This week’s case study focuses on how the fantastic Kate Reynolds at Belvedere Academy has used the RISE Up training course to boost the mental wellbeing of her young people through a whole school enrichment programme.
The Belvedere Academy is an all-ability state funded girls’ Academy secondary school in Liverpool and is part of the Girls’ Day School Trust. We are delighted to work in partnership with their team as part of our ‘Liverpool RISE Up’ programme.
Their brilliant Subject Leader for Physical Education, Kate Reynolds, talks us through their approach:
Exploring the Problem
'During the academic year of 2022/2023 we had one hour for our lunch, which sadly, wasn't always the most productive time of the day for some of our students. There were increasing cases of misbehaviour and with little on site space to play, be active and burn off some energy, students found themselves without much to do after they had finished their lunch.
This was the start of the change in our school day, moving to a half hour lunch slot, and a half hour form time between 1:30-2pm.
As a PE teacher, I was worried about the impact this would have on the number of active minutes we could provide for active play and physical activity. Previously, we would have run numerous lunch time clubs where students could take part in a range of different activities, but the structure of the new school day seemed to threaten this.
This was when the RISE project was born. Having completed the Future Action Trauma Informed Teacher Training, I knew there was something I could do with the resources available and the idea of RISE up.
I spent the summer term researching how this would look and created an active whole school curriculum which could be implemented during the form time slot each day.
Intent
To give pupils a self care toolkit of different strategies for themselves and their families to use in order to manage wellbeing now and in the future by taking part in regular physical activity with their friends in a semi-structured environment.
For those not yet familiar with the RISE acronym, this means taking part in
Repeaters; walking in the park, skipping, badminton
Inclusive Team activities; benchball, kinball, boccia, netball
Stress Busters; boxing, MMA, fitness activities
Energisers; dancing, body pump, HIIT
My plan was that students would work through a carousel of activities on a weekly basis for a year, working in their form groups, to increase their sense of belonging (one of our school priorities) and a sense of happiness and fulfilment.
When not taking part in practical activities, students would complete classroom tasks around the psychological benefits of being physically active so we could build their toolbox of self-care strategies.
Implementation
I met with SLT and Heads of Year in the summer term before the RISE project was due to start to explain to them the idea that I had and my vision for what would take place.
I explained that these enrichment activities would not be “mini PE lessons” and that the idea was about finding the fun, and being physically active with friends, embedded in an understanding of the link between physical activity and mental wellbeing.
Once the year heads were on board, it was time to get the rest of the staff on board, as the activities would be delivered by form tutors with support of the PE staff.
There are 6 forms in each year group which meant 12 forms would be taking part in the RISE timetable at any one time, therefore staff needed training on how to deliver the different activities and feel comfortable doing so.
During the INSET day in September 2023, I introduced the idea to all the staff in the school and said that the best way to fully understand the intent was to experience it themselves.
All the staff in the school (teachers, form tutors, SLT, support staff, catering team,the admin team etc) then spent the morning taking part in table tennis, spike ball, just dance, benchball, dodgeball and a walk around our beautiful park amongst other activities.
PE staff were on hand to talk through where equipment was kept, the basic rules of the activity, and how to structure the activity. When asked how they felt at the end, everyone was in agreement that physical activity is good for the soul. Experiencing the project through the eyes of the students was important to get staff on board with the intent behind the project. This was also backed up with a talk around the research behind the project from an academic point of view.
The whole school timetable looked like this from 1:30-2pm. Students would be in a RISE activity, an assembly, completing personal development or having form time. We have a two week rota, so this changed slightly between the two weeks.
For RISE, each year group had their own personal timetable based around a theme.
Year 7 and 8 - Finding the fun in movement: Understanding the links between movement and mental health.
Year 9 and 10 - Assessing Our Feelings: Understanding why and how movement can lift our mood and put us in a better head space.
Year 11 - Nutrition and Hydration: Understanding the importance of a healthy balanced diet and how it affects our wellbeing.
Sixth Form - Working as a team, being active together. Understanding the joy of moving with friends.
They would all take part in an activity that met the RISE acronym for their practical session experiencing a range of different activities throughout the year including, but not limited to, rounders, kinball, netball, tennis, table tennis, spike ball, boccia, new age curling, dodgeball, skipping, boxing, dance, body pump, badminton, and walking.
After the first term, I sent out a survey to see which activities students enjoyed and wanted to keep on doing and what activities they’d like to do in the next term. Using student voice to organise the activities increased the buy-in by students. This was then repeated for the summer term.
Alongside the practical activities were the classroom activities which included things such as;
- Body scanning
- Mindfulness activities
- Healthy smoothie making - students brought in ingredients and made their own smoothies.
- Deep Breathing and Meditation
- How to journal for wellbeing
- How to cope with anxiety, depression and OCD
plus others.
Resources were adapted from the RISE Up programme and given out to the form tutors to deliver for these sessions so that they didn't need to do any planning themselves.
Impact
Due to the amount of planning, use of staff voice and student voice, the project was a huge success. The buy-in from staff and students meant that everyone was getting a great offering.
Staff found that they were putting down the chrome books and joining in with the practical sessions which had a real cathartic effect. Students who didn't want to join in were not forced. Instead the time was used by tutors to have a conversation, to build relationships, to find out what was going on in that student's life.
As with everything I do, surveys were sent out at the halfway point and at the end of the year to review the impact of the project. Both staff and students were extremely complimentary about the project. This slide was delivered at a recent inset with pupil responses in red and staff responses in blue.
When asked “Have you enjoyed the RISE activities so far?” 93% of students replied YES.
When asked if they thought the RISE project had had a positive effect on their feelings of happiness, fun, and belonging, 79% of students replied YES.
Through this project we were able to ensure that all students were experiencing an extra 60 minutes of activity and movement a fortnight on top of their 240 minutes for PE and daily extra curricular offer.
What’s Next
The programme has been such a success that I have been tasked with coming up with a new RISE curriculum for the 2024/2025 year that can run in the morning before school and during our morning form time.
This will again aim to increase the amount of active minutes students get and continue to embed how movement has positive links to mental health and wellbeing.'
Want to Know More About Kate's RISE Up Journey
This is Kate's 3rd case study with us as she embeds more aspects of the RISE Up programme to transform the life chances of the children she serves. You can listen to her super PE Insights podcast here, and watch her video case study here.
Have you been inspired?
If you have been inspired by Kate and want to start a similar journey, then take your first step by completing the School Wellbeing Scorecard here.
This action will help you map your school's wellbeing provision in 3 minutes and identify the key areas to focus on for your setting.
You will receive a personalised report and a complimentary login to our taster ‘RISE Up’ course. Here you will be able to experience Step 1 and 2 of our 9 Step RISE Up teacher training course.
Information about our RISE UP early intervention mental wellbeing teacher training course can be found here.
Information about our Trauma Informed PE teacher training course can be found here.
Explore Further Opportunities
We also offer a range of services including specialised courses, consultancy, keynote speaking, and access to our new book 'Time to RISE Up'.
If you are interested in exploring a partnership or wish to learn more about how we can support your school's wellbeing initiatives, please join our waiting list here.
Have a brilliant week.
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