Eastwood High School Cluster case study: Introduction

Introduction

Eastwood High School is a six-year co-educational comprehensive in the suburbs of East Renfrewshire with a roll of 1080. Eastwood High has four associated primary schools within its catchment area, Crookfur, Mearns, Neilston and Uplawmoor. The primary schools range from small and rural to large and urban.

The current model for delivery of physical education was founded on the strong, positive relationship between the secondary and its associated primary schools and a need within the primary schools to address local and national developments.

The primary schools approached the senior management team and physical education department of Eastwood High through the associated schools group (ASG) meetings to consider the possibility of the secondary school assisting with the delivery of the physical education programmes in each feeder primary. This was driven by the national agreement for primary schools to reduce class contact time for teachers and the mandate that all primary pupils in East Renfrewshire should receive three 50-minute periods of physical education per week. East Renfrewshire Council has also developed a new primary physical education programme to coincide with this, known as the Active8 programme.

The timing of this approach coincided with the Eastwood High physical education department's own plans as this is a concept that had been given serious consideration in the department over a number of years and the staff were keen to move forward with it. The physical education department embraced the proposal and the plans were put in place to implement it at the start of the 2006/07 school session.