October 2015

The know zone

  • Worth the risk?
    Julia Harnden examines the value of spending precious leadership time and resources on risk management. More
  • Sea-change for ‘coasting’ schools
    The Education and Adoption Bill 2015-16 would give the Secretary of State (SoS) greater powers to act when schools are deemed to be ‘coasting’ and to create academies. Katie Michelon of Browne Jacobson LLP explains the changes. More
  • The taxman cometh
    Changes to the Lifetime Allowances limit are likely to mean more of us paying tax on our pensions, says Stephen Casey. More
  • Independents’ Day
    Barbara Stanley reports from ASCL’s annual information conference for leaders in the independent sector. More
  • Speakers cornered
    Attending conferences can be an excellent way for senior leaders to soak up a lot of important information in a relatively short space of time. More
  • A free new digital resource for schools
    Sport England is a public body, working to increase the number of people who play sport regularly with the aim of making their lives better through sport. Schools play a vital role in the provision of community sport with 39 per cent of sports facilities in England on school sites. More
  • Backing EBaccs?
    The government is proposing that every pupil should take EBacc subjects at GCSE . What are your views? Does your school already offer EBacc to all pupils? Do you agree or disagree with the government’s proposals and why? Here, ASCL members share their views. More
  • Leaders’ surgery
    Hotline advice expressed here, and in calls to us, is made in good faith to our members. Schools and colleges should always take formal HR or legal advice from their indemnified provider before acting. More
  • Last word
    Showing some appreciation can make a real difference to someone’s day, week, month or term. It’s cost-effective and all it takes is two little words… More
Bookmark and Share

Sport England is a public body, working to increase the number of people who play sport regularly with the aim of making their lives better through sport. Schools play a vital role in the provision of community sport with 39 per cent of sports facilities in England on school sites.

A free new digital resource for schools

Sport England has recently launched Use Our School – a free digital resource to support schools in opening their facilities to the community and keeping them open. It provides tried and tested solutions, real-life practice, tips from people making it happen and a range of downloadable resources.

Currently, 62 per cent of school sports facilities are open for community use and as Jayne Molyneux, Sport England’s Strategic Lead Youth, says, “We know what an important role schools play in their local community and we want to actively support those schools who already open up their facilities for community use and support those who are considering doing so.”

Who is Use Our School for?

Use Our School is a valuable resource for headteachers, governors, business managers, sports centre managers and anyone responsible for managing community activity on school sites. It can help schools that are looking to make improvements to their current community offer and it can provide advice to schools on how to start up and enable community access to their facilities.

What does Use Our School include?

  • Use Our School provides a wealth of resources, advice and tips to support schools and make it easier to offer a sustainable community programme. The content includes:
  • 14 topic pages, providing information and guidance on key themes, including operating safely, finances, legal and governance and enterprising Ideas
  • a bank of resources, including templates and tools for schools to download and adapt for their own use
  • a wide range of case studies from different types of schools that have used the resource
  • video clips from key advocates who are involved with community use of schools, including headteachers, governors, sports clubs and students
  • frequently asked questions – exploring common issues and their solutions

How was the resource developed?

Use Our School is based on current good practice and has been developed by Sport England in partnership with more than 40 schools and a range of industry experts including PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) that commissioned to write the VAT guidance and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) that has designed the safeguarding check and challenge tool.

What’s happening next?

Sport England is currently promoting the resource at relevant national conferences and also offering some regional workshops where there is demand.

Find out more

To view the resource visit www.sportengland.org/useourschool or, if you would like further information or support, please email useourschool@sportengland.org

1.jpg

LEADING READING