Brainbow is a specialist rehabilitation service for children with brain tumours based at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. Becca Knowles, specialist paediatric physiotherapist, tells us about its pilot project employing a PE teacher within its hospital school.
The importance of physical activity is well documented in short and longerterm outcomes for children undergoing treatment for cancer. Unfortunately, children are often less active when they are an inpatient undergoing treatment. Significantly, a reduction in physical activity not only negatively impacts cardiovascular health, bone health, mental health and more, but children also miss valuable opportunities to develop their motor skills. Many hospitals have a school facility onsite, ensuring children have access to key areas of the curriculum. The challenges, however, of incorporating PE into the curriculum in a hospital school setting often results in a real missed opportunity for these children to optimise their development.
Movement can become very medicalised in hospital. At Addenbrooke’s Hospital, we recognise the value in normalising movement, and providing children with the opportunity to develop their motor skills, such as hand-eye coordination, balance and agility, in addition to working on more individualised and specific movement needs within physiotherapy. We’re thrilled to have joined a partnership initiated by the Pilgrim Pathways School, our hospital school, the ward physiotherapy team, Brainbow and the charity KICK, to integrate PE into our school curriculum.
The response and uptake from patients, parents and staff has been a resounding success! PE can be adapted to children of all needs, whether they require assistance with moving, sitting up, or if they are independent with their mobility. One of my personal highlights of bringing PE into the children’s cancer ward has been seeing the power of normalising movement, and ensuring these children have access to all of the opportunities they would have if they were not undergoing treatment. And, of course, them experiencing the laughter, enjoyment and enthusiasm towards movement and being active.
Following the end of treatment, integrating back into physical activities can be challenging for children who have undergone treatment for cancer. Fatigue, reduced muscle strength and endurance and reduced cardiovascular fitness all contribute to this. Fundamentally, by taking away their opportunity to engage in a variety of physical activities, limiting their access to ‘normal activities’, and removing them from PE, will have a detrimental impact on their physical abilities, and their integration back into both social and physical activities, as well as a non-medicalised society.
This project has demonstrated the power and value in the collaboration of health and education within a hospital setting, and for children undergoing treatment for cancer. Working in partnership to offer opportunities to normalise movement and facilitate optimal growth and development, despite often long inpatient stays, will provide both short- and longer-term benefits to the mental and physical health of our patients. We hope that PE will soon be available across all our children’s wards.
Nadine Gooding-Hébert, Headteacher at Pilgrim Pathways School, said:
While working as a teacher on the wards, I experienced the transformative power of PE in engaging unwell and reluctant learners, and that’s why we’ve partnered first with KICK to deliver this highly bespoke offer.
Zoe Cross, PE Coach, KICK, said:
It’s amazing to see the positive impact 15 minutes of physical activity has on these young people, and witnessing their mood improve and their abilities increase has been a wonderful experience.
From Contact magazine issue 99 - Summer 2023
