Calling sports performers.The Youth Sport Trust is looking for young performers to take part in next year’s Sports Colleges conference. The trust aims to make pupil demonstrations a key part of the event and is hoping to showcase a variety of sports across the two days, including an opening and closing performance. This year’s conference included a gymnastic display, ballroom dancers and freestyle footballers. For a chance for your school to show off at next year’s event, at Telford on February 9-10, go to www.youthsporttrust.org. Applications must be received by July 30.

Hockey helmet guidance

The England Hockey Board (EHB) has issued good practice guidance on goalkeeping helmets following the death of a pupil. The 12-year-old boy died after he was hit on the head by a hockey ball during shooting practice at a school in Hertfordshire. The guidance includes: regularly checking helmets for damage; making sure they fit properly and there are no exposed areas of the head, and replacing helmets every three to five years. More detailed guidance can be found in Safe Practice in PE and School Sport, produced by the Association for Physical Education.

World Cup lesson ideas with kick

A series of World Cup-themed lesson ideas have been put together to help schools capitalise on this month’s football-fest. The cross-curricular scheme covers music, geography, history and art, as well as sport, and has been drawn up by the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), which promotes a thematic approach to learning. The units are available for IPC-members, but a unit for seven to nine-year-old pupils is free for all schools. For details, go to www.international primarycurriculum.com.