Building teacher confidence leads to more ākonga active

“Every teacher in the school would be comfortable to run fitness, or run a PE lesson, or teach health and PE with their class.” – Senior leader

Kaiako at St Anne’s School in Newtown, Wellington, are more confidently delivering inclusive physical education and say more ākonga are taking part in sport and physical activity outside of school.

Supported by a Healthy Active Learning facilitator from Nuku Ora, kaiako at the school identified they wanted professional development to improve their confidence and build on their skills to plan and deliver HPE and physical activity. They also requested specific tools to adapt activities for diverse learners. Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa funding provided gear for a shared kete of resources used across the school.

Physical activity and HPE are now daily parts of all classes, and movement is integrated across other curriculum areas. Teachers report greater confidence in adapting activities, including for ākonga with diverse needs. School leaders said they could see how the mindset of teachers had positively shifted to valuing HPE and PA.