Football star visits glebe school
‘Drillz for Skillz’ with England Cerebral Palsy Football star
Young people at Glebe School, who have been taking part in our On Track to Achieve programme delivered an exciting and challenging workshop to their fellow students, focusing on inclusive physical activities. Supported by their Athlete Mentor, former Team GB fencing captain, and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Claire Bennett, the group collectively decided on a Social Action Project called 'Drillz 4 Skillz.'
Motivating and aspirational, On Track to Achieve helps young people build healthy relationships in school and with the wider community, and understand the importance of physical and mental wellness. With a strong focus on their own personal development, it promotes positive behaviours and attitudes, and sets them up to achieve in education, work and life. The young people at Glebe School have complex and challenging needs, but this did not stop them from wanting to step outside their comfort zone and feel brave. Their social action project aimed to showcase the benefits of sports and how this can influence mental health, and empowered to place themselves in leading roles.
Taking the football skills to the next level, Harry Baker, Trust athlete mentor and member of the England World Cup Cerebral Palsy Football team was invited to join the Glebe School Drillz for Skillz workshop.
They collaborated to identify areas that need improving within their community (school or broader), and chose to deliver activity that would raise awareness of the importance of physical activity and mental wellbeing. They agreed they would coach the younger Year 7 students and show them how to complete short physical activities or "Drillz" that would serve as part of a football skills workshop. From their own experiences, they knew that the young people they would work with also have a diverse range of needs, both physical and learning difficulties - so, it was vital to ensure no one was excluded.
Claire shared her skills and experiences as a professional athlete, which the young people implemented in their social action project. During their workshop, the young people were put in situations where they had to adapt, show awareness of their comfort behaviours (routine, planning) and do things outside of their usual behaviours that would usually cause emotional turbulence. They handled the situation really well, and showed how far they have developed as a result of taking part in the programme.
Taking the football skills to the next level, Harry Baker, Trust athlete mentor and member of the England World Cup Cerebral Palsy Football team was invited to join their workshop.
An inspirational figure for the group, Harry shared his thoughts on the day:
“It was a fantastic day to be part of. I have seen it as someone with a disability. It is assumed that people with disability can’t do things, and it’s easier for them not to be involved, but these young people were given confidence by Claire, which allowed them to excel, which they did! It was terrific for those young people to lead and be confident enough to do so. ”
Reflecting on the day, Claire said:
“It was a feel-good factor and a sense of achievement for these young people. When I first met them, they would struggle to make eye contact, be unable to engage, and not be able to open up. Seeing them step up and lead by example was quite emotional for me. They showed their worth and potential, and smashed it! They showed a sense of steadiness and team ethos as a group. It was also really important for them to see another person with a disability thriving like Harry, seeing their eyes light up when they saw him. It is a great opportunity to meet someone inspiring, and that one interaction can really change their life. ”
Lynsey Jarvis, lead teacher at Glebe School said:
“Giving the students the opportunity to plan and deliver a Social Action Project is invaluable; they have the chance to focus on something important to them and work to make a difference. They learn leadership, teamwork, effective listening, organisational and communication skills. They can consider facilitating rather than participating, which engages all students taking part - regardless of sporting ability and encourages a sense of ownership and responsibility for their project day.
Giving our young people the skills to build a positive mindset and resilience when working as a team will help them achieve their goals and forge strong personal and professional relationships. On Track to Achieve encourages young people to see the value in developing confidence in areas they previously felt they lacked. It uses reflective discussion and collaboration to engage the students in thinking about themselves and others. ”
The group followed up their successful social action delivery session with having a go at their mentor’s sport, fencing. Giving Claire Bennett a run for her money, they highlighted how confident they have become to try new things, in a fantastic culmination to their successful participation in the programme.
Glebe School has worked with Dame Kelly Holmes Trust for multiple years, and the On Track to Achieve programme is considered inspirational and aspirational amongst the students. The programme impacted not just the selected students, but the wider school, families and community. As this group chose to mentor a whole year group of younger students in the school, it resulted in approximately 60 other young people being involved and positively impacted. This created a big buzz around the school and the students were excited to take part. The group felt empowered as leaders and really stepped up to organising and leading the activities.