Inclusive Sports Festival

Over 120 pupils from eight special schools in East Sussex attended an inclusive sports festival held at the School of Sport and Service Management in Eastbourne.

The event was run and organised by PGCE and School Direct trainee Physical Education teachers and facilitated by PGCE and School Direct PE route Leader Dr Gary Stidder and PGCE Dance route leader Lucy Pocknell.

The pupils took part in a series of physical activities throughout the day that included boccia, sit down volleyball, new age kurling, goalball, parachute games and dance.

Find out more about the day in this short film:

School Direct PE student Francesca Hewison said: “This was an amazing experience for us as trainee PE teachers. We really had to think about how we could adapt these activities for pupils with additional educational needs and make them fully inclusive for all pupils.

“I personally gained a great deal from teaching these pupils and have a much greater awareness of how to adapt, modify and differentiate these types of physical activities.”

PGCE PE student Tommy Noad added: “I am now more confident in my planning and application of Physical Education and have a greater awareness of the need to plan for pupils with different learning needs.

“It has also helped me to appreciate that to be an effective PE teacher you have to adopt a fully inclusive approach to your teaching and ensure that the activities are appropriate to suit each individual child. The day itself was challenging but also really rewarding both personally and professionally.”