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#ThisIsPE initiative brings YouTube stardom to faculty alumni

With all the remote teaching taking place, video has become a key medium. YouTube specifically has turned from a haven of funny cat videos and viral bloopers into a resource for teachers and even celebrities to join in with the collective effort to keep education going.

One of the beauties of posting videos to YouTube is that they don’t just work in the moment – they’re there as a legacy piece of content which can be accessed whenever required. This is especially important given that some schools and pupils are beginning to go back into schools. Those who aren’t still need to be taught, and arguably, teachers’ lives are now even more difficult thanks to the need to provide blended learning across a disparate cohort.

One such initiative that has been created and distributed via YouTube is #ThisIsPE – a series of PE lessons created by the Yorkshire Sport Foundation and supported by national organisations like the association for PE, Active Partnerships and Youth Sport Trust. Three times a week since March, videos of new PE lessons have been posted to YouTube, using the hashtag to ensure they’re easy to find.

Ben Lewis, who studied Physical Education and Physical Activity with us, has been a part of the #ThisIsPE campaign and through it, has found his own piece of YouTube stardom with his Reaction Wall video (see below for the full video). We asked Ben about his experience.

“I currently work for the Greenacre Sports Partnership. We are a core group of qualified PE teachers and our jobs are to go into schools to help promote physical activity along with up-skilling staff and their understanding in PE.

“When schools started closing due to COVID-19 our team had to think of other measures to put in place to help support our schools. This is something that everyone is going through and we understand that learning has changed during this time. Although we are still going into our main school to help support with key worker children and teach adapted PE lessons, other parts of our work has changed. We looked into the idea of online PE lessons/activities, for this we have worked with the Yorkshire Sports Foundation to help promote the #ThisIsPE campaign.

“This campaign is backed by AfPE and the Youth Sports Trust to support teachers and parents to deliver physical education during the Coronavirus lockdown. As a core group of qualified teachers we felt that we should be doing more to help provide opportunities for teachers not just in our schools but ones that may be able to use this time to complete and improve their own practices through CPD (continuing professional development).

“Along with providing relevant online CPD opportunities through our website we started creating webinars based upon areas that teachers from some of our schools felt like they needed improving in. My webinar was focussed on the assessment in PE, an area that I am really interested in. It reminded me of my learning whilst I attended CCCU completing my PEPA degree.

“One of the biggest parts that I took away from my time at CCCU was how the tutors were always willing to help even when I had left, this lead me to contacting Alison Carney for some guidance for my webinar. We discussed ideas and shared resources in regards to assessment in PE. This is something that I am truly grateful for and how my time at CCCU has helped me become the teacher that I am today.”

Check out Ben’s video below.

You can find out more about Ben’s course, Physical Education and Physical Activity as a Foundation Degree and a BA Top-Up.

Faculty alumna wins the Alumni of the Year Award 2019

Jo Williamson (Warnock), a graduate of the CCCU Primary Education programme, has won the Alumni of the Year Award, she says:”I am delighted to have won this years CCCU Alumni award. Having graduated from CCCU in 2001 as a primary school teacher, 11 years later I went on to become the Headteacher of a local primary school, St John’s Church of England. I have been Headteacher since 2012 and during this time the school has worked closely with CCCU. It is such a privilege to support the University, as for me it was a life changing place and holds many special memories.”

Jo is the Headmistress of St John’s Church of England Primary School in Canterbury. She is described by her nominees as “an exceptional alumna, who willingly offers both her own, and her school’s, time to support Christ Church through a wide range of activities.” These have included:

  • regularly assisting in the recruitment interviewing process for prospective students.
  • leading a workshop at the Faculty of Education Newly Qualified Teachers (NQT) conference around teacher wellbeing.
  • contributing to teaching on the BA Year 1 Primary Education module.
  • rethinking teaching, learning and assessment when she was part of a headteachers’ roundtable.
  • serving on the Faculty of Education’s Partnership Executive Committee.
  • being heavily involved with the revalidation of the Primary Education programmes, both BA and PGCE, giving guidance as to the relevant school-based content for the new modules.
  • offering large numbers of student placements at her school, where the Faculty can be confident that students’ progress and development will be expertly mentored and supported. There are currently 14 Christ Church students based at St John’s. Last year, Jo offered three Christ Church NQTs teaching positions in her school. There is strong evidence that indicates that the support and mentoring they are receiving is ensuring a successful NQT year.

Jo Williamson with Harriet Burrowes and Katie Gravenor from St John’s Primary.


Jo has carried this commitment through with great determination, even when her school faced difficult and complex circumstances. During this time, Jo devised a highly creative approach that enabled Christ Church students to volunteer their time to engage with children’s learning through a structured reading mentor programme. This both supported the children’s development and our students’ understanding of the importance of a reading curriculum tailored to individual children’s needs. This enrichment project has now run for four years and continues to be greatly appreciated by the students who take part.

Jo Williamson with Harriet Burrowes and Katie Gravenor from St John’s Primary and CCCU Primary staff Catherine Carden and Tracey Parvin.


Jo remembers her time at Canterbury Christ Church with great fondness having moved from High Wycombe for her university place and remained in the Canterbury area since: “I still remember the first induction and how you felt you were starting out on a new venture. It gave me such a good starting block in my career. I still feel part of of the CCCU community.”

The Faculty of Education is so proud of Jo and thanks her for all she does. Our students thrive during their time at the school and are given so many opportunities to observe and experience enthusiastic and stimulating teaching.

Well done, Jo!

Celebrating our great partnerships

Last night, CCCU hosted the Annual Business Awards which recognised the outstanding contribution that businesses and community partners make to the university. Nominees and guests were invited to the ceremony in Augustine House to receive their awards.

Emily Lau, the Partnership Development Lead, for the Faculty of Education, nominated Support & Action To End Domestic Abuse (SATEDA) which has supported students on the BA Counselling, Coaching and Mentoring to gain practical experience. SATEDA is a domestic abuse charity who counsel and mentor children, teenagers and adults who have suffered domestic violence. Their programmes include domestic abuse support for victims, educational programmes in school and support for families at the Family Courts.

Here is what Emily wrote in her nomination:
“I would like to nominate SATEDA as charity of the year based on the outstanding dedication they have shown to my students on the BA Coaching, Counselling and Mentoring practice. One of the student’s modules is focused on Professional Practice and SATEDA have been an amazing charity, who have taken time away from their busy daily operations, to invest in creating important learning experiences for my students. The charity provided over five students with a placement opportunity that allowed them to see group programmes for parents and young people in action; this has inspired many of the students thinking about future careers and volunteering. Sue, one of their facilitators took time to come into the university a number of times to meet with students one to one to follow up their questions. Carey, Jo and Matt gave up a whole afternoon to run a round table with students providing open and honest realities about how they got into the profession and their work. Experiences reflecting on the realities of practice support Coaching, Counselling and Mentoring students to understand and navigate their way to a job, it is an invaluable learning experience and I thank SATEDA wholeheartedly.”

The Faculty of Education are delighted that SATEDA have been recognised with this award and thank them for their outstanding contribution to supporting our students.