Whole school approach to physical activity for wellbeing
Whole school approach to physical activity for wellbeing
Kauri Flats Principal Matt Williams and deputy Ezra Feau are committed to prioritising the wellbeing of their 膩konga. 聽They have seen first-hand the difference it makes with attendance and engagement.
鈥淲hen you have a healthier child they want to be at school. They realise 鈥榦h I鈥檓 not just here for my writing, and reading, and math. I鈥檓 here for everything鈥�.聽 That鈥檚 the type of environment we are trying to create here,鈥� Matt says.
鈥淥ur hauroa sits in everything we do.聽 It鈥檚 part of our strategic plan. Our annual plan, our strategic goals. Everything. It鈥檚 the embodiment of the school.鈥�
The pair say they noticed a significant increase in student wellbeing needs after COVID lockdowns, particularly around their activity levels and basic movement skills. Impacting this further was the new suburb of Kauri Flats was a rapidly expanding development with many houses lacking spaces for children to play.聽 This was the catalyst to prioritise hauora across the school.
鈥淲e found kids came back and had no skills. Nothing. They were afraid to walk around and jump on things. Just that lack of risk taking started appearing. Not wanting to get out of the comfort zone,鈥� Ezra says.
鈥淲e felt like that was our duty to make sure we provide as many opportunities as possible to our kids to learn and to develop their holistic wellbeing.鈥�
The school has done that despite not having a school field or playground, due largely to being a construction site since opening six years ago. When COVID restrictions continued there were socially distanced sailing and cycle trips. Now there are a number of activities for 膩konga including wilderness trails complete with insect hotels, mud kitchens, vege gardens, and Wheels Wednesday 鈥� a weekly event which allows skateboards, bikes and scooters to have full reign of the carpark.聽 There鈥檚 also a kete of equipment in every classroom to get 膩konga outside and learning through movement鈥� without having to go to the PE shed.
A key support along the way has been the Healthy Active Learning team at CLM Community Sport. The joint-government wellbeing initiative led by 爆料社区 to help schools and kura create healthy and active learning environments and better connections to their community.
Specifically, the school has built a close relationship with the school鈥檚 designated Healthy Active Learning advisor, Tracey-Lee Dalton. Tracey has been a sounding board 鈥� and contributor - for new ideas to try, she鈥檚 supported the development of the hauora curriculum, and worked closely with teachers around teaching fundamental movement skills through other curriculum areas like numeracy and literacy. That has included introducing teachers to the free games-centered resource Movewell as a tool to support Te Taha Tinana of students. Tracey-Lee has also supported the school to access T奴 Manawa Active Aotearoa Funding, which has been used to fund whole school hauora days, COVID sailing expeditions, and the newly installed mud kitchens.
鈥淪he is the most valuable asset we have in this school,鈥� Matt says.
鈥淚 think without her we wouldn鈥檛 have made as much progress as quick. We would have made progress, but she鈥檚 just helped us drive that so quickly. That different lens, the wider lens she has offered, is amazing.鈥�
Meanwhile, Tracey-Lee is quick to celebrate the creativity, innovation, and commitment of the school 鈥� including the school board - to enhancing the wellbeing of its tamariki, kaiako, and wider community.
Key to ensuring the support of the board, Ezra adds, is communicating 鈥渓ittle and often鈥澛� to keep them in the loop. That includes the school鈥檚 innovative use of the student management system 鈥楬ero鈥� to capture ongoing student voice in real time.聽 Hashtags relate to the four pillars of Te Whare Tapa Wh膩, which 膩konga and kaiako tag to anything they are posting.
鈥淭hat is then transferred to our board at our meetings so we can be like 鈥榦h yeah, you can see in this class we鈥檝e got 16 posts that relate to Te Taha Wairua鈥� and so the next few weeks they鈥檒l be focused on Te Taha Tinana,鈥� he says.
鈥淥ur board is seeing everything. They understand the same language that we are using in class and the same importance that we are giving to all the other activities.鈥�
Wh膩nau have also been central to the development of the hauora curriculum. There are annual community consultations 鈥� with separate ones for M膩ori, Pasifika, and Indian wh膩nau 鈥� and in-person and online opportunities聽 which ensure聽 everyone feels they have a voice.
Matt insists the school hasn鈥檛 done anything out of the ordinary but does recognise its success in creating a school environment which 膩konga want to come to 鈥� the result of having the courage to take risks.
鈥淎 lot of attendance is not just on the parents, it鈥檚 kids who are disengaged. if they鈥檝e got a learning programme that they want to come to school for, they are going to come to school,鈥� he says.
鈥淚t comes back to relationships and that teachers are here for the kids. Not just because it鈥檚 their job. Teachers and students feel respected, valued, and that they have a voice.鈥�
Speaking to their success, Kauri Flats and the Healthy Active Learning team at CLM Community Sport recently received a Merit Award at the 2023 Recreation Aotearoa Awards 鈥� 鈥極utstanding Community Recreation Programme鈥�: Unrelenting Pursuit to Enhance our Hauora鈥�.聽
Aktive, CLM Community Sport, Harbour Sport, Sport Auckland and Sport Wait膩kere are proud to be part of Healthy Active Learning in T膩maki Makaurau. This sees the collective supporting primary and intermediate schools to create healthy and active learning environments and better connections to their local communities.
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