BBC Newsround Comes to Dixons City

Recently, a range of Year 8 students were involved in filming with the BBC Newsround team. The aim of the filming was for students to discuss fasting during Ramadan and how families celebrate Eid and Mother’s day, as well as explaining how PE lessons adapt and change to support students who are fasting. Throughout the day, different students were filmed during a question-and-answer session in the Library.

The team then filmed students performing at high intensity during a Netball session which would be a typical lesson in PE, as well as two contrasting sports of Curling and Table Tennis, which are lower in intensity and have more opportunities for rest periods to support students throughout the fasting period. Students then discussed the changes PE make to support the students, such as changing the curriculum so that high intensity activities such as Athletics have been moved to Term 6 away from the fasting period of Ramadan, whilst incorporating lower intensity activities such as table tennis, curling and striking-and-fielding activities to support students who are fasting. Staff build in more rest periods and opportunities to break up the activities for the students. Staff also adapt the rules and size of the playing area for each activity such as cricket and rounders to allow a reduced amount of time working at a higher intensity. All the adaptations have been put in place to allow students to go about their normal activities during fasting but to ensure they are not exhausted and become fatigued too quickly.