Health and safety in PE
Qualifications for primary school teachers and staff
Qualifications in PESSPA
Anyone teaching a PESSPA session needs to be competent to do so safely.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) highlights four ways of demonstrating competence:
- holding a relevant qualification
- holding an equivalent qualification
- receiving appropriate in-house training
- being competent through experience
These are not totally discrete. Qualifications, experience and training overlap to produce expertise in a particular field or aspect of PESSPA.
For further advice on Health and Safety for schools who buy into the Hampshire Outdoors SLA, see the ‘Safety in PE and Sport’ tab on Evolve.
Qualification matrix
| Session | Teachers1 | Coaches2 | LSAs3 | HLTAs4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) | Qualified | Level 2 Multiskills | Level 2 Multiskills | Level 2 Multiskills or Hampshire FMS training recommended |
| Games – Sports Specific | Qualified but need to be competent | Level 2 qualification in specific sport | Multiskills Level 2 and Level 2 qualification in specific sport | Level 2 Multiskills recommended or Hampshire FMS and CPD in specific sport |
| Gymnastics | Qualified to teach curriculum gymnastics. Additional Hampshire CPD needed for teaching inversions (forward rolls, handstands, headstands) | Level 2 Gymnastics Coach or Gymnastics Activity Instructor British Gymnastics | Level 2 Gymnastics Coach or Gymnastics Activity Instructor British Gymnastics | Hampshire approved training recommended |
| Dance | Qualified | Qualification in dance with a recognised awarding organisation e.g. 1st4Sport | CPD in dance | CPD in dance |
| Swimming | Qualified if covered as part of their ITT | Level 2 Teaching Swimming | Level 2 Teaching Swimming | Level 2 Teaching Swimming or Teacher of School Swimming (IOS) |
1 Teachers may be qualified but additional CPD may be needed to ensure they are competent. We offer a range of CPD courses in the activity areas listed in the table. PESS 5 is recommended for HLTAs with subject leader responsibilities.
2 PESS 3 is strongly recommended for coaches teaching PE lessons.
3 PESS 3 is strongly recommended for LSAs teaching PE lessons.
4 PESS 5 is recommended for HLTAs with subject leader responsibilities.
