At Netherhall Mead Academy, we believe that physical activity is essential for healthy growth and development. Regular movement not only builds a healthier body composition—with stronger bones and muscles—but also boosts cardiovascular fitness, motor skills, concentration, and thinking. From an early age, physical activity contributes to mental, social, and emotional development. Our commitment to physical development helped us achieve Silver Award status from Healthy Schools in 2024—a fantastic achievement for both our pupils and staff.
Our Physical Development Provision
Physical development at our school is organised into two key areas:
- Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor development enhances the control of small muscles in the hands, fingers, and thumbs. Mastery of these skills allows pupils to perform everyday tasks such as feeding, buttoning, and writing. We provide engaging, differentiated activities to build strength and dexterity, ensuring every pupil can progress at their own pace.
- Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor development focuses on the large muscles in the torso, legs, and arms, enhancing balance, coordination, body awareness, and overall physical strength. These skills enable pupils to walk, jump, climb, and engage confidently in various physical activities. Our weekly P.E. lessons ensure that pupils play a range of sports to practice gross motor skills.
Sporting Events and Extracurricular Opportunities
We believe in the value of external competitions and internal events to foster a spirit of achievement and community. Our sporting events encourage pupils to develop new skills and compete in a friendly environment. For instance, our termly Gaming Gala provides a fantastic opportunity for students with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD) to showcase their abilities developed through our Motor Activity Training Programme (MATP). We also collaborate with other SEN schools, celebrating engagement and shared success.
Swimming and Rebound
Pupils attend termly sessions at an external leisure centre, providing opportunities for pupils to become water confident and allow progression with swimming skills,
The school has its own hydrotherapy pool supervised by two qualified lifeguards. Hydrotherapy is a form of Physiotherapy where specific exercises are carried out in a purpose-built warm pool that is kept between 35.5 and 37 degrees Celsius.
What are the benefits of hydrotherapy?
The warm water helps the muscles to relax which can ease pain and make exercise easier.
The buoyancy of the water helps to support body weight, which can relieve pressure on joints, reduce pain and increase your movement. Exercise against the resistance of the water can improve muscle strength, co-ordination, endurance and balance.
In addition to hydrotherapy, we offer Rebound training using an in-floor trampoline. Rebound provides a fun, supportive platform for building core strength, enhancing balance, and encouraging coordinated movement. Rebound therapy has a moveable surface that offers the child weightless freedom of movement without the need to touch them. Pupils are supported in rebound by qualified staff.