The Department for Education and Department for Health have recognised that the Health of the nation is not improving and intervention is needed within a school setting to engage the future generations to lead healthy lifestyles. Change4Life is a national initiative reaching out to adults, children and families alike.
The Ofsted inspection handbook suggests that outstanding schools should demonstrate:
“Pupils can explain accurately and confidently how to keep themselves healthy. They make informed choices about healthy eating, fitness and their emotional and mental well-being. They have an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships and are confident in staying safe from abuse and exploitation”
What is a Primary Change4Life Sports club?
Primary Schools have been given the opportunity to develop Change4Life Clubs within a school setting to encourage and support those children who are less active, overweight/underweight to participate in physical activity on a regular basis to increase confidence, self esteem and health knowledge.
Primary Change4Life Sports Clubs are built on a clear need to increase physical activity levels in less active young people, an identified need to develop a new type of sports club, creating an exciting and inspirational environment within which to engage these young people in school sport and a desire to ensure that, over time, less active young people can engage in the “School Games” programme.
C4L Festivals and Celebration Events
The C4L festival and celebration events are important to recognise the achievement of young people as part of the club, providing them with something to aspire to and an additional challenge. This will in turn, engage and enthuse the participants and give them the confidence and competence to take part in further opportunities to be physically active, and more specifically to feed into the Level 1 (intra) and level 2 (inter school) School Games Competitions.
C4L Workforce Development
Workforce development is essential to ensuring effectiveness of clubs at improving active lifestyles of participants and for the long term sustaining and embedding of clubs in primary schools, demonstrating the effectiveness and impact of clubs on whole school outcomes and school improvement plan/
Want to get involved? Here’s what to do next:
This is what a C4L club could look like in your school – please contact Christine Bland via the contact page on the website.
