PE teachers, school senior leaders, business managers and governors can find out about some of the leading issues in primary education at the Active Primary Schools Conference 2022, to be held at Millennium Point on Friday November 25^th.

Organised by award-winning Birmingham-based sector leaders Aspire Active Education Group for representatives from primary schools “to gain knowledge, confidence and a bank of actionable strategies”, the conference, which has been held since 2017, will see keynote speeches from industry experts, practical and theory-based workshops and a marketplace full of innovative resources and services.

Among the topics to be covered in the keynote speeches will be a presentation of the impact on education and the wider region from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, the biggest showcase event to be held in the UK’s second city in generations.

Organisers say a record 1.5 million spectators bought tickets for the event, making it the most popular Commonwealth Games ever to be hosted in the UK, while a total of 28.6 million tuned into the Games on the BBC.

Ashley Jones, Water Safety and Drowning Prevention Manager for Swim England, will give another keynote presentation on the drive to get more primary school pupils engaged with swimming and water safety. Will Roberts, Chief Operating Officer at the Youth Sport Trust, will give the third keynote on getting young people active entitled ‘The critical ingredient: ensuring physical literacy for young people in challenging times’.

Other topics will include ways of PE assessment, maximising playground engagement strategies to embed physically active learning in schools, primary dance and outdoor adventurous activities.

Aspire co-founder Paul Griffiths said: “We are delighted to have a high-calibre roll call of speakers at the Active Primary Schools Conference 2022 to tackle some of the biggest issues facing educators.

“Having seen thousands of athletes from 72 nations and territories compete in the largest-ever integrated programme of para sport over 11 days at the Commonwealth Games, it is great to have the team join us to update delegates on the legacy.

“Each year we bring together the best of our sector to help attendees boost the quality of primary PE, sport and physical activity (PESSPA) to inspire children to be more active, more often. We want to continue to expand our reach to support as many primary schools as possible to raise the standards of PESSPA.”

Aspire Active Education Group played their own part in the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, delivering 97 days of activities to 65 schools in just eight weeks through the ‘Bring the Power’ school sport workshop programme, which was rolled out across the West Midlands to get young people moving ahead of the event.

Based in Spitfire Road, Birmingham, and with 56 team members, Aspire provide innovative delivery and training services along with education resources with an aim to “end physical inactivity forever” and help one million children move by 2025.

Founded in 2005, Aspire work with nearly 200 schools nationwide, providing PE, sport and physical activity support to get children moving. Aspire have won five awards since November including two Business Desk business awards, two Greater Birmingham Apprenticeship Awards and a Lloyds Bank Small Business 2021 prize.

To register for a conference ticket for the event, which is sponsored by the PE Hub and Aspire:ED, go to: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/aspiresports/746086

NFL Flag is the starting point for a possible journey into playing football professionally. As well as the regular football tournaments, there is the opportunity to qualify for a regional final played at Tottenham Hotspur in October 2022 during half time of the NFL Pro regular season game. The winners of that match will have the option to go to Florida to play the American finalists.

Becoming a regional Hub for the NFL is part of Windlesham’s drive to offer a more diverse range of sports to its pupils and to support the wider local pupil community. Pupils at the West Sussex prep school are being taught NFL Flag Football as part of the new curriculum programme and from a coaching perspective, this has been rolled out to a selection of Windlesham staff who are now fully certified.

Adrian Wallis-Adams, NFL Coach for Windlesham House explained, “Our goal, is to bring the local school community together, with an emphasis on state schools. We have launched our own League and other schools are able to play as part of this as well as enrol in the NFL Flag Football curriculum programme.”

Any school in the area can join the programme and being a co-educational sport, it has a much wider appeal. Certification is delivered through a one-day recognised PE staff training course. The NFL provides all of the training and curriculum material as well as free equipment. There is also no ongoing obligation or direct costs if you change your mind.

Windlesham is also planning some trips to support its local American football team, The Sussex Thunder, based at Sussex University, and has registered the school to attend the NFL regular season games, of which there are three scheduled for the Autumn of this year at Tottenham Hotspur and Wembley Stadium, and two further games are being played in Germany during November 2022.

Ben Evans, Headmaster at Windlesham House School said, “Following assessment by the NFL, we are delighted to have been appointed as a regional hub for the NFL. Diversity in sport has never been more important and this fun league provides both our pupils and the local community with some wonderful opportunities to train at a high level and to take their talent further afield.”

For local schools interested in getting involved, they are invited to send two PE teachers for training and will receive a 1st 4 Sport accredited qualification in NFL Flag Football as well as 10 official balls, 30 official flag belts, 6-week NFL Flag Football curriculum pack, and the opportunity to join the official NFL Flag League.

Mr Wallis-Adams concluded, “Windlesham hosted the first of many NFL Flag Football training sessions for PE staff back in March, which was hugely popular and very over-subscribed. We have already put a further date in our diary for September this year.”