Tony Blair's dream team vision

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has returned to the North East to unveil his ambitious plans to find the region's next generation of sporting stars.

Among those teaming up with him is Sir Bobby Robson.

Mr Blair spoke of his plans to get youngsters playing sport and off their PlayStations he explained how the Tony Blair Sports Foundation will invest hundreds of thousands of pounds at grassroots level.

Click HERE for the full article courtesy of the Chronicle Live.

As part of the PESSCL Management consortium, afPE is pleased to share the following Department for Children, Schools and Families announcement:

The DCSF is pleased to announce that the Physical Education and School Sport Professional Development Programme has passed a significant milestone in providing high quality professional development for those delivering Physical Education and sport in schools.

Since it began in 2003, over 200,000 professional development places have been taken up on the programme. This remarkable achievement represents the commitment of teachers and Adults Supporting Learner's to contribute to the improvement of high quality teaching and learning in Physical Education and sport.

The Department would like to praise the Consortium Management Group (afPE, YST and Sports coach UK) who are leading the delivery of this important work, and the network of Local Delivery Agents who are making sure that the training is delivered where it matters".

A letter is being posted to all LDA's explaining that 6 resources will be sent out to them.

Click HERE to view a copy of the letter.

TES reports on afPE's concerns about cuts in ITT places and the quality of primary ITT

Training places for new PE teachers are to be cut by a third over the next three years, despite government plans to more than double the sport being played by pupils.

Professor Margaret Talbot, chief executive for the Association for Physical Education, said: "We keep asking, 'how can more emphasis be put on sport when the numbers of training positions is being cut?' The number of pupils taking GCSE and A-level PE is increasing.  That means teachers are stretched.  A lot of PE teachers are also leaving to take up roles in sports development.  It's great that they can progress but not if it leaves pupils being taught by overworked, inexperienced staff".

Initial teacher training places are due to be cut in all subjects in response to falling secondary roles.  The drop in PE will be the largest.  A spokeswoman at the DCSF said that increased demand for PE staff working in wider roles, such as sports development managers, had been taken into account.  PE is not a shortage subject like maths or science and is therefore more vulnerable to cutbacks.

Loughborough University, one of the country's leading universities for sport, has already had its PE teacher training places cut from 80 to 59 during the past three years.  Lorraine Cale, director of Loughborough's PE PGCE, said "When I heard about the five-hour target. I thought it was fantastic.  But who is going to deliver it? I'm not sure the government has thought through all the implications.  It worries me that schools are employing outside coaches.  Many are not qualified teachers and do not understand curriculum".

There are no national figures for the number of outside coaches being employed by schools. 

It is intended the five-hour target will be met both in and outside curriculum, with clubs and extended schools playing a role.

Professor Talbot also raised concerns about the lack of time dedicated to PE in primary teacher training, which can be as little as six hours in a one-year course. 

Helping children live, play and grow happily

David Cameron has launched a report entitled 'More Ball Games' that aims to make Britain the best place in the world for children to grow up.

It is the second report from David Willetts' Childhood Review, which was set up after UNICEF judged the UK the worst place to be a child out of 21 developed countries.

The analysis done by the Review stresses the need for work in 3 vital areas:

- Making outdoor space safer

- Dealing with bullying

- Increasing accessibility to sports and other activities within and outside school

 More Ball Games

Hugh Robertson, the MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, has urged the government to undertake a fundamental rethink of the sports and activity strategy for primary school children as part of the fight against childhood obesity – which has doubled in the last ten years. Hugh Robertson was speaking at an Obesity Summit addressed by Magnus Scheving, alias Sporticus, the founder of the Lazy Town healthy lifestyle brand.

Hugh Robertson said,

"The evidence from other countries, such as Australia and Canada, suggests that the primary school years are crucial in terms of sport and exercise. If children pick up the exercise habit by the age of 11, it stays with them for the rest of their lives.

However, in this country, we have concentrated provision on the secondary school years – by when it is often too late. We need to restore physical education to the centre of the primary school syllabus, ideally with three sessions each week, and both train more PE teachers and increase the amount of PE training in ordinary teacher training to combat Britain's spiralling childhood obesity crisis."

Students banned from using the word Olympics by 2012 organisers

Students have been banned from using the word Olympics to promote an event because of copyright issues.

The University of Brighton has been issued with a warning by the organisers of the London 2012 games.

The university's Chelsea School had planned this year to name a series of talks by sports personalities The Olympic Lecture Series, to coincide with the Beijing Games. It has now been told the name is off limits.

Click HERE for the full article courtesy of the Argus Lite.

It's never too early to fight the nation's flab

Does government yet know how to reach down into the depths of society and change behaviour? Child obesity offers a critical test, says Anna Bawden.

Click HERE for the full article courtesy of the Guardian.

Click HERE for further articles relating to health and obesity.

Schools Secretary Ed Balls announced the next phase of Labour's investment in school sports with £30 million over the next three years to help the most needy sports colleges build new pitches, install floodlights and provide better drainage so facilities can be used all year and round the clock.

Click HERE for more information, including quotes from Ed Balls.

Youth games exclusion 'unlawful'

Children with learning disabilities will no longer be left out of the UK schools' equivalent of the Olympics after a threat of legal action.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has told the organisers of the UK School Games that the exclusion was discriminatory and unlawful.

Click HERE for the full article courtesy of BBC.co.uk

afPE voices its concern about quality provision

Government Physical Education targets are welcome, but teachers warn there are not enough specialists to bring out the best in pupils.

Click HERE for the full article courtesy of the Guardian. The article includes quotes from afPE Chief Executive, Professor Margaret Talbot OBE.

Trevor Brooking: Concentrate on grassroots

Take a stroll down to your local park today, and you will immediately see what is wrong with English football. In the games being played there, you will see why an Italian is managing the England national team, why fewer than 30 per cent of the players starting in Premier League games this weekend are English, why Goal of the Month is dominated by Portuguese, Spaniards and Brazilians.

Click HERE to view the full article courtesy of the Telegraph.co.uk