Imagine a School Where Every Child Wants to Move: Physical Literacy in Action

Hi Tom, Can you tell us about your career journey before the Knowledge Transfer Partnership?

My journey into physical literacy has been shaped by a pressing but important question faced by me but also many people in the physical education profession: how can we help more children and young people develop a positive relationship with movement that lasts a lifetime?

Through my background in Sport Coaching and my PhD research in motor learning at Leeds Beckett University, I have become passionate about how we shape children’s experiences of movement, their confidence, identity and ultimately how they see themselves as physically active young people.

What is the project, and what is physical literacy?

In September 2025, Leeds Beckett University’s Centre for Child and Adolescent Physical Literacy (CAPL) and The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL) launched the 30-month Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP). Our vision as the KTP team (Dr Kevin Shattock at GSAL, Professor Kevin Till, Dr Ffion Thompson, Dr David Cooke, Dr Ian Cowburn and Lorcan O’Brien at GSAL) is to challenge traditional ways of thinking by bridging the gap between research and education and begin to create a whole-school culture where movement is valued by everyone.

The aim of physical literacy is to create meaningful movement experiences that build physical competence, knowledge and understanding, social connections, confidence and motivation, supporting every child to develop a positive relationship with movement that lasts a lifetime.

The partnership aims to position GSAL as a leader in physical literacy, developing a approaches that strengthens the school’s identity and supports pupil recruitment and retention. By generating impact, sharing best practice and contributing to national and international discussions, the project seeks to establish GSAL as a thought leader in physical literacy. This includes sharing learning with local schools and supporting other independent schools through professional development, helping extend the approach beyond GSAL and develop sustainable approaches that can benefit the education sector.

How are we bringing physical literacy to life across the whole school?

If we want to bring physical literacy to life we need to invest in teachers, recognising them as the catalyst for change we can then begin to enact physical literacy throughout the school day and create sustainability. As part of the KTP we have co-designed curricula with teachers that extend from primary and into secondary school, that integrate move, think, connect, and feel (the four main pillars of the Sport England Consensus Statement) into our lessons that focus on the whole-child as opposed to just the physical. In addition, we are bringing this to life through cross-curricular approaches, through active classrooms and movement breaks which can be used to counteract sedentary behaviour whilst also supporting learning.

We have also developed innovative approaches to assessment to better understand and track pupils’ physical literacy profiles across Move, Think, Connect and Feel. This enables us to look beyond performance alone and gain a richer understanding of each pupil’s strengths, needs and relationship with movement.

How do we know whether we are making a difference?

Our routine data collection is beginning to show encouraging signs of impact. We have seen significant improvements in pupils’ motor competence, alongside increases in co-curricular participation among pupils who have experienced our physical literacy interventions. Year 7 participation increased by 13%, while Year 8 saw a 12% increase compared with previous cohorts.

These findings provide encouraging early evidence that broadening children’s movement experiences may influence not only their physical development but also their engagement with opportunities beyond the curriculum.

What have been your highlights of the KTP so far?

A key highlight of the KTP has been disseminating our work beyond GSAL and contributing to wider conversations about the future of physical literacy.

Presenting at the International Physical Literacy Conference in Toulouse with Dr Kevin Shattock, Dr Ffion Thompson, and Dr Tom Van Rossum,  provided an opportunity to represent GSAL and Leeds Beckett University’s Centre for Child and Adolescent Physical Literacy on an international stage, showcasing our whole-school approach. Alongside this, conversations with key organisations in our area have opened potential opportunities to share our work with the government and contribute to discussions around the national curriculum.

What key message did you present at the international conference?

One of our key messages was that physical literacy must be a whole-school approach, not purely a PE based initiative. If the goal is to shape how children experience movement, we must look beyond the sports hall and recognise the opportunities presented to us in the entire school environment.

I am a big believer in the saying “it takes a village to raise a child” and physical literacy is no different. From the commute students take each morning, to PE lessons, the co-curricular offer, the classroom environment and recreational opportunities, every interaction helps shape a child’s relationship with movement. Every teacher and every individual in our community have a part to play to nurture for this ever-evolving journey.

What is your vision and ambition for the rest of the KTP?

The vision is to imagine a school where children are happier and healthier and more confident, where movement is woven into everyday life, to benefit relationships, wellbeing and learning. I would like to think this is the future we are working towards through the KTP.

As creators of knowledge exchange we have a responsibility to support our local community in Leeds and create opportunities for schools across both the independent and state school sectors to help them enact physical literacy in their own context that enables sustainable long-term change.

Our next step is to continuously work with organisations that can make systemic change in England but also branch out into our local community and serve them as best we can with the knowledge we have gained through the KTP.