sport in his local community.  As well as coaching local primary school children in both sport and youth leadership skills, he also helps PE staff with the organisation and running of sports competitions and last year visited Letshego School in South Africa to help develop a youth leadership programme. 

Read more: Princess Diana Award winner launches the Birmingham School Games

afPE London Region Update - February 2012

Click HERE to download a PDF copy of the afPE London Region update.

This update features:

• 2012 Conference Review & Presentations
• Professional Learning Opportunities for PESS Colleagues
• Progression in Gymnastics Course
• Britsh Gymnastics Physical Education Teachers Trampoline Award - Levels 1 & 2
• Pre-Order your copy of Safe Practice 2012