Active Flag | Bandonbridge N.S.

ACTIVE SCHOOL

We are delighted to be working towards our third Active School Flag (ASF) in Bandonbridge N.S. This means we are trying to increase our activity both in and out of school. We want to give the children in our school as many opportunities to engage in physical activity as possible, giving them the fundamental movement skills that they need to move well, and providing them with frequent opportunities to enjoy being physically active.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh for all your help and support so far!

Wellbeing Committee

As part of our Active flag we have set up a Wellbeing Committee with representatives from staff and student bodies. The Wellbeing Committee meets monthly to discuss wellbeing in the school and plans initiatives to promote positive relationships, personal wellbeing and self-esteem building activities.

The Wellbeing Committee plans our annual Active Flag Week which we usually have in June. Individual students and staff are encouraged to take the lead in suggesting, organising and facilitating a range of experiences for the students. This allows for skill-sharing and awareness of new and exciting activities for all the different abilities and interests in the school.

In recent years, one of our SNAs has led 10 at 10, an opportunity for the whole school to come together at 10am to participate in some mindful exercises and positive affirmations.

For 2026/27, the committee has begun planning Friendship Days involving a range of activities: Clubs Awareness Day, Christmas Card Making Day, Green Day etc.

The committee organises Food Dudes annually.

Additionally, for 2026/27, the Wellbeing Committee, along with the other school committees will be considering how to promote improved school attendance and will be looking out for classmates who struggle to be in school every day.

Physical Activity

In Bandonbridge N.S. we are constantly looking out for more ways to get everyone active. Here are some of the main initiatives we have run, or taken part in, over the last few years.

Run around Ireland and Daily Mile Challenge – an outdoor movement break every day at 10 o’clock or at 12 o’clock.
Active School Week every year, inviting many different coaches into the school to give exposure to a wide range of sports and activities. (Jiujitsu, rugby, gymnastics, dance, etc.)
Engaging with Water Safety lessons
Sciath na Scol
FAI 5-a-side football blitz
Scoot to School Week – and encouraging walking or cycling to school throughout the year as part of our Green Schools initiative.
Rugby Blitzes hosted by Bandon Rugby Club and Bandon Grammar School
Annual Sports Day held in Bandon Grammar School rugby grounds
Infants Sports Day
Cork Primary School Sports in MTU
Dance activities
School walk to St. Peter’s Church at Easter.

Partnerships
Our aim as a school is to give students the skills and confidence to engage in activity both now as children, and throughout their lives. Our focus is on providing them with the Fundamental Movement Skills required to participate in sports and activities, so it is imperative that we form and maintain strong partnerships with community sports clubs and organisations. These clubs will provide both the context and opportunity for lifelong involvement in, and enjoyment of, physical activity. To this end we welcome involvement from clubs and organisations in Bandon and beyond, welcoming them to our school for training, and leaving our school to go to them for special events such as a blitz.
We also partner closely with the Bandonbridge N.S. Parents’ Association, who are eager to help us in fundraising for improvements to physical activity in school. An example of this in recent years was their purchase of table tennis tables for the school, which introduced table tennis to the school for the first time. They contributed €4000 towards the huge cost of swimming lessons and buses to events.

Active School Week
Bandonbridge held its first Active School Week (ASW) in 2016, and it quickly became the highlight of the year for students. Children are asked to wear sports gear for the week, and only active homework is given. This year, our ASW is happening on the week of 6 th – 9 th June, and will culminate in our Sports Day on Bandon Grammar School Rugby pitch.
We invite clubs and organisations around Bandon to send representatives to introduce children to new sports and activities, hopefully encouraging them to increase their engagement in physical activity outside of school (Bandon GAA, Bandon Rugby, Brazilian Jujitsu, The Bike Wizard etc.).
We place a huge emphasis on having fun while being active, and that is why we run events such as the Teachers vs. 6th Class match, and the Mile Challenge.
Both parents and staff have witnessed first-hand the positive influence that ASW has had on children’s motivation to get active.

Physical Education
An extract from our PE Policy sums up our aims, vision and strategy with regards physical education in our school:
“Our aim in Bandonbridge N.S. is to give all pupils opportunities to experience a range of activities within physical education which will enable them to gain in confidence in relation to physical movement and adopt positive attitudes towards physical activities and health. These experiences should lead to a physically literate pupil, who has the movement competence, confidence, and
understanding to continue participation in physical activity throughout their lives.”
We aim to achieve our vision by:

Providing a physical education curriculum which is accessible to all pupils irrespective of their abilities
Teaching the Fundamental Movement Skills from Junior Infants through to Sixth class, and avoiding the temptation to solely teach games, sports and activities. Our emphasis will be on giving the children the basic skills, which will in turn give them the confidence to engage in the different games, sports and activities happening around them.
Providing a progressive programme of learning objectives covering all the strands of the curriculum
Providing the opportunity to participate in competitive activities and promoting good sporting behaviour and teamwork
Emphasising the importance of safety procedures and rules
Preparing activities that are enjoyable, stimulating and challenging for all pupils
Enabling pupils to enjoy success and be motivated to develop further individual potential in the areas of personal qualities, creativity and the development of movement skills
Promoting regular, enjoyable opportunities for physical activity throughout the school day
Promoting the holistic development of the child
Promoting the knowledge and understanding of the different aspects of movement and its contribution to their long-term benefits

Our strategy to teach PE is informed by the P.E. Curriculum and the Fundamental Movement Skills outlined in the PDST document ‘Move Well, Move Often’.
The Strands of the P.E. Curriculum are as follows:

Athletics
Aquatics
Dance
Gymnastics
Games
Outdoor and Adventure Activities

As a school we plan to cover every strand every year for every class in a balanced way. Fundamental Movement Skills are the basic building blocks of movement and are an essential part of everyday life and recreational activity. It is only when these skills are
mastered that a child can go on to develop specialised movement skills, which will allow them to reach their potential in different sports and other skill-specific activities. Without these skills, competence in the six strands above cannot be reached. In ‘Move Well, Move Often’, FMS are categorised under three bands: Locomotor Skills, Stability Skills, and Manipulative Skills.

Locomotor Skills: (Transporting the body in any direction from one point to another)

Walking
Running
Hopping
Skipping
Jumping for height
Jumping for distance
Dodging
Side stepping

Stability Skills: (Balancing the body in stillness and in motion)

Balancing
Landing

Manipulative Skills: (Control of objects using various body parts)

Catching
Throwing
Kicking
Striking with the hand
Striking with an implement