We are delighted to be taking part in the Youth Sport Trust project ‘Active in Mind’ which is funded through Sport England via the National Lottery. The idea of the programme is to increase levels of physical activity, and to provide a safe and supportive environment to improve the overall wellbeing of every child.
This is delivered by way of a small group of year 9 students accessing advanced training on developing strategies to improve wellbeing and reduce stress and anxiety. Once they have received this training they will then work with other students in the school to disseminate their learning.
We are really proud to be taking part in Active in Mind as the wellbeing of our students is so important, particularly during these uncertain times. Equipping them with the skills to not only deal with their own stress and anxiety, but then pass on to others, is really important.’
During this half term the project got off to a fantastic start with a visit from the inspirational David Hill, a Paralympic athlete who led a workshop with the selected students. This consisted of a mix of practical activities as well as classroom–based discussion. David Hill was born with no left forearm but grew up believing there was no such word as ‘can’t’. Through hard work, passion and determination David went on to represent Great Britain at the highest level for 15 years. David has success in swimming and triathlon; he is a World & European medallist, British Champion and was Team GB’s youngest athlete at the Athens Paralympic Games in 2004 and a top 10 finisher in the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio.
To be able to meet and work with David in such an in depth way was incredible for the students involved. Gaining insight from someone who has achieved so much was a unique experience and we are very grateful to have been able to take part. The students who worked with David will now pass on the knowledge and experience to other students as they will become athlete mentors to a selection of year 7 students.
Active in mind is a Youth Sport Trust initiative we are proud to be a part of and we can’t wait to see how it develops across the school. Sport is such an integral part of wellbeing and this is a fantastic opportunity to utilise the expertise of an elite athlete to help our students improve their wellbeing.’
