This presentation will briefly outline the co-development of a physical literacy consensus statement for England that aimed to be accessible for those working in research, policy, and practice. Phase one included a review of the evidence, a first national stakeholder consultation, and focus groups with children and young people. Phase two included a modified delphi methodology and co-development of the draft statement with an expert panel of sixty researchers and stakeholders. Phase three included a second national consultation on the draft statement. Phase four involved further co-development and an online survey with the expert panel to revise and finalise the statement, before consensus was established on a definition: Physical literacy is our relationship with movement and physical activity throughout life. We will unpack the definition and five key messages encompassing (1) Understanding physical literacy, (2) Why physical literacy matters, (3) Supporting physical literacy, (4) Our experiences affect our physical literacy, and (5) Physical literacy is personal. Finally, we will review implementation efforts since the launch of the statement and discuss its implications school-based policy and practice.

This presentation will outline the enjoyment gap in PE and physical activity, between girls and boys aged 11-16, and highlight the significant barriers to girls’ participation in physical activity, identified in research including Sport England’s Active Lives Children and Young People survey. We’ll also share how Studio You is playing an active role in working to close this enjoyment gap, as part of our mission to help every girl, no matter their background or ability, enjoy PE.

Purpose: This study aimed to co-produce and assess the feasibility of an intervention aimed at improving physical activity (PA) and motor competence (MC) levels of children with intellectual disabilities (ID). Interventions targeting both these outcomes in children with ID are scarce. Methods: Across the Liverpool city region (UK), 49 individuals representing education, sport, charities, health, and parents/families were invited to participate in the co-production. Special Educational Needs Schools in England were invited to participate in a feasibility trial of the co-produced programme across two phases. Data collection was lead by a researcher if schools were based in the north-west of England, outside of this, schools were trained to complete testing remotely. Results: The co-production process involving 12 participants generated six program ideas: 1) Teacher/coach training, 2) School-based PA, 3) Family co-participation, 4) Parental education, 5) School multi-skill event, and 6) Role models. The feasibility trial recruited seven schools and 50 child participants across two phases. Phase one, with two Liverpool City Region schools, showed a 67.0% baseline and 40.5% follow-up completion rate for outcome measures, with one school not completing the programme. Phase two, with three SEND schools from the north-west, had a 94.7% baseline completion rate, dropping to 78.9% at follow-up. Only one of two schools completed both motor competence and PA testing for all children remotely. The school-based PA programme received overall satisfaction, except for an older age group reporting activities were 'pitched too low.' Challenges included incomplete teacher training due to high teacher workload, and difficulties establishing community provision support to implement other programme components outside the Liverpool City Region. Conclusions: Prominent challenges included school and child recruitment, sustaining school engagement, and high teacher workload. We suggest that future work explores the targeting of secondary school-aged children within both mainstream and SEND settings to increase participant recruitment.

Research repeatedly evidences that primary physical education (PE) lessons are not very active, with children spending more than half of the allocated lesson time sedentary. In the UK, the Association for Physical Education and Ofsted have called for PE to be more active so children’s learning and movement skill acquisition can be optimised. However, previous programmes to enhance active learning are either not theory-based or fail to target essential components such as key stakeholders, school policy, and social environment. Therefore, this research drew upon an initial exploratory data collection, using both qualitative and quantitative methods to inform the design of a whole school approach to increasing active learning time in PE.  As a result, the ‘SHARP Principles Model’ was created which contains a unique combination of the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), key ingredients from the Behaviour Change Taxonomy (BCT), and physical, social and policy elements from an Ecological approach. The application of SDT involved targeting the motivation of stakeholders in a primary school setting. Key stakeholders were the Head Teacher, the PE lead, and class teachers. Key BCT ingredients included ‘barrier identification’, ‘action planning’, and ‘instruction’. Elements from an ecological approach included the individual aspects of changing teachers’ beliefs and developing teacher pedagogy using the SHARP Principles. Social aspects involved the support of the Head Teacher, PE lead and other teachers. The organisation level involved changing aspects of the PE policy and increasing physical resources in PE lessons. Teacher evaluation interviews concluded that implementation of the SHARP Principles Model increased enjoyment and engagement in PE lessons, teachers experienced a pedagogical paradigm shift, and a sense of relatedness and social cohesion. Implementation of the SHARP Principles Model resulted in an average increase of 28% active learning time in PE, which, when compared against other similar interventions, is the most effective intervention internationally.

The study aimed to develop and validate a tool which assessed students’ foundational movement skills, for primary school teachers. The playground circuit, including 14 movement skills (e.g., functional, locomotor and object control), was developed through insights and recommendations from teachers (n=36) and academic experts (n=25). To validate the Best Start Foundational Movement Skill Assessment Tool (BS-FMAT), a sample of children (n=340; 159 boys and 181 girls; mean age=6.1±0.9 years) completed the circuit. Then n=120 randomly selected children completed the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-3) and BS-FMSAT to determine concurrent validity. Multiple linear results showed significant and positive association between TGMD-3 and BS-FMSAT for overall skill (β = 0.043, p < .000), locomotor (β = 0.457, p < .000) and object control skills (β = 0.334, p < .000). Findings suggest BS-FMSAT is an alternative assessment tool for children (aged 5 to 7 years) in a NSW primary school setting. Key Words Foundational Movement; Functional Movement, Motor Competency, Primary schools, Physical Education

EDUball/BRAINball is an innovative teaching approach using a didactic teaching aid called educational balls (EDUballs/BRAINballs) to integrate physical education (PE) with a variety of subjects in elementary school. The approach was designed by academic researchers at Wroclaw University of Health and Sport Sciences in Poland. The educational concept merges physical activity (PA) with academic learning and assumes the development and improvement of children’s cognitive skills through movement and play. The set of educational balls consists of 100 balls for mini team sports games with letters of the alphabet, numbers, and signs of mathematical operations. Children participating in PA with the EDUballs/BRAINballs learn about colours, letters, numbers, and many other language and math rules, and at the same time, they develop and improve their physical fitness, gross and fine motor skills, and fundamental movement skills. The aim is to present the effectiveness of PE programme with EDUballs/BRAINballs on children’s motor and academic outcomes. The research was carried out between 2002-2022 and involved over 1000 children from elementary schools. The research used a pedagogical experiment method and a parallel groups technique. Studies lasted from 6 months to 3 school years. Children’s academic and motor performances were assessed before and after the implementation of the experimental program. Experimental groups followed a PE programme enhanced with EDUballs/BRAINballs twice per week at the sports hall. Impact and Learning: Children participating in PE with EDUballs/BRAINballs significantly improved literacy and numeracy skills. Participation in PE integrated with educational balls had also a positive influence on children’s physical fitness, coordination skills, and fundamental movement skills. Integrating PE with EDUballs/BRAINballs had a positive impact on children’s motor and academic performance. This innovative approach may also serve as a therapeutic teaching aid for dyslexic children. EDUball/BRAINball is effective teaching approach in improving children’s educational and motor outcomes.

Developing movement competence enables individuals to perform movement to their desired outcome and has been cited as a key component towards addressing national concerns of declining physical activity and increasing obesity levels among children and adolescents. Physical Education (PE) has been highlighted as a key environment to overcome these concerns, particularly in the transition between primary and secondary school. However, a traditional sport-based approach is often used despite concerns about its effectiveness in developing movement competence. While there are concerns about this approach, there remains little understanding of independent school contextual influences upon their approaches and enactments of PE. Therefore, a case study was conducted within an independent through-school to evaluate: 1) the school’s contextual dimensions, 2) how the school’s dimensions (i.e.) influence PE, and 3) the enactments of PE. Observational field notes of the context and interviews with PE stakeholders were analysed using thematic analysis. Three key themes emerged from the data: 1) A potential site for developing innovative movement approaches towards PE 2) A historical influence upon PE, and 3) a motive to develop and understand movement competence. The school had great resources to facilitate, develop, and deliver PE with extensive facilities, and knowledgeable PE staff with autonomy to develop their curriculum. However, historically it was reported that a sport-centred approach had dominated PE excluding many pupils from participating in physical activity. Furthermore, significant changes occurred with new PE leaders wanting to enact a research-informed movement program across their whole school. Overall, the study highlighted that school context influences PE enactments, PE stakeholders' practices and future developments of the subject. Therefore, understanding school contexts needs to be considered before new curriculums or work units are developed within PE. Future research could use the understanding of the school context to facilitate the development of research-informed movement PE programs.

Executive functions are related to manual motor skills in preadolescent children Malene Norup, Jonas Rud Bjørndal, Richard Thomas, Mikkel Malling Beck, Anna Kinly, Meaghan Spedden, Linn Damsgaard, Jacob Wienecke, Anna Bugge, Jesper Lundbye-Jensen It has been demonstrated that both motor competencies as well as physical activity level is positive correlated to measures of cognitive and academic performance in children (Geertsen et al., 2016; Lima et al., 2020; Van der Fels et al., 2015). This study investigated interrelations between aspects of motor skills and in particular relations between either distinct fine, gross, agility skills and executive functions in preadolescent children. All data presented are based on baseline measures in a school-based intervention study. The present study included 270 9-10 year-old preadolescent children in a cross-sectional study design. Fine motor control was evaluated with a Purdue Pegboard Test (US Neurologicals LLC, Washington, USA). Tests of simple gross motor control were obtained by tasks on a force platform (AMTI accupower, US). Complex gross motor control was obtained by the Y-balance test a modified “Star Excursion Balance Test” (Overmoyer & Reiser, 2015). The force platform was also used to perform a maximal countermovement jump (simple agility) and complex agility was measured by the running T-test (Pauole et al., 2000). The estimated physical capacity measured by the Andersen test (Andersen et al., 2008) while hand grip strength was evaluated by a Baseline digital hydraulic hand dynamometer (Mathiowetz et al., 2000). Assessment of executive functions was assessed by a computer-based version of the modified Eriksen Flanker Task (Eriksen & Eriksen, 1974). The results demonstrated that motor control and in particular manual motor control were associated to performance in tests of executive functions (p < 0.01), and this is also the case for handgrip strength (p < 0.05). Assessment of executive functions is most often also obtained in tests requiring manual responses. This was also the case in the present study. Nevertheless, the main results demonstrate novel and interesting relations between manual motor control and executive functions in preadolescent children.

The presentation will explore how a mastery based curriculum can be implemented within Physical Education; discuss the benefits of such an approach and how this inclusive style can ensure engagement and progress for all our pupils. Subsequently how we can utilise this engagement in movement to inspire an active school approach. The presentation draws upon research around the detrimental impact the ‘traditional’ approach is having on young people and the importance of reframing our thinking on what transformative and holistic PE actually looks like.

Introduction: Sedentary behavior is negatively linked with key indicators of child health. However, the relationship between sedentariness, motor proficiency, and academic performance is not yet clear. The aim of this study was to investigate whether screenbased sedentary time mediates the relationship between physical activity levels and academic performance in preadolescents aged 10 to 12 years.

Methods: This cross-sectional investigation involved a cohort of 100 children, aged 10 to 12 (11.08 ± 0.88) years, selected through convenience sampling. All participants, actively enrolled in a standard educational program, included 7 diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and 93 without. The Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor competence was used to assess motor performance. Sedentary behaviour was assessed using the self-reported questionnaire YAP-S (Youth Activity Profile-Spain). Academic performance was assessed using the Battery III Woodcock-Muñoz Tests of Achievement. Additionally, academic achievements for the second semester of the 2022-23 academic year were obtained from school records.

Results: A statistically significant inverse association was observed between motor competence, specifically strength, and screen-based sedentary behavior, with a regression coefficient of -0.288 and a p-value of 0.041. No additional significant relationships were found between the variables studied.