Eastern Warwickshire School Sports Partnership

What’s been going on this year in the Lawrence Sheriff cluster?

It’s been an exciting time for new developments with a number of new clubs starting up this year. All four primary schools (St Oswalds, Northlands, Eastlands and St Andrews Benn) have started their once a week lunch time ‘huff and puff’ activity clubs which have been a real success with the kids, who love playing with the new equipment they’ve been given. Within this club year 6 pupils are the given the role of ‘play leaders’ an opportunity which allows them to develop their organisation and leadership skills. Without exception every year 6 pupil has risen to the challenge admirably.

Children from each of these schools have also really enjoyed coming to the ‘Trampolining’ club on a Tuesday after school at Lawrence Sheriff School. Children get to learn the basics of trampolining and can then develop their skills in a very safe environment. These sessions are run by  instructor Karen Johnston and have proved to be very popular indeed.

We’ve also set a up an ‘Outdoor adventurous’ club at Northlands primary school on a Thursday after school which focuses on kids being able to use both their bodies and their brains during fun activities.

Northlands have also built on their existing breakfast club by adding physical activity to their early mornings. Not only can students get a healthy meal to start the day but they can also spend 30minutes in healthy activity!

This year there have also been lots of opportunities for the boys at Lawrence Sheriff School to participate in different types of sporting activity. The crown green bowling club has proved to be a big success this year. What began as a small coaching opportunity has developed into the ‘Rugby Schools Bowls Scheme’. Four schools in the rugby area will attend local clubs to receive coaching and will follow this with local competition culminating in a regional final. Lawrence Sheriff School is looking forward to working with Thornfield Bowls Club on this exciting project.

Our new intake of year 7’s we’re given the opportunity to attend a table tennis club which was a new sport to some of them. The sport has proved to be very popular and it has become a thriving lunch time club, so popular in fact that it now runs on Wednesdays after school as well.

Year 7 and 8 pupils also had the chance to compete in some ‘Sportshall Athletics’. Although some of them were familiar with this through their primary schools there were many who had never experienced this type of athletics before. The boys at Lawrence Sheriff loved it and came first in the year 7 and 8 tournament. It was an excellent event with an emphasis on fair play and enjoyment. The cluster primary schools are also keen to further their athletics development. Beginning in April, 60 children will be receiving weekly athletics coaching from staff and  year 10 and 11 Junior Sports Leaders  at Eastlands Primary School. This will culminate in an exciting inter schools competition.

It is fitting to end with a mention of the annual ‘Celebration of Sport’ event which basically gives credit to the youngsters in the area who have achieved above and beyond the norm in the area of sport and sports leadership. It was great to see so many young athletes receiving praise for their achievements and was a real encouragement to all parents, coaches and teachers. It was a reminder again of just how important the role of sport can be in a child’s development. Who knows, maybe we’ll see some of the children we teach now on the Olympic podium in 2012.

David Jones

SSCO

Lawrence Sheriff School