Haybridge Sports department has significantly benefitted from being granted sports college status. The department’s underpinning aims remain for students to have fun, improve their skills and fitness levels and participate fully in a range of activities. The Sports College status has allowed us to develop in many areas, which include the amount of PE time given to each student, the range of courses on offer and the range of extra-curricular activities available to them.
The department has dramatically increased in size to meet the changing demands of the curriculum. Through access to Sport College initiatives we now offer GCSE and A Level courses alongside a range of vocational BTEC qualifications.
Sport College funding has allowed us to utilise expert coaching, most notably in tennis, badminton, fencing and rugby. More and more students are being encouraged to take up a healthier lifestyle with access to an increased range of extra-curricular activities. As the department employs more teachers the range of activities continues to grow. For example, we are County football champions at both Years 9 and 10 this year. Similarly extra staffing has allowed us to implement a girl’s district football team. Football is extremely popular within the school and local area and as a result we are establishing better and better links with West Hagley Football Club.
Our students have responded to the challenge of becoming sports leaders through changes in the curriculum and by completing Junior and Community Sports Leaders Awards. These leaders help within the department as teaching assistants or as officials in numerous house events. The leaders also link up with Primary schools as we set up sports festivals. In a number of cases, young leaders gain further qualifications enabling them to work within the local community with disabled people and as part of a ‘Lads and Dads’ scheme.
The department is continuing to look to develop its extra-curricular provision, range of courses on offer and produce even more leaders of the highest quality.