In weeks 9 to 11 of Term 1, Senior School Athletic Development staff are again working with Junior School HPE staff in developing the movement skills of students (Reception to Year 2). This collaboration is allowing small groups of boys to have specific coaching to accelerate their physical literacy. Building upon the initial block in weeks 4 to 6 where we focused on developing hopping, jumping and balancing, this stage will focus on the areas of throwing and catching.
These important skills not only underpin general athleticism and many sporting skills, paving the way of future sport pursuits but are critical in enhancing neural development. This is known to aid in cognitive learning, whilst the ‘exercise break’ is a powerful release of positive hormones and other biochemical substances that can have both an instant positive impact on mood and long term benefits on the brain. This has been specifically seen in changes in the hippocampus – the part of the brain associated with memory and learning – and has also been shown to have positive effects on working memory and task-switching ability.
This is an exciting pilot project which we are looking to expand further across the Junior School.
Ben Haines PhD
Head of Athletic Development
