Active School Flag

 

🏅 We Are an Active School! 🏅

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🏃‍♂️ PHYSICAL EDUCATION

✅ Staff Commitment

• PE is discussed at every staff meeting to ensure all teachers follow our Whole-School PE Plan and Grid, ensuring consistency and progression across all class levels.

  
  

  
  
  
  

• All teachers teach every PE strand each year, except Aquatics (dependent on access to facilities).

• All teachers collaborate to improve the teaching of a priority strand each year.

• This year, our focus was on: Jumping, Running, Landing, and Striking with an Implement.

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

✅ Resources and Access

• All pupils receive a minimum of 60 minutes of PE each week.

• PE equipment is well-labeled, well-organized, and easily accessible in our PE shed.

  

• The STEP principle (Space, Task, Equipment, People) is used to adapt PE lessons to suit all learners.

✅ Curriculum and CPD

• All teachers use the Move Well, Move Often resources when delivering the PE curriculum.

• Ms. Murphy attended OIDE’s "Developing Pupil Wellbeing in the PE Lesson" course to support peer collaboration and friendships through PE.

  Miss Walsh attended Physical literacy matters- Primary (Full Day PLE) to gain a deeper understanding into the importance of FMS for pupils. 

• CPD knowledge is shared with staff, enhancing everyone’s delivery of PE.

• Land PAWS water safety is taught from Junior Infants to 2nd class. 3rd to 6th classes attend swimming lessons.

✅ Assessment and Homework

• PE progress is shared with parents at PT meetings and included in the annual report.

• PE is never used as a disciplinary withdrawal.

• PE homework is assigned weekly and relates directly to the strand being taught.
  👉 See our Gymnastics Homework Example

   

   

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🏃‍♀️ PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

✅ Daily Activity

• We provide twice-daily playground breaks where pupils can run and use sports equipment.

• Pupils are trained as Playground Leaders, supporting inclusive play.

• Our Active School Walkway is used by all classes for:

  • Active breaks

  • Learning on the move

    Junior and senior infants engaged in a nature trail looking for wild animals around our school

    
    

    
    

    

    
    
    
    
    
    

  • Whole-school challenges

✅ Whole-School Participation

• All classes took part in both:

  • The ‘Active Break Every Day’ 4-week challenge

  • The ‘Learning on the Move’ 4-week challenge

✅ Events and Celebrations

• Physical activity is central to events like:

  • Seachtain na Gaeilge Ceilí Click here to see our Ceilí

  • The ‘12 Days of Fitmas’ Challenge
    👉 See 12 Days of Fitmas Challenge

• We use the TREE model to adapt all activities to make them inclusive for every child.

✅ Reducing Sedentary Time

• Every class has agreed on actions to reduce sitting time during the school day.

  🪑 1. Movement Breaks Between Lessons

  Teachers incorporate short movement breaks (1–2 minutes) between subjects where pupils:

  • Stand and stretch

  • Do 10 star jumps or squats

  • Follow along with a quick GoNoodle or brain break video

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  🚶 2. Active Transitions

  Instead of walking quietly to different areas (e.g. yard, library, or hall), classes:

  • Skip, hop, or walk in patterns

  • Use the Active School Walkway to turn transitions into opportunities for movement and learning

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  🧍‍♂️ 3. Stand-and-Share Activities

  During class discussions or group work:

  • Pupils are encouraged to stand at their desks or use whiteboards on the walls

  • Lessons are structured to include ‘walk and talk’ pair discussions rather than sitting

   

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🤝 PARTNERSHIPS

✅ Communication and Community

• We inform and involve parents in ASF initiatives through school communications and events.

• We contacted the Local Sports Partnership (LSP) and the Sports Inclusion Disability Officer (SIDO) to improve our inclusive practice.

• A Pupil–Staff ASF Committee leads and supports our Active School journey.

✅ Active Student Voice

• Every class created an Active School slogan.

• All classes completed a ‘What Clubs Are You In?’ survey.

• Pupils are given leadership roles in ASF initiatives and events.

• Our school celebrates both in-school and out-of-school physical achievements.

  Pupils showing the class their medals they won from participating in camogie with their local camogie club. 

  Our u11 schools team competing in a county final. The whole school came to support the boys. 
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

✅ Feedback and Response

• ASF pupil and parent questionnaires were distributed. Feedback was discussed, and changes were made in response.

  
  Rugby provided by Cashel rugby club 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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🎉 ACTIVE SCHOOL WEEK

Follow links to previous active school weeks 

2024 Day 1        

 2024 Day 2.           

2024 Day 3.     

2024 Day 4.   

2024 Day 5

📅 2024–2025 Active School Week

Start Date: June 18th
End Date: June 24th

✅ Annual Calendar Commitment

• #ASW is firmly embedded in our annual school calendar.

• All pupils take part in activities tailored to their needs and abilities.

✅ Whole-School Involvement

• Suggestions from pupils and parents helped shape this year’s programme.

• Pupils and staff wear activewear all week.

• Physical activity replaces written homework during #ASW.

• Classes use the Walkway route for Learning on the Move.

• We host:

  • A whole-school fun event - 4K road race involving the whole community which will take place on June 22nd this year. 

  • A Pupils vs Teachers/Parents event - Sixth Class V Teachers Soccer Game

  • Community awareness of local activity opportunities - we work in close collaboration with the local clubs.

✅ Staff Involvement

• We ran a staff physical activity initiative during ASW to model active lifestyles.  The staff made a commitment to weekly walks & also to take part in the 4k.