Daniel Hammond leads PE at Alexandra School, one of the Eden Academy Trust special schools for children with learning disabilities.
Even before Ofsted said that during lockdown ‘the lack of services overall left some (SEND) parents and carers “feeling isolated, exhausted or unable to fill in gaps in support” – Daniel was already looking maximising how he could influence pupils’ physical activity at home. His first actions were to share that vision with colleagues and form a team to focus on the project. He liaised with people from other schools and the local authority, invested in resources and provided staff training. Families were provided with a regular variety of sporting challenges. P.E. Zoom lessons were creative in their use of resources. The school held an online sports week, in which challenges were posted to the school’s Fronter page and families uploaded photos and videos of their attempts. Video calls were used to inspire, energise and give a collective sense of purpose; they included yoga routines, dance and accessible mini workouts. Daily reminders were sent to encourage children and families to do their ‘Daily Mile’ – a daily 15-minute run, jog or walk, as they do in school – if it was safe for them to do so.
Pupils who previously said that they did not like PE now give an enthusiastic reply when asked about the variety of physical and sporting opportunities offered during and post-lockdown. The result was, despite their difficulties, children returned to school after lockdown physically healthy, eager for PE and keen to participate in the extended opportunities that Daniel and his team provide.