The best coaches in the industry understand the role goes way beyond teaching.

A coach unlocks potential, motivates and inspires, instils belief and encourages personal or developmental growth.

For a coach working within a primary school setting, the potential to make positive change is even greater. Coaches can:

• work with school leaders to prioritise physical and mental wellbeing in a school setting
• improve sporting provision 
• widen the net of sporting experiences for young children – from gymnastics and archery to basketball and tennis
• help to reverse negative perceptions of PE, or engage the apathetic
• promote the importance of living a physically active life
• improve pupil health and outlook
• inspire a child to set out on a sporting pathway

For us at Premier Education coaches are the lynchpin of our operation, being at the forefront of physical education delivery and industry best practice. 

They are often the reason why so many schools chose to work with us. They uphold our values and bring our trusted brand to life.

It’s all in the training

We have a commitment to a best-in-class staff network of over 1,000 activity professionals.

As well as having regular and up-to-date DBS checks, they receive the highest standards of training which includes paediatric first aid, safeguarding, equality and diversity, and infection prevention, mitigation and management.

In many cases, our activity professionals are able to support children with additional needs and/or disabilities and where necessary, they are given specialist training from an external provider.

Many of our coaches have a sporting background being former Heads of PE, sport teachers, private coaches or former players. In addition, the network includes the development of passionate apprentices, all of whom benefit from training through Educationwise, one of the only apprenticeship providers rated ‘outstanding’ in all areas. Educationwise was praised by inspectors for offering a ‘meticulously constructed’ curriculum and that apprentices ‘gain substantial skills and knowledge which will help them in their future careers’. This makes them among the best trained apprentices in the sector.

Integrated part of school life

Our coaches are dedicated to the schools they support and understand the bespoke needs and ambitions of each one.

Coaches bring their industry expertise and offer schools an opportunity to reinvigorate their physical education provision, helping to inspire and motivate children irrespective of their age, ability, gender or experience. 

Lessons are aligned to the school’s ethos and tailored to the varying requirements of the pupils and age groups taught. Timetables are varied, engaging and exciting, yet agile enough to be modified if extended attention is required in a certain area.

The coaches form a bond with the children they teach and become so knowledgeable that they are able to tell teachers or school leaders where a particular learner is at in terms of their progress. It’s this close working relationship that schools rely on. 

Sophia Bryan-White, head of school at St Luke’s CofE Primary School in West Norwood, London, values the close working relationship with our coaches: “What we get from Premier Education is not easily found. It’s all about the relationship we’ve built with the coaches and the fact that we know we are able to trust what’s being delivered in terms of high-quality PE provision. 

“The coaches are knowledgeable, respectful and they have a full understanding of the school’s ethos. They work with us towards our vision and we value that immensely.”

“There’s no worrying about who is coming in or what coach it might be. Our coach is our resident coach and he is absolutely fantastic. He understands the needs of the school and the needs of the learners. He is always mindful to help the learners to reach their personal goals and uses appropriate and encouraging language which we really value.”

Having worked with thousands of schools over our 23 years in the industry, our coaches have an expert understanding of primary school needs. They provide much-needed support to deliver PESSPA and lessons are aligned to the Ofsted framework, being packed with cross-curricular links. They can also feed into PSHE and the wider curriculum.

It’s more than just PE lessons

Amidst an obesity and mental health crisis, our coaches realise their potential to have a life-changing impact on pupil health.

Not only do they want pupils to find fun in physical activity, but they want to inspire a genuine and life-long love of being active, which comes with a raft of positive health benefits.

This particularly supports schools that are lacking in PE direction or have teachers who don’t feel sufficiently confident or equipped to deliver physical activity effectively. 

Coaches understand that PE lessons, holiday camps and wraparound care sessions are an opportunity to promote wellbeing. Sessions are stimulating and exciting, with a focus on the positive effects of leading a healthy lifestyle. 

For the school, having a strong PE presence is a compelling selling point. Whether it’s retaining a dedicated outsourced PE provider, offering a packed schedule of sports clubs or placing prominence on healthy living across all subjects and channels, it demonstrates to parents that the school prioritises physical and mental health.

Schools that are successful in aligning physical education with wellness, physical and mental health, and healthy living, will have the greatest influence on producing students who live more active lives. 

Coaches can play a fundamental role in activating this strategy for schools.

Breadth of experience

Premier Education coaches are trained to deliver over 40 different sports and activities. That means they can expand the sporting repertoire and expose children to a wider range of diverse pursuits.

From team sports like football or netball to logic and skills-development activities such as orienteering and archery, children get to try something new and find different activities that they enjoy.

Sports like handball are great as they escape preconceived ideas or stereotypes so children come to them with an open mind.

Sports like gymnastics, which are ordinarily seen as ‘specialist’ or only accessible through private clubs or lessons, have become more readily available thanks to our coaches, enabling more children to access high quality sporting provision.

Attitude and passion

Inspiring and motivational, our coaches are skilled at nurturing potential in an inclusive and encouraging environment.

A Premier Education activity professional will coach with:

• Passion! 
• A desire to nurture teamwork, social skills and co-operation between all students
• The goal of making sessions fun and children happy
• Positive language to boost confidence and motivate children to reach their potential 
• An understanding of how physical activity informs lifestyle
• A commitment to generating feelings of achievement and improved performance
• A keen desire to make sessions inclusive for ALL children

They lead by example, so get hands on with activities. They have a genuine enjoyment of sport and are passionate about sharing their love of physical activity. 

Michael Brennan is a former head of PE and now runs a team of activity coaches for Premier Education across the Midlands. He comments: “Coaches have a responsibility to role-model active behaviour. In PE you have the opportunity to join in and not just oversee the pupils, as you would for academic subjects. It’s about getting the right balance, so we join in to encourage and motivate but also know when to step back and support from the sidelines.”

Coaches use techniques to maximise active time during lessons and minimise queuing, observing and waiting time for the children. This guarantees a full and action-packed session for all involved, with clear goal setting and instructions. Children feel a sense of accomplishment and come away from sessions feeling invigorated.

Industry links

We partner with some of the largest national governing bodies (NGBs) in the country.

Working with the likes of the LTA, British Gymnastics and England Handball, our coaches are involved in industry news or campaigns which can have a positive impact on the way young children engage with sport.  

Our coaches are in tune with the latest developments and are able to make schools aware of new opportunities which may benefit its pupils.

Find out how our coaches can benefit you

To find out how your school can benefit from the expertise of our network of dedicated coaches, get in touch for a free evaluation. 

We will audit your sporting provision and suggest ways to enhance your offering, including:

• Introducing dedicated, expert coaching to lead on PE lessons and provision
• Running after-school sports clubs
• Providing engaging wraparound care facilities
• Organising wellbeing sessions
• Running multi-sport, performing arts or sport-specific holiday camps
• Advising on ways to integrate physical activity into the wider curriculum

As a trusted partner we will provide stimulating and exciting physical activity programmes tailored to your school. It’s a head-on way to approach mental health and promote wellbeing, while keeping children active and engaged.