Infant

1
Infant Junior Leaders

• Background Information
• Both Leadership courses have been introduced in
  the Sports Partnership as a way of encouraging
• leadership in the playground at both an Infant
  and Primary Level. The courses should be a
• natural stepping stone in the Step into Sport
  initiative. As such the course the children will
• follow has a similar emphasis and content to the
  British Sport Trust Junior Sports Leaders
• Award which pupils will be introduced to in Key
  Stage 3.
• It has been found that the encouragement of
  leadership skills within the playground also
  carries
• other benefits, such as increased self esteem,
  greater use of playground space, increased
• positive involvement of support staff with the
  children, an increase in the mixing between
• classes and ages, an improvement in the
  atmosphere at the beginning of the afternoon
  session.
• It is hoped that the scheme will increase the
  amount of physical activity undertaken during
• playtime and reduce the amount of anti-social
  behaviour currently taking place in the
  playground.
• Whole school impact in terms of childrens
  behaviour during afternoon school can be
  monitored
• and also the impact, if any that the scheme has
  on raising the self-esteem and self-efficacy of
• the leaders

2
Partnership Leadership Continuum

• Infant Leaders (KS1 Lower KS2)
• Junior Leaders (KS2)
• Young Leaders (KS3 Years 7 8)
• Sport Education(KS3 Year 9)
• Sports Leaders Level 1, NGB Awards etc ( Years 10
  11)
• Sports Leaders Level 2 (Years 12 13)

3
What is Play ?

• Learning
• Imagining
• Pretending
• Competing
• Discovering
• Socializing
• Collecting
• Shifting Perspectives
• And more..

4
Play has always mattered

• You can learn more about a person in an hour of
  play than a year of conversation (Plato 427-347
  BC)
• The opposite of play is not work its depression
  (Brian Sutton Smith)
• Children learn as they play, more importantly
  through play children learn how to learn (O. Fred
  Donaldson)

5
Playing An Acronym for Teachers, Carers and
Parents

• Participating in your childs play creates a
  healthy relationship.
• Laughing develops spontaneity and creativity.
• Aspiring to greatness through pretend play builds
  your childs confidence
• Yielding to your child in play helps strength and
  poise
• Imagining with your child helps develop complex
  thinking
• Negotiating talking and sharing with your child
  builds communication skills
• Gardening helps understand nature and aesthetic
  appreciation.

6
Play Matters at School

• In unstructured play during recess, children
  learn in ways not possible in the classroom.
• Recess helps children adjust to school settings.
• Children who engage in active play during recess
  learn how to control their bodies and actions and
  therefore exhibit fewer behavioural problems.
• Active play in recess speeds the flow of blood
  and oxygen to the brain and stimulates neural
  development.
• Recess play helps children develop and practice
  physical and social skills.
• Peer interaction during unstructured play at
  recess encourages relationship building and
  tolerance through negotiation and resolution,
  thereby enhancing social-emotional learning.
• Social interaction and problem-solving during
  recess builds vocabulary and language skills.
• Recess gives children a needed change of pace,
  lets them release energy and frustrations, and
  makes them more receptive learners during class

7
Play and Physical Activity

• Childrens play is full of movement.
• Play is an integrated context for childrens
  development and learning
• Play is absorbing for the player. Energy is
  expended effortlessly.
• Physical activity is the byproduct of play, not
  its purpose.

8
The Leadership Course

• Whole staff awareness.
• Whole School Benefits.
• Pupils Benefits.
• Setting up a playground committee.
• Appointing Leaders.
• Training the Leaders.
• Lunch Time supervisors/assistants training.
• Organization of equipment.
• Zoning your playground.
• Whole school launch.
• Practical an introduction to the games

9
Staff Awareness

• Think about different strategies that
• you can use to promote the leadership
• programme in your school?
• Staff Briefing
• Assembly Presentation
• SSCo to Promote
• Leadership Display Board

10
Leadership skills developed by Infant / Junior
LeadersSkilled Lunch Time staff- Raise their
profileImproved Behavior in the
playgroundRaised Confidence Self Esteem
Structured playImproved outdoor learning
environmentFulfilling the following Healthy
Schools target PESS target

• The Benefits of the Leadership Scheme

11
School Process

• Identify a teacher to be responsible for
  overseeing of the playground scheme. This role
  will be active whilst setting up but the scheme
  runs solely by the children once up and running.
  The teacher may need to monitor every term for
  good practice. Perhaps attend one of the sub
  committee meetings.
• Careful identification of children that you would
  like to be in charge if the playground. You will
  need a team of 20 to have 4 leaders on duty per
  day over a 5-day week. The children should
  ideally be either Year 5 or Year 6 and should
  show some maturity and responsibility.
• A sub-committee of the school council would be
  the best way to ensure sustainability a sports
  council or playground committee with the sole
  responsibility of looking after the playground
  (not all of this committee/council need to be
  leaders
• CPD Sessions will be run for the Leadership
  coordinator by your SSCo
• Leadership Coordinators then deliver training to
  lunch time staff and pupil leaders with the
  support of the SSCo.
• Assembly to launch the scheme

12
Selecting Leaders

• Ultimately it will be down to individual staff as
  to whom they
• present the course to. Many Year 5/6s will be
  able to cope
• with this role, others may not. It is feasible
  that you might
• want to introduce the course to all Year fours.
• One idea is to get the pupils to apply for the
  post of Junior
• leader. Successful applicants could then be
  trained up. Some
• schools raise the profile of the role by
  including school council
• members and a senior member of staff on the
  interview panel.
• A Sample application form and play leaders
  qualities sheet is
• available as a handout (also on partnership web
  site)
• Perhaps the leadership scheme could be used as an
  incentive - have
• 3/6 leadership courses, autumn, spring and summer
  and give the
• children something to work towards.

13
So you want to be a Leader?
14
Lunch Time Supervisors Training

• Leadership Coordinator to train staff.
• Normally this happens over two 1 hour sessions.
• First Session Confidence Building
• - Introduce staff to the programme and teach
  them a variety of games/activities.
• Second Session Team Building Lunch time staff
  work with play leaders.
• The more you involve/engage the lunch time staff
  in decisions you make the more successful the
  leadership programme will be in your school.

15
Zoning Your Playground

• Playgrounds can be zoned in areas for particular
  activities/play. Areas can be zoned
• using permanent markings or by using coloured
  cones.
• Some different ideas for zones include
• Quiet Play
• Multi Activity/Team Games
• Traditional playground games including skipping
• Challenges
• Informal play area
• Balance Stillness
• Chill Out Area
• Did you know? Schools can also apply for funding
  (up to 10,000) towards playground
• development via the Primary Playground 4 Sports
  Initiative. Please speak to you SSCo for
• further details on how to apply. Details on
  further funding avenues are also available on the
• partnership web site

16
Playground Zoning
17
Equipment

• Q. What do the games need?
• Huff and Puff Activity bags or a variety of
  playground equipment
• Q. Are the support staff able to access the
  equipment? What kind of loan scheme
• might work? Can the Junior Leaders help?
• Some schools choose to pre place the
  equipment/activity cards in individual boxes for
  each
• of the zoned areas. For example the Red Zone
  Skipping and Traditional games. In the
• red box there will be skipping ropes, skipping
  rhymes, French elastic, elastic rhymes,
• jacks, marbles etc.
• Smaller schools with limited playground space may
  choose to rota certain play boxes for
• different days of the week.
• Monday Skipping
• Tuesday Challenge Activities
• Wednesday Quiet Play/games

18
Rewarding Success

• Here your lunchtime supervisors are invaluable,
  as well as your leaders.
• Its up to individual schools how they are going
  to celebrate success and
• achievement. Criteria for success could be
• For all pupils Improving stamina, strength,
  Trying new activities, Working
• well with other children and succeeding in a
  challenge.
• For the leaders Being organised, Making games
  fun, Joining in.
• Rewards might be stickers/certificates/badges/a
  chance to become a leader.
• These are just a few ideas and something you will
  need to discuss with Heads
• and staff. An example of a certificate is
  included in the handout.

19
Supporting the Leaders

• The leaders will need to be able to talk about
  their experiences with a teacher
• and lunchtime supervisor perhaps every couple of
  weeks.
• Also this would be a good time to discuss
  rewarding the younger children.
• Some schools have benefited from setting up a
  playground committee which includes pupils so
• that they fully involved in the decision process.
  
• A top tips page can be found in the handout
  where other schools share good practice and ideas
• for success.
• The parents could be informed.
• Badges, hats or bibs for the leaders to wear.
• Leadership Board Sharing information and
  identify the leaders to other pupils and staff.
• At the end of their time as a leader they are
  acknowledged in assembly for their work.

20
Resources

• The partnership web site has further information
  on leadership
• and has a downloads page with a full range of
  activity cards.
• Please visit www.sesomersetssco.co.uk
• The partnership holds one copy of the Playground
• Development Resource Pack this can be loaned
  out to
• individual schools. Please enquire through your
  SSCo.
• Alternatively go to Youth Sports Trust website to
  purchase.
• 100 Games and Activities for the School
  Playground. By John
• Goodwin HeadStart Training Materials. 7.50
• www.qca.org.uk