Background and purpose
The Foundation Phase in Wales is a holistic play based curriculum for pupils aged 3-7 years. Research into the implementation of the foundation phase found that despite making a positive contribution to physical literacy some aspects of pupils’ motor skills (object control skills) were not developing due to a lack of teacher expertise (Wainwright et al., 2016; 2017). This is specifically concerning as object control competence in young children has been associated with physical activity levels. This presentation outlines a cost effective and sustainable programme of professional development to address this gap in pupils’ motor development.
Summary of main points
Drawing on the evidence based programme, Successful Kinaesthetic Instruction for Pre-schoolers (SKIP; Goodway & Branta 2003), the Wales Institute for Physical Literacy developed a programme of professional development for teachers called SKIP-Cymru to fit with the playful pedagogy of the Foundation Phase. This was implemented in schools across West Wales and found to have a significant impact on pupils’ motor development, confidence, attendance and engagement in learning as well as staff confidence and parental engagement (Wainwright et al., 2017).
Conference Sub Theme -Empowering practitioners and supporting professional learning.
This regional approach empowered foundation phase staff, regional sports development officers, coaches and leisure staff through a programme of professional learning in children’s motor development and pedagogy. Through training and sustained mentoring this approach built capacity in communities. Staff collaboratively worked with colleagues across sectors to developing a culture that valued physical development and opportunities for moving in all aspects of learning. Additionally, staff ran parental engagement sessions promoting developmentally appropriate family activities with their children.
Conclusions
This cost effective and sustainable approach focuses on developing understanding and collaboration across sectors and building local capacity for change.
