Physical Education and Sports

Opening Schools’ Facilities (OSF)

Opening Schools’ Facilities is a national programme funded by the Department for Education to help schools open up sports spaces beyond the normal school day—creating more opportunities for children, families and local groups to be active. It invested up to £57 million nationally and prioritised access for girls, culturally diverse communities, and young people with SEND or long‑term health conditions.

 

The programme formed part of the Government’s School Sport and Activity Action Plan, which encourages schools to provide high‑quality PE, broaden extra‑curricular sport and improve access to swimming and water‑safety.

 

Roby Park and OSF: We joined the national OSF programme in 2023. Through its support (2023–2025), we opened our facilities outside of usual hours so that more pupils and families could be active on site.

 

What this means at Roby Park

• Morning access for families: As part of OSF, we open our grounds 25 minutes early, each morning, linking with our OPAL play programme to provide safe, inclusive spaces for active play and family participation.
• Targeted opportunities: Our offer has focused on inclusive, welcoming sessions—with particular encouragement for girls, pupils with SEND, and under‑represented groups to join in.

 

Our commitment to OPAL (Outdoor Play and Learning)

We’re an OPAL school because high‑quality play changes lives. Independent evaluations report gains in wellbeing, creativity, collaboration and behaviour, with notably more active and enjoyable playtimes for girls, children with additional needs, and those who are less sporty.

Find out more on our OPAL page.

 

PE, sport & swimming at Roby Park

• Sport that builds character: Sport is central to achievement here. Children enjoy team and individual games, inter‑school fixtures and festivals throughout the year.
• Swimming on site: We install a pop‑up pool on the playground to give every child—Nursery to Year 6—free, structured swimming lessons with qualified staff. It’s an efficient, confidence‑building way to teach a vital life skill and water safety.
• Clubs and competition: Each half‑term we offer a broad menu of before/after‑school clubs that develop skills for competition and lifelong participation.
• Outdoor education: In Year 6, pupils can experience outdoor and adventurous activities such as climbing, high ropes, raft building and archery—great for resilience and teamwork.

 

Active travel & Scoot Fit

To keep children moving every day, we’ve invested in Scoot Fit—a schools programme that builds fitness, balance and active‑travel skills through structured scooter sessions led by trained coaches. It’s inclusive, staff are trained to deliver sessions, and the programme is designed to be sustainable so pupils stay active and confident.

 

How to get involved

• Families: Join our open family sessions (look out for dates on Arbor) and explore our OPAL spaces together.
• Clubs & fixtures: Book extra-curricular clubs in the Arbor app and check termly calendars for fixtures and festivals.
• Community groups: If you’re a local club or organisation interested in using our facilities, please contact the school office.

 

Why we’re doing this

This work supports national aims to increase time spent in high‑quality PE, widen extra‑curricular sport and expand access to facilities, so that more children meet physical‑activity and swimming expectations—now and for life.