Small Heath School: Saturday Morning CLub - News - Calthorpe SSP

Small Heath School: Saturday Morning CLub

As part of the Sporting Champions Pledge, I have been attending the Small Heath school cluster for a group of four visits prior to Christmas, and have been lucky enough to be invited back for another four visits. I jumped at the chance to come back to the Small Heath School cluster and support and help promote there bid to push and achieve the five hours of high quality PE and School sport. Between the school staff, the education co-ordinators and the School Sports Co-ordinator I have noticed that a great amount of effort, time and planning has gone into getting the provision of quality PE within the school.

I have been working along side the Saturday morning club, where three hours on a Saturday morning are set aside to the school children of Oldknow Primary. I was actually very surprised with how well attended the Saturday Club was before Christmas. The coordinator of the scheme Thalat Mahmood was actually disappointed with the original turnout, and as a result I was there to promote the sessions in and out of school hours. After explaining to Mr Mahmood that this was possibly one of the highly attended out of hours school clubs I had been working with, he was surprised as he thought even more could be achieved from promotion of this session. I have been working in school sessions and attending the Saturday Club and have seen numbers rise, and now maintained. The most satisfying group is the girls, where attendance has continued to improve, and being well up on last year.   As a Sporting Champion I am very lucky to be able to attend and help out with schemes aiming at the 5 hour provision. I have to admit that I have not been involved in many schemes where so much emphasis is based on quality provision and inclusion. The sessions are totally inclusive so that children of all ages and physical development stages are able to join in and most importantly enjoy the sessions. There is emphasis based on agility, balance and co-ordination which is necessary in all motor skill development and even to the point where the children are now using the correct terminology when being asked questions to do with the ABC's.

As if this was not enough Small Heath School Cluster are now launching a parent and child scheme, at Oldknow where the children are being encouraged to bring a parent or guardian to a similar session and participate in activity together. School children are at there most active at primary school, and statistics show that by the end of secondary school most children will not participate in organised physical activity, I believe that the Small Heath School Scheme is taking great steps to break down barriers and put in place strong emphasis on activity and health for life through the work it is doing in the after school clubs, Saturday sessions and now the radical new parent/child scheme. I only hope that other areas that their lead."  

Emma Pass

GBR Basketball Player

Sporting Champion: Sport England

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