Guest Editor - Naomi Brennan

This edition our Guest Editor is Naomi Brennan from West Lakes Academy, one of  the small army of Young Volunteers who give their time at the various School Games Events that take place across the Cumbria throughout the School Year.  Naomi volunteered at the Level 3 Tag Rugby Event held in Penrith just before the Easter holidays, here is what she had to say about the experience:

"Being a young leader is so impactful on the students you are helping as well as yourself. I think having the opportunity to act as a role model gives you more confidence in how you help, support or referee a team. For the second year, being able to physically help out with rugby teams across the county at the MLD/SLD festival with a group roughly my age was an experience I won’t forget. The students were amazing as being able to see how resilient they all were proved to me they rarely get opportunities like this festival. It was another success just like last year and I learnt again the students were my role models!!"

School Games Updates

Congratulations to all teams that took part the Cumbria School Games Spring Finals, special contratulations to #TeamFurness district winners. 

• Results can be found >>here. 
• Photos can be downloaded from Flikr

We look forward to the Summer Finals on the 11th July 

School Games Curricular Competitions

Please get your schools entries in for the 'Design a Healthy Cumberland Sausage' Competition. This is a competition open to all children in Key Stage 1-3 and gives you a chance to discuss nutrition as part of physical activity and lifestyle. Download the entry form and details >>here deadline is the 11th May.

A little reminder to those who attended the Spring Games about the #SpiritTheBear competition. We have had one entry so far (Thank you Trinity School). The prize is a VIP trip to Carlisle United, so please do get them in. 

NEW Go Tri Festival (Schools needed)

We are still seeking teams from secondary schools in Allerdale, Copeland and South Lakes for the new Go Tri Festival that will be held on Fri 29th June at Keswick Leisure Centre. Bikes will be provided. 

If your school is interested please contact jackie.hayhow@cumbria.gov.uk 

100 Mile Challenge Evaluation

The 100 Mile Challenge programme has been running in Cumbrian Schools for over 2 years now.  The Universtoy of Cumbria were commissioned to evaluate the programme, it's success and the impact it is having.  You can now read about their findings in the evaluation report >>here

Focus on Childhood Asthma

To help highlight the importance of managing childhood asthma top local athlete and rugby player Joe Connelly visited Lazonby School to meet some of the children. You can view the visit >>here 

Joe trained with the children, answered questions and even signed some autographs. They also featured on ITV Border.

The session was organised by NHS North Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group and ourselves. If you need advice about Ashma in school please do contact the Public Health 0-19 Team 

Active Travel - Bikeability

As featured in a recent edition of this newsletter, Cumbria County Council's Active Travel Team offer Safe Scooter courses, but they are also responsible for the Bikeability training across the County. The training they offer ranges from Playground Skills to Bikeability Level 2 and is funded by the Department of Transport.

You can find out more >>here

Publication of Healthy School Capital Fund (HPCF)

The HPCF guidance and allocations have now been published on gov.uk >>here

The HPCF is within the wider schools condition funding page which contains a lot of information. The documents to alert you to are:

• The spreadsheet which provides details of how the £100m is being divided 
• The guidance for direct allocations for HPCF
• The general terms and conditions, which sets out the technicalities of the grant payments for each type of institution

YST Launches Strategy to Combat Decline in Children's Wellbeing

A generation is growing up ill-equipped to deal with the daily challenges of the 21st century, says the Youth Sport Trust a national children’s charity.

The Youth Sport Trust has this week (12 April) launched a new four-year strategy – Believing in Every Child’s Future. It sets out a vision to halt the decline in children’s physical, mental and social wellbeing using the power of sport, PE and physical activity.  Read more >>here

New Pretty Muddy event at Lowther Castle

Pretty Muddy Kids is a new exciting obstacle course designed just for children - with added mud, thrills and spills and will be held for the first time at Lowther Castle on Saturday 9 June.  

The entry fee for Pretty Muddy Kids is £10.00. It's open to children aged 5 - 12 with a minimum height of 1.2m. All children must be accompanied by a supervising adult, who have free entry to the event. Find out more >>here

Cumbria Sports Awards – Active Education Award

This year sees the launch of a brand new category at the prestigious Cumbria Sports Awards. We are looking for
nominations from schools that have adopted whole school approaches to increasing levels of physical activity and health awareness activities amongst their pupils.

The nomination window opens at the end of September, with the awards taking place at the Low Wood Hotel, Windermere on Friday 30 November. 

Active Cumbria PE Networks (ACPENS)

The termly ACPEN network hub meetings are for PE Subject leaders in Primary Schools across the county, designed to share good practice, respond to requests for future professional development and provide free independent advice and updates on national programmes and directives.

The Summer ACPENS are coming up soon, for more information see our website:
www.activecumbria.org/acpen

Pentathlon GB School Competitions

Pentathlon GB would like to see more schools in Cumbria taking part in this year's competitions, you can find the details about the competitions >>here

Entries are by the on-line booking system on the Pentathon GB >>website.

They also have Exciting Opportunity to try Laser Run >>here 

The Tour of Britain is back....

To coincide with Britain’s foremost cycling event, the Tour of Britain is returning to Cumbria in September, after the May half-term we will be sending out a resource pack to all schools in Cumbria to encourage your pupils to engage with the event.

The pack will contain a range of curriculum resources, as well as fun competitions for your pupils, with great prizes on offer. Please keep an eye out for this.

British Fencing Offer

If you are interested in having a go at fencing in your school, please complete this quick form from British Fencing and they will get back to you. >>Form