Mr Hughes' Story - Premier League Primary Stars

Teachers have an important role to play in helping children enjoy physical activity and develop a positive relationship with sport. But for teachers, planning PE lessons, assessing pupils and keeping track of their progress isn’t always easy.

Through Premier League Primary Stars, Swansea City AFC Foundation works directly with teachers to help them develop their confidence and make PE lessons more effective and enjoyable for pupils.

Mr Aled Hughes, PE teacher at Ysgol Bro Penfro in Pembrokeshire, took part in the programme after identifying a few areas of his teaching that he wanted to develop. In particular, he wanted to improve how he assessed pupils, tracked their progress and planned lessons around their individual development.

Over 12 weeks, Aled worked closely with Swansea City AFC Foundation Sports and Education Area Coordinator Matthew Davies.

At first, Matthew led the PE sessions while Aled watched, took notes and asked questions. Matthew was able to talk him through the different activities and explain why he was delivering certain parts of the session in a particular way.

For Aled, it became a valuable opportunity to learn while still being in his usual teaching environment.

“I’ve been able to use these sessions as a professional development session for myself,” he said.

As the weeks went on, Aled gradually took on more responsibility for planning and delivering the sessions. By weeks three and four, he was leading lessons himself, with Matthew stepping back to observe and offer feedback afterwards.

The difference soon became noticeable.

“The Premier League Primary Stars has had a huge impact on my knowledge and I’ve gained a deeper understanding of the curriculum and what’s required in that area of learning,” Aled explained.

Matthew has also seen Aled become more confident and precise in his teaching.

“The information he gives now is more specific,” he said.

Another important improvement has been Aled’s ability to recognise how individual pupils are developing and progressing – something that had been one of his main aims when he first started the programme.

For Matthew, that progress is what makes the programme so worthwhile. Rather than simply delivering PE sessions for the school, the aim is to give teachers skills and knowledge they can continue to use themselves.

As a young teacher, Aled can now take what he has learned during those 12 weeks and use it throughout his career, helping pupils at Ysgol Bro Penfro enjoy better quality PE lessons for years to come.