Covid-19 – PE in Schools Update

With the recent government schools announcements & British Dodgeball successfully receiving approval to return to play from the DCMS, there have been lots of changes for dodgeball. As teachers, we wanted to write an article focused on dodgeball as part of PE lessons and extra-curricular activity, outlining what you can do to make the sport as safe as possible.

1. Dodgeball should take place in class bubbles as much as possible. This will lead to less mixing of individuals.

2. Clean all equipment before and after use. This can be done by teachers or perhaps by trusted sports leaders.

3. Use a suitable space out doors if you have one. You may need to make sure the area is safe for dodgeball.

4. Sanitise hands before and after the PE lesson.

5. Use socially distanced warm-ups. Examples include:

• Simon Says, where pupils must follow cardio-based and stretching instructions on the spot
• Body Parts, where each child has a cone and must touch certain body parts to it
• Traffic Lights, where pupils react to different coloured cones, staying >1m apart
• Animals, where pupils must move like certain animals, staying >1m apart
• Touchdown, where pupils must pass a ball with a partner whilst moving and go for long touchdown passes when the teacher says ‘Touchdown!’, staying >1m apart
• Force-field Tag, where pupils try to tag each other by putting their hand through each other’s force-fields (a space 1 metre around every pupil) and saying the name of the pupil they caught

6. Socially distance throughout. Avoid planning activities that require pupils to be <1m and face-to-face for more than 3 seconds at a time. Make sure you have enough space for your activities by checking that pupils are >1m apart when their team is standing side-to-side at the back line.

7. Strongly discourage face shots. This should always be done anyway. If any pupils are hit in the face, they should wash or use hygiene wipes on their face.

8. Use the same partners and groups where possible, using the same equipment. This further limits the risk of transmission of COVID-19 through the sharing of equipment. If a pair’s ball rolls to another pupil, the pupil should pass it back by kicking it rather than picking it up and throwing it.

We have created the image below to help remind and guide you as you return to indoor sessions:

Thank you for reading and good luck returning to school and sessions! Make sure you keep us updated on how your sessions are going, either via email: hello@britishdodgeball.com or by tagging us on social media: @britdodgeball

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