Schools Case Studies
Berwick Community High School
Date Added: Wed, 11 Feb 2009
Related tags: Competition, Key Stage 4, Key Stage 3, Extra-curricular, Cross-curricular, Staff, Indoor League, Charity, Health Benefit
Berwick Community High School is a truly comprehensive school in the most northerly town in England. It is the only High school in the town, with Northumberland being a three tier system with two feeder middle Schools. There are 700 pupils on role with 200 sixth form students. The School has good sporting facilities including: sports hall, fitness suite, all weather and extensive playing fields. The School has always run a traditional games based curriculum.
Rowing was introduced into the Curriculum in 2007 when 8 Concept 2 rowing ergo?s were purchased. The ergo?s are incorporated in the fitness suite and used as part of fitness circuits.
How can rowing work in the curriculum?
- Taught as a rowing unit of work involving the whole groups and developing technique and teamwork, involving races and relays.
- Taught as part of a Health Related Exercise module, involving looking a components of fitness, benefits of exercise and heart rate response (ergo?s come with HR monitors).
- Used as part of fitness testing regimes to help to collect data for fitness profiles. Fitness data can be used for target setting, reporting to parents and baseline fitness data for PE Departments.
- Used as part of GCSE/A-Level/BTEC teaching ideal for emphasising the bodies response to exercise, muscles, biomechanics and fitness testing.
- Used for cross curricular activities e.g. Biology: body?s response to exercise or ICT Dept. use of fitness data for spreadsheets or databases.
And Beyond the curriculum?
- Extra curricular clubs, enabling students (and staff) of all ages to participate in rowing for fitness.
- Rowing teams entering the national School Leagues, competition in inter/intra school competitions.
- External links with the community. Berwick Amateur Rowing Club train using the ergo?s and in return students have opportunity to experience on the water rowing at the Club.
- Links with feeder First and Middle Schools using ergo?s for taster sessions and clubs.
- Whole school events e.g. some sixth form students recently rowed the entire length of the River Tweed on the ergo?s for charity.
- Easy for staff and students to use
Engages students within the Curriculum
- Girls
- Non games players
- SEN
- Motivates students
- Students experience a new sport
- Helps to improve fitness levels
- Establish links with Community Clubs
- Collection of fitness data
- Explore concepts of Health Related Fitness
- Good support and resources available