Sport & Play – Education Today https://education-today.co.uk Education Today Magazine Thu, 05 Jan 2023 09:57:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://education-today.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/education-fav.gif Sport & Play – Education Today https://education-today.co.uk 32 32 Actioning change: Inspiring Learning announces new partnership with Youth Sport Trust https://education-today.co.uk/actioning-change-inspiring-learning-announces-new-partnership-with-youth-sport-trust/ Sun, 08 Jan 2023 09:00:44 +0000 https://education-today.co.uk/?p=15220 Inspiring Learning, a leading provider of outdoor education and adventure experiences has announced a formal partnership with the Youth Sport Trust which will see its Kingswood brand become a Changemaker Business, and the Youth Sport Trust become Inspiring Learning’s new charity partner. The Youth Sport Trust is a UK leading children’s charity for improving young people’s wellbeing through sport and play. Inspiring Learning aims to raise £10,000 per year, over three years, to support the charity to tackle health inequalities affecting young people.

Only 45% of young people are meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines which recommend taking part in sports or physical activity for an average of 60 minutes or more every day (Sport England, 2021). Alarmingly, one in seven children is obese by the time they start school, increasing to one in four by year six (NHS, 2021).

The new partnership builds on Inspiring Learning and Youth Sport Trust’s previous collaborative work when Inspiring Learning sponsored the charity’s 2022 Conference. Going forwards, all Inspiring Learning centres will have a fundraising target where the Inspiring Learning teams can devise their own ways to raise money for the charity. In addition, Inspiring Learning will continue to develop their own content and ideas to share with the Youth Sports Trust to help broaden and build the development and adaptability of young people. With some children struggling socially and emotionally following the COVID-19 pandemic, providing pathways to enable positive adaptability and the tools to overcome challenges is an important goal that Inspiring Learning and the Youth Sport Trust share.

Alex Williamson, Chief Executive Officer of Inspiring Learning has said: “Our long-standing relationship with the Youth Sport Trust has been further substantiated through our new partnership. Inspiring Learning embodies the importance of being active in the outdoors across all our educational programmes and we’re delighted to be fundraising for such a life-changing organisation.

“Our diverse range of active residential, holiday camp and apprenticeship programmes, are designed to modify individuals’ behaviour, equipping them with the skills to rise to challenges, to become more adaptable, and to work collaboratively, enabling them to thrive in a changing world.”

Jen Rouse, Commercial and Fundraising Director at the Youth Sport Trust, said: “Following the impact of the pandemic and at a time when 18% of children aged 7-16 have a probable mental health disorder, these are difficult times facing young people and the challenge for charities like ours is great. This fantastic partnership with Inspiring Learning will be a huge boost to support our work post pandemic and to take urgent action to support young people most in need.

“We strongly believe sport has the power to change young lives, we are proud to be chosen as Kingswood’s charity partner for 2023.”

Inspiring Learning launched its fundraising efforts this autumn and will continue fundraising efforts at its various centres throughout the UK for the next year. For more information on Inspiring Learning and its centres, please visit www.inspiring-learning.com and www.youthsporttrust.org to see more on the YST.

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Free resources and prizes to inspire pupils ahead of this summer’s UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 https://education-today.co.uk/free-resources-and-prizes-to-inspire-pupils-ahead-of-this-summers-uefa-womens-euro-2022/ Wed, 02 Feb 2022 11:36:38 +0000 https://education-today.co.uk/?p=14427
Image courtesy of The FA

Primary and secondary schools can now download an extensive programme of free cross-curricular resources to inspire pupils as the nation counts down to the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 tournament on home soil this summer.

One lucky school will win a Q&A session with an England player, while other top prizes will be given out to schools in the lead-up to the first match of the tournament on 6 July.

England Women’s Leah Williamson and Demi Stokes each surprised a school from two of the tournament’s host cities, Manchester and Milton Keynes, last week as both classes were busy taking part in challenges from the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Schools Programme.

The tournament resources, for KS2 and KS3, have been developed and tested by teachers and encourage teamwork, creativity and a love of sport. The activities, which cover subjects including PE, English, Maths, PSHE, Science and Art & Design, can be differentiated for pupils of varied abilities or with SEND and can be used in the classroom or at home.

They include:

  • An assembly to build young people’s excitement about the tournament that includes an interactive quiz
  • A Challenge Pack with 23 bite-size activities, including how to make a mini stadium out of recycled materials and how to write a motivational speech as a team captain
  • A Reading Challenge with the National Literacy Trust which contains a wall chart for young people to discover their class’s favourite book
  • PSHE lessons for KS2 and KS3 that focus on topics such as teamwork, resilience and a growth mindset
  • A tournament journal for young people to record their experiences and share their highlights

To download the resources and stand a chance of winning a Q&A with an England player, as well as many other prizes, register at www.weuro2022schools.com by 18 February 2022.

England Women’s Leah Williamson said: “Many of us players discovered our love for football at school, so we know first-hand what an important role teachers play when it comes to instilling a passion for the game and developing the skills we need.

“We’d love as many pupils and schools as possible to enjoy the UEFA Women’s EURO this summer, especially since this year it’s on home soil. The Schools Programme is packed full of resources to inspire pupils in the lead-up to the tournament and beyond.”

“I loved surprising the school last week – the pupils are from my hometown of Milton Keynes. It’s great that they’re able to learn more about women’s football and UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 – especially as they have group tickets to some of the games on their doorstep at Stadium MK.

“It’s so important to inspire the next generation of female athletes, so I hope all schools get involved with the Schools Programme and provide a lasting legacy.”

Samantha Rosehill, Assistant Headteacher at Alma Primary School in London, said: “The UEFA Women’s EURO is a really special event this summer, not least because they’re being played at home. This is a great opportunity to turn the tournament into an enjoyable learning experience for children, even those who aren’t football fans.

“I’ve gone through the resources and am excited about using them. They cover a wide range of the KS2 curriculum, including English, PE and PSHE, and they focus on the importance of mental health and wellbeing, as well as physical health. They can also easily be differentiated for varied ability levels and those with SEND.”

The UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 takes place in England in July and is due to be the biggest European women’s sport event ever. 16 nations will compete across 10 venues, in nine host cities, all kicking off on 6 July at Old Trafford, with the final at Wembley Stadium on 31 July.

Schools can purchase group tickets for UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 up to 8 February, using code SCHOOLS www.uefa.com/womenseuro/ticketing/

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SET Beccles School becomes Health and Wellbeing Lead school for Suffolk https://education-today.co.uk/set-beccles-school-becomes-health-and-wellbeing-lead-school-for-suffolk/ Tue, 19 Oct 2021 07:33:57 +0000 https://education-today.co.uk/?p=14226 SET Beccles, part of the Seckford Education Trust (SET), has become one of only 50 schools in England to be selected as a lead school for Health and Wellbeing by the Youth Sport Trust.

The move will see SET Beccles join a national network of schools, all working towards enhancing the health and wellbeing of young people across the country.

Heidi Philpott, Head of School at SET Beccles (pictured), said: “We are immensely proud to be awarded lead school status for Health and Wellbeing. SET Beccles prides ourselves on the holistic provision we offer our students, we truly believe that this supports greater academic progress and achievements for our students.”

Working with the charity, Youth Sports Trust, SET Beccles will be playing an active part in developing school provisions aimed at:

  • Tackling the declining mental health in children and young people
  • Providing targeted support for enhancing wellbeing in male students
  • Reducing inactivity and improving physical, mental, and social health
  • Developing a whole-school health and wellbeing culture, through PE and sport

In particular, SET Beccles have been tasked with piloting and developing created approaches to increase the engagement, wellbeing, and potential of young male students through PE and sport.

Chris Wright, Health and Wellbeing Lead, YST, said: “It is well-established that regular physical activity can enhance social, emotional, and physical wellbeing which in turn can enhance health-related quality of life.

“While it is important that these methods are implemented for all to promote positive wellbeing, such methods should be targeted at those who are at most risk of falling out of the system.

“The power of sport has the potential to develop boys’ skills and wellbeing from an early age to prevent such issues leading to a clinical diagnosis of a mental health disorder, exclusion from school, or involvement in the criminal justice system.”

The school also have plans to provide all staff with some training and professional development opportunities to help provide bespoke support for young male students within the school environment.

Danny Burton, Lead Practitioner – PE, at SET Beccles School, added: “We have the ambition of providing as many innovative and targeted projects as possible – aimed at improving our student’s Health and Wellbeing. We are really excited about this new partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, and keen to implement some of the early insight across the rest of Seckford Education Trust”.

SET Beccles School, on Castle Hill in Beccles, provides secondary education for students aged 11 – 16. It is one of five schools in the Seckford Education Trust and was one of the first schools to be opened in 2012, alongside SET Saxmundham and SET Ixworth.

For more information about Beccles School visit: https://www.becclesschool.org.uk/

 

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New schools video platform launched as latest initiative in Sport England’s ‘This Girl Can’ campaign https://education-today.co.uk/new-schools-video-platform-launched-as-latest-initiative-in-sport-englands-this-girl-can-campaign/ Wed, 29 Sep 2021 08:26:27 +0000 https://education-today.co.uk/?p=14199 With 57% of girls aged 13-16 not achieving the Chief Medical Officer’s recommended 60 minutes of physical activity a day[i] and 64% of girls quitting sports altogether by the age of 16-17[ii], Sport England has developed Studio You – a new video-on-demand platform to inspire teenage girls to get active through fun PE lesson experiences.

Co-created with teenage girls and PE teachers, Studio You has been designed to give teachers a fresh style of resource to inspire this hard-to-engage audience before they disengage with PE and physical activity completely. The platform will be freely available to all schools in England

Powered by Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign (that has inspired nearly 4 million to become active since 2015) Studio You aims to remove the pressure of competition and performance from PE. Instead, it seeks to open girls’ eyes to fun new disciplines and activities such as Combat, Barre, Fitness and Yoga. In line with the This Girl Can ethos, the focus is on enjoyment, community and achieving a sense of personal fulfilment.

The site, which has been developed with £1.5 million of National Lottery Funding, will feature over 100 videos, with teachers able to search for lesson content by duration of class or discipline. All video content is curriculum-linked and teachers can personalise the lesson planning experience by saving their favourite classes into their own digital library.

Kate Dale, the Campaign Lead for This Girl Can at Sport England comments:

“Engaging teenage girls with sport and activity is notoriously challenging.  But we cannot allow millions of girls to disengage at such a young age when the physical, mental and social rewards of an active lifestyle are so important. And for some girls, PE at school is the only chance they have to get active – so it’s important to get the experience right for them,

“We want Studio You to help teachers increase the confidence of the girls who might otherwise disconnect by enabling them to inject fun, choice and ownership into the PE experience. Studio You’s message is clear: getting active should be an enjoyable part of everyday life for all teenage girls and young women – not just those who excel at sport.”

Sport England’s insights show that teenage is the peak time for girls to drop out of school sport and develop deep-rooted negative attitudes to physical activity, that can act as a barrier for life. Research from Sport England’s Secondary Teacher Training programme, shows that only 50% of teenage girls feel confident in PE, compared with 72% of boys[iii]. In Sport England focus groups, girls who had disengaged from the school PE experience, used words like ‘competitive’, ‘stressy’ and ‘repetitive’ to describe their lessons[iv], with studies showing that 80% of girls feel they don’t ‘belong’ in sport[v].

As a result of the insights gained from teenage girls, Studio You focuses on non-traditional, non-competitive activities led by relatable young coaches.  Content can even be selected by mood with four themes: Energise, Relax, Party and Focus to choose from.

 Stewart Orton, Director of Sport from Fortismere School, one of a select group of schools trialling the new Studio You content said: “Studio You has totally rejuvenated PE for girls at Fortismere. Traditionally, girls’ participation in PE and physical activity can seriously dip in teenage years.  We have found that the lessons and wide ranging activities included in the Studio You package have been a significant factor in retaining our girls’ motivation for PE and for keeping active.  Importantly it’s given girls in our school a real sense of pride in what they’ve achieved.

“It’s a wonderful resource and we have been delighted to have been involved from the beginning.  Now that the resource is going out nationally schools are in for a real treat.  It’ll be exciting to see the impact on PE over time.”

The Studio You platform has been designed in partnership with leading social impact agency Hopscotch Consulting, responsible for the Department for Transport’s THINK! Road safety education resources and behind high-profile education campaigns and programmes for Vodafone, GSK and Microsoft.

Research references

[i] Active Lives Children and Young People Survey, Sport England (January 2021)

[ii] P&G UK 2016 The Always Confidence and Puberty Wave IV study

[iii] Sport England Secondary Teacher Training Programme research, Sheffield Hallam University

[iv] Sport England and Hopscotch focus groups run by CHILDWISE with teenage girls from London, Bristol, Leeds and Suffolk (January/February 2020) and Livity in London (February 2020)

[v] P&G UK 2016 The Always Confidence and Puberty Wave IV study

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More than £1 million available to help children access cycle training https://education-today.co.uk/more-than-1-million-available-to-help-children-access-cycle-training/ Mon, 06 Sep 2021 07:00:02 +0000 https://education-today.co.uk/?p=14131 More than £1 million in funding is now available for pilot projects which will help children and teenagers learn how to cycle, the Bikeability Trust has announced.

The Widening Participation Fund is being released to the Bikeability Trust by the Department for Transport to help the Government achieve its ambition to offer cycle training to every child. The money will be used to fund projects that help children who wouldn’t usually learn how to cycle become confident cyclists.

The Fund is open for creative and innovative pilot projects that will help more children learn how to cycle. The Bikeability Trust is welcoming bids from current Bikeability training providers as well as charities, community groups and other organisations which deliver cycle training.

This latest round of investment from Government follows on from the success of the Bikeability Trust’s Innovation Fund, which saw the charity invest £300,000 across 18 cycle training projects for children with special educational needs and disabilities. The fund helped buy adapted bikes for children with mobility issues and develop new training for instructors to help them better support children with additional needs. It also enabled The Trust to pilot new delivery methods across mainstream and specialist schools.

The new Widening Participation Fund will help the Bikeability Trust and the Department for Transport achieve the vision of teaching every child how to cycle. Pilot projects that will help to identify those children who don’t currently access Bikeability, address the barriers to uptake, and seek ways to resolve these, are all welcomed.

Emily Cherry, Executive Director at the Bikeability Trust said: “It is our ambition to give every child the opportunity to learn how to cycle and to gain confidence in cycling. The Widening Participation Fund will help us engage with all children, so they can reap the physical health and mental wellbeing benefits of cycling and experience the joy of this life skill.

“The Widening Participation Fund is open to all organisations which have innovative, creative and exciting ideas for schemes that will get children of all backgrounds and abilities on a cycle. I would like to encourage any organisation which thinks they can deliver something special to get in touch and find out more about the fund.”

The Widening Participation Fund is taking bids until 5pm on 29 October 2021. Full details of criteria can be found in the Widening Participation Fund Guidance. Find the application form on the Bikeability website. If you have any questions or require further information please email innovationfund@bikeabilitytrust.org.

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Scottish Student Sport awards success for Fife College student Shannon https://education-today.co.uk/scottish-student-sport-awards-success-for-fife-college-student-shannon/ Wed, 01 Sep 2021 07:00:30 +0000 https://education-today.co.uk/?p=14118 Fife College student Shannon Harris has been recognised at the Scottish Student Sports Awards for her work in setting up and running a walking group for students.

Shannon was successful in the Scottish Student Sports (SSS) Inclusive Awards category, which celebrated individuals or clubs that made a significant effort to make their club more accessible and available to everyone.

She was given the award after helping to set-up the ‘Best Foot Forward Rosyth’ club, which gives College students and members of the community a chance to get outside, meet new people and stay active while walking in and around the Rosyth area.

The group is an extension of the Best Foot Forward Dunfermline which has been going for some years, and together with them Shannon created hour long walk routes around Rosyth. Since being established in March this year over 300 people have taken part.

Rather than award medals to each of the awards recipients, SSS have planted a tree with each winners name on it in their grove of trees in the Scottish Highlands as part of our new collaboration with TreesForLife.

Speaking after her award win, Shannon Harris said: “I was absolutely over the moon when I was told I’d won this award. Being a walk leader for the Best Foot Forward group has been so much fun and helps so many people, so to be recognised for this is amazing. Best Foot Forward has done a lot of good work over so many years in Dunfermline & now in Rosyth in making sure that as many people as possible get the chance to socialise and stay active during what’s been a difficult time for all of us.

“I have been on some stunning walks in all kinds of weather since March, and I’m so happy that the hundreds of people who have joined us since then have enjoyed being part of it.

“It is a privilege to be a part of such an amazing group and we aim continue our work over the coming months and look forward to helping people enjoy the great Dunfermline & Rosyth countryside for many years to come.”

Fife College Vice-Principal Dorothee Leslie said: “Huge congratulations to Shannon on winning this fantastic award. At the College we’re looking to do all we can to boost the health and wellbeing of our students, and walking is a great way of doing this.

“There’s never been a more important time to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors and I know Best Foot Forward Rosyth has helped many of our students. This wouldn’t have been possible without Shannon’s drive and determination, and I want to thank her on behalf of everyone who she has helped over the past few months.”

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Keep pupils active this summer with Public Health England and Disney’s 10 Minute Shake Ups https://education-today.co.uk/keep-pupils-active-this-summer-with-public-health-england-and-disneys-10-minute-shake-ups/ Tue, 03 Aug 2021 11:55:14 +0000 https://education-today.co.uk/?p=14080 Evidence suggests that regular physical activity can have a positive impact on pupils’ mental wellbeing. Increasing activity, both at home and in school, has been shown to make pupils feel better, help improve their performance at school, and develop important skills. Yet over the past year, we’ve seen evidence to suggest children are in need of more support when it comes to their levels of physical activity.

Public Health England have once again teamed up with Disney and for the first time Marvel’s The Avengers, for their latest 10 Minute Shake Up campaign, to encourage the nation’s children to get more active over the summer. Using the power of storytelling, children will be inspired by some of their favourite characters from Disney including Marvel’s The Avengers – Black Widow, Captain America, Iron Man, The Hulk, Black Panther and Captain Marvel, Disney’s Frozen and Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story on how to get moving. The programme, which is a key initiative as part of Disney’s ongoing healthy living commitments, will help teachers to empower their pupils to achieve recommended activity levels.

Public Health England, alongside Disney, have developed a bank of new 10 Minute Shake Up resources for 2021. Aimed at pupils aged 4 to 11 the new fun, free and curriculum-linked activities are made up of 10-minute bursts of active fun that pupils can easily fit into the school day and at home. The interactive Shake Ups, adapted in line with COVID-19 restrictions, are freely available to download from the Public Health England School Zone.

COVID-19 has caused a major disruption to the daily habits of pupils, both in and out of the classroom, with recent research from Sport England revealing that less than half are meeting the daily recommended level of physical activity. The study highlights that only 44.9% of children and young people were reported to be taking part in physical activity for an average of 60 minutes each day, as recommended by the Chief Medical Officer – down from 46.8% the previous year. The drop in activity, predominantly seen in boys, could be related to the removal of organised sports.

Schools have always worked hard to foster positive attitudes towards physical activity. However, research has shown that pupils return to school in September less fit than when they broke up in July, showing there is a need to engage them in physical activity beyond the school gates. The new 10 Minute Shake Up activities are the perfect way for teachers to help parents get children moving over the summer.

Nearly two thirds (64%) of children say they would be inspired to be more physically active if they saw their favourite characters being active. By getting pupils, schools, families and carers involved, these flexible Shake Up activities ensure that young people can build long-term active habits.

Dr Helen Duncan, National Lead for Children, Young People and Families, Public Health England says: “With students navigating a lot of change from the stresses caused by the pandemic, encouraging children to get active with 10 Minute Shake Up’s every day in school will help them reach their recommended level of activity, increasing physical and mental wellbeing in and out of the classroom. By making physical activity enjoyable for children, they will feel more positive towards getting active and confident to try new activities or sports.”

Mike Diaper, Sport England’s Executive Director of Children and Young People says: “The pandemic has caused widespread disruption to children’s activity levels and helping them recover must now be an absolute priority. With the help of our nation’s brilliant teachers in raising awareness of these resources, the 10 Minute Shake Ups will provide children with activities that they can enjoy with their family and friends over the summer break.”


For more information, please search ‘10 Minute Shake Ups’ online or visit: https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/schools for schools resources and www.nhs.uk/10-minute-shake-up for families resources

Better Health is a campaign run by Public Health England (PHE) to help families to eat well, move more & live longer. PHE exists to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. It does this through advocacy, partnerships, world-class science, knowledge and intelligence, and the delivery of specialist public health services. PHE is an operationally autonomous executive agency of the Department of Health. www.gov.uk/phe. Follow us on Twitter @PHE_uk.

In the UK, Disney’s long-standing Healthy Living Commitment has seen it use its storytelling to get the whole family more active, and aims to educate and inspire children about healthy eating. This has seen it team up with various partners on inspirational campaigns with Swim England, Sport England’s This Girl Can and Public Health England (PHE). PHE’s “10 Minute Shake Up” campaign, now in its seventh year and has seen over 2 million kids get active. The FA and Disney also has a long-term partnership together that aims to increase the role of football in girls’ lives up and down the country. © 2021 MARVEL © Disney

Sport England is a public body and invests more than £250 million National Lottery and government money each year in projects and programmes that help people get active and play sport. It wants everyone in England, regardless of age, background, or level of ability, to feel able to engage in sport and physical activity. That’s why a lot of its work is specifically focused on helping people who do no, or very little, physical activity and groups who are typically less active – like women, disabled people and people on lower incomes.

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Warwickshire CCC and Sandwell College form partnership to deliver BTEC studies at Edgbaston Stadium https://education-today.co.uk/warwickshire-ccc-and-sandwell-college-form-partnership-to-deliver-btec-studies-at-edgbaston-stadium/ Wed, 21 Jul 2021 12:37:09 +0000 https://education-today.co.uk/?p=14069 Warwickshire CCC and Sandwell College have announced a new partnership that will see a new two-year further education course delivered in collaboration with the club’s official charity the Edgbaston Foundation. The programme is designed to support a career in professional sport, delivered from the iconic Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham.

The BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Sports Coaching and Development (equivalent to three A-levels) is for anyone passionate about sport.  Students will have the opportunity to access multiple careers within the professional sports industry following this programme. However, studies will be combined with cricketing opportunities at the world class facilities at Edgbaston, which are used regularly by the players of England, Warwickshire, Birmingham Bears and Birmingham Phoenix.

Scott Thomas, Head of Section in the Institute of Sport at Sandwell College, said: “We understand this partnership to be the first of its kind that is delivered at a world-renowned cricket venue, which will provide the most inspiring of locations for our students to learn and prepare for a career in the professional sports industry.

“We expect many of the students to go on to develop a career in a wide range of sectors within this industry, which could include sports coaching and teaching, sports injuries and rehabilitation, sport development, performance analysis, nutrition, sport psychology, marketing, operations and even business. However, they can also enhance their cricket-playing journey in some of the best facilities in the world.

“This is a venue that is home to Chris Woakes and Amy Jones and is used throughout the year by many of the world’s best cricketers. Our students will be training in these same facilities and can develop under the guidance of some of the same top-level coaches.”

The vocational course will cover modules across the two years, including sports tourism, marketing communications, sports psychology, technical and tactical skills in sport and more. No exams will form part of the assessments, which include written reports, portfolios, and posters to verbal assessments, presentations, and practical observations.

The partnership with the Edgbaston Foundation in delivering the course, is a key step in the charity’s ambition to grow its ‘Cricket Inspired Learning’ theme, to support more young people into education and employment.

Ravi Masih, Lead of the Edgbaston Foundation, said: “One of the principals of the Edgbaston Foundation is to give young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop and we’re very excited to collaborate with Sandwell College to provide more experience, skills and understanding of what it takes to work in professional sport.

“Through our many connections in the game with schools, cricket clubs, community programmes and our Member and supporter base, we plan to communicate and make this course widely available to as diverse a group of young people as possible. To attract more young women into the game would be fantastic, especially in the lead up to hosting women’s T20 matches at the B2022 Commonwealth Games.

“We are also committed to giving opportunities to further develop some of the talented students through work experience opportunities at Warwickshire County Cricket Club and Edgbaston Stadium.”

Graham Pennington, Principal at Sandwell College, said: “We are delighted to announce this unique partnership with Edgbaston Stadium, which will create once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for our students.

“We are committed to going above and beyond to deliver the best possible outcomes for our learners, and this brand-new course will support future careers in professional sports as well as wider industries.

“We look forward to working closely with Edgbaston Stadium delivering new courses in the city of Birmingham with our widely regarded teaching, guidance and support for all of our students.”

Prospective students and their parents can learn more about the BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Sports Coaching and Development, at an open day at Edgbaston Stadium from 1.30pm to 3.30pm on Friday 6 August. Email scott.thomas@sandwell.ac.uk to register a place and find out more.

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Virtual Schools Archery League supports Covid-safe interschool sports https://education-today.co.uk/virtual-schools-archery-league-supports-covid-safe-interschool-sports/ Wed, 02 Jun 2021 08:47:43 +0000 https://education-today.co.uk/?p=13948 A brand-new Virtual Schools Archery League, launching this June, is helping schools engage in Covid-safe interschool sports, while also encouraging students to enjoy the benefits of competitive archery.

Led by The School Archery League (SAL) and supported by Archery GB, the accessible competition helps set a new challenge for pupils that supports mental focus, promotes fun and provides the benefits of physical activity – all in a socially distant way. The Virtual Schools Archery League is open to all schools across the country, with separate divisions for barebow and recurve bows as well as abilities. Shooting can take place indoors or outdoors to suit the school’s facilities.

Over the past year, various lockdowns and periods of home-schooling have meant physical activity has been restricted for many pupils, with a negative impact on both physical and mental wellbeing. As a naturally socially-distanced activity, archery is the perfect sport to get pupils moving and motivated again.

Schools joining the Virtual Schools Archery League are invited to submit one or more groups for entry, who will then compete against other schools within the same category. Teachers record and submit each archer’s top scoring shooting round virtually during the competition period, and a winner is announced every half term.

Sarah Gibbs, SAL Coordinator says: “We want to get as many pupils as possible across the country involved in the League and having a go at archery. It’s a great sport that everyone can enjoy – and with in-person inter-school competitions currently limited, the Schools Archery League is a great way for students to enjoy an inclusive, competitive sport, in a safe and socially-distanced way.

“We think students will really enjoy the thrill when they hit the target and can see their aim improve over time. Of course, a bit of friendly competition between schools makes for added excitement too!”

Neil Armitage, CEO of Archery GB said, “The Virtual Schools Archery League is a fantastic initiative and one that we hope really encourages more students to get involved in the sport. Archery is well-recognised as an inclusive sport that is accessible to all ages and abilities, so it also helps engage those that are perhaps not naturally drawn to sports. Covid-19 has had a significant impact on physical activity across the board, and archery is an ideal sport for post-Covid times to help boost mental and physical wellbeing.”

Accessible across the spectrum regardless of age, physical ability or gender, archery is a uniquely inclusive sport. As one of very few that sees disabled and non-disabled participants and those of all ages compete against each other on level terms, archery truly breaks down barriers and creates an accessible path to sporting fun for all levels of abilities and fitness.

With physical benefits such as improved stamina and upper body strength, mental benefits of improved control, enhanced focus and boosted self-confidence, students also benefit from the social and competitive aspects of competing alongside their teammates.

This summer, Archery GB will once again be leading The Big Weekend event (9 – 11 July), which this year will be preceded by The Big Week (5 – 9 July), encouraging even more people to have a go at the inclusive sport. With a whole host of activities, including taster sessions, social events, fun games and archery challenges there will be plenty of opportunities to try the inclusive sport at clubs, venues, centres and schools nationwide – perfect for the 77% of British adults who wish they’d been able to try archery during school PE.

To find out more about the Virtual School Archery League, schools should email CFCARCHERY@gmail.com.

For more information on archery, including The Big Week and The Big Weekend, please visit www.archerygb.org.

For more on getting started with archery, head to www.startarchery.co.uk.

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Rugby club launches football and women’s rugby college courses for teens https://education-today.co.uk/rugby-club-launches-football-and-womens-rugby-college-courses-for-teens/ Tue, 04 May 2021 09:05:41 +0000 https://education-today.co.uk/?p=13887 To go alongside its already popular men’s rugby college course, Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club’s academy has introduced football and women’s rugby courses for local teens aged 16+.

With these courses, students will have two training sessions and one class a day for 3 days a week, and will achieve a NCFE qualification, the same as they’d receive at a typical college of further education. During the courses however, they will also have the benefit of competitive games on a Wednesday.

Both courses at Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club will begin in September 2021 and are open for enrolment now. To apply, click here: https://www.wearescl.co.uk/birmingham-rugby

Travis McIntyre, who runs the academy, said: “We’re so excited to announce that we’ll be running two brand new courses from September, it’s something that we’ve been wanting to expand into for a while now and because of the popularity of football and women’s rugby around Birmingham, we’re sure we’ll have some incredible players join us.

“We started the academy in 2014, exclusively running men’s rugby courses, but it’s been so successful that we’re sure we have the expertise and knowledge to replicate this into a football course and, adapt the knowledge we already have for the women’s rugby classes.

“Our past rugby students have gone on to gain full scholarships at universities and play in the Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club’s team, so while we are primarily a rugby club, we appreciate all sport and are excited to expand our student base to football, as well as rugby.”

The first information evening is Monday 17th May at 7pm in the Reddings Suite at Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club, subject to Government guidelines.

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