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My Activity Passport – DFE Launches a Resource for Children Under 11

25 January 2019

My Activity Passport

Giving young people the opportunity to try new things and develop new skills can be hugely beneficial. It can help children to grow in confidence, expand their understanding of the world around them, or introduce a hobby or passion that could last for years to come. 

The Department for Education have published this passport of enrichment activities, based on a version developed by St Werburgh’s Primary School near Bristol. Whether you are developing something from scratch or want to refresh your current approach, this passport is there to offer ideas and inspiration. Below are some underlying principles that you may find useful when it comes to developing your own pupil enrichment offer.

My Activity Passport – Click Here 

  There is also an editable template so that you can customise it to suit local opportunities and scenarios.

Locally driven and supporting the community

Every school has its own unique circumstances: different pupils, a different school culture, different local geography, a different community. We know that schools are best placed to choose what works best for them, their pupils and parents, and will want to work collaboratively to identify and make clear which activities are school, parent or pupil-led.

For example, St Werburgh’s Primary School have 20 activities in each year, 15 of which are covered within school and 5 with parents. However, any split is for schools to decide.This is why we have created the template in a way that can be edited. You can use your school’s characteristics to help adapt and build a distinctive and inspiring range of activities. And also personalise the look and feel of the template to match your school’s branding, adding your own logo.

Feedback from parents tells us this is a good opportunity to involve them in their children’s studies and to help make the activities part of everyday learning at home. Working with pupils and parents to draw up your own list will help ensure everyone is engaged in the process and will help make the activities relevant to pupils and the community they live in.You can also adapt the activities to your local area and landmarks to encourage children to make the most of their surroundings, develop links with the local community and learn about the history of where they live. 

Relevant to the curriculum

Teachers have told us that making activities relevant to the curriculum helps pupils feel more engaged in the activity and helps them see links between the different topics about which they are studying. This also helps ensure that the activities are age-appropriate. 

Collaboration

By building in opportunities for pupils to undertake the activities as part of a group, you can help pupils build positive relationships and work as a team. This will also ensure activities are accessible to everyone. 

Understanding the benefits of activities

As you will be aware, helping children to understand the purpose of the activity will build a stronger sense of ownership for the passport that will sustain interest over time. This can be supported by letting them make choices about how and what they do, and by sharing information about the wider context of the activities they are participating in.

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