Spotlight on success
Well done to North Kidlington School - our first 'spotlight on success' story!
At North Kidlington School we were becoming increasingly concerned that children were coming to school in shoes that were not appropriate for foot development or physical activity. This was most noticeable with the girls who would often push our uniform policy to the limit with slip-on shoes and little heels.
Watching the children on the playground it was very apparent that the children with appropriate footwear were more active and able to use the climbing frames and nature areas more freely. Looking around shops that sell uniforms, there is a clear disparity between shoes for boys and girls which makes it hard for parents to make appropriate choices for their children.
After working with the amazing North Oxfordshire School Sports Partnership (NOSSP), the governing board and surveying parents for their thoughts, we decided to make the move to trainers for all children all the time. To keep carpets clean but still allow active learning opportunities inside, we ask for two pairs of dark-coloured trainers: one pair for inside and one pair for outside. This has hopefully also saved parents money as before they had to buy school shoes, plimsolls and trainers for PE.
As with all new things this has taken a while to embed, and we gave the parents 6 months to move over to the new policy. One thing we did not factor in is rainy days as trainers can take a while to dry when they get wet. For those days, we allow a bit more flexibility on the shoes children can wear outside. We can clearly see an improvement across the school, particularly with the girls and it is great that the children are ready to be active at all times. We were very proud to have been nominated for the YST’s Outstanding Primary Practice award but mainly hope that we have helped to improve outcomes for our children.
If you would like more information about this or to discuss physical activity in your school, please contact natalie.robb@oxfordshire.gov.uk.