Sainsbury’s Inclusive PE and Inclusive Community Training in 2015
What a year it’s been for Sainsbury’s Active Kids for All Inclusive PE and Inclusive Community Training!
Workshops took place across the country to help professionals and non-professionals better cater for the needs of disabled people who want to be active. The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) is proud to be working with our partners to deliver such important programmes.
Working with Sainsbury’s, with the support of the Home Country Disability Sport Organisations, Sport England, the Youth Sport Trust, sports coach UK and the British Paralympic Association, the last 12 months have seen both programmes make a tangible impact.
Within the last month we’ve seen Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training deliver its 3,000th participant. Thanks to professional tutoring, all participants will have developed practical tools to support inclusive delivery, will have explored creative ideas to support disabled people to take part in physical activity and sport and will have explored local groups, activities and further training opportunities.
And Sainsbury’s Inclusive PE has had a total of 5,572 teachers, school staff and trainee teachers receive free training and resources to support them to provide a high quality PE experience for all young people.
In schools
There have been plenty of interesting stories throughout the year that have highlighted the positive impact Sainsbury’s Active Kids for All Inclusive PE has had on the people who either deliver or participate in it.
Six months ago some PE teachers from Enniskillen Integrated Primary School in Northern Ireland told EFDS how they had found the workshop, and how they intended to apply what they had learned.
One participant said of the day:
“I really enjoyed the practical training – it’s given me great ideas to include all children in all activities. A brilliant ways to adapt PE lessons.”
Later in the year some student teachers from South Yorkshire also attended a session, and discussed it with EFDS afterwards.
Yet to graduate within the profession, they offered a different insight on the impact of Sainsbury’s Active Kids for All Inclusive PE.
One participating student teacher, Ben, was fulsome in his praise of the programme:
“I learned how PE curriculum needs to positively engage learners, giving all children the thirst for knowledge.
“I was also able to see how creative and imaginative teaching can achieve this, which will prove vital for my personal future practice.
“Overall, I am now much more confident in my ability to provide outstanding inclusive PE.”
From schools to community
Sports education professionals mingled with physiotherapists, teaching assistants, carers and parents, among many other interested parties, at Kidz events which EFDS attended throughout the year, in order to promote both programmes.
Kidz in the Middle, Kidz Down South and Kidz to Adultz Up North all allowed EFDS to communicate the advantages and benefits of Sainsbury’s Active Kids for All Inclusive PE and Inclusive Community Training to an engaged and interested audience.
Speaking to EFDS last month, Carmel Hourigan, Senior Manager for Kids and Business Development, Disabled Living, said:
“We’re very pleased to have the English Federation of Sport attend. This event is not just about equipment – it’s social work, holidays, education, career development, the bigger picture.”
The opportunity to discuss Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training at live events built upon the impact made from over 40 stories published by EFDS about the project in 2015.
With over 160 workshops taking place across the country, there were plenty of people to hear from.
In April, an aspiring football coach, Joseph Malasi, explained how his acquired impairment inspired him to take up coaching, and how Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training fitted the bill:
“I used to play football all the time, and was almost semi-professional. I had no real desire to be a coach until a friend of mine suggested that I got back into football.
“I really enjoyed the practical side of the training. I got a good review from the tutor, and they told us as a group that it was one of the most productive sessions they had run in a long time.”
Later in the year a Nottingham workshop was the first course delivered solely to student physiotherapists, but the participant feedback highlighted the importance of this type of training:
“I felt it was above and beyond what I expected. It was fun and I learnt many ways to modify activities and it made me think of things from a different perspective.
“It opened my eyes to all the different modifications in sport that can be applied. I thoroughly enjoyed the session. The leaders were great, enthusiastic and motivating, and it made me realise that there is no such thing as inclusion, because if you are talking about inclusion, it means you have been excluding people before.”
In the future sports coach UK, the organisation working alongside EFDS, have had a successful year delivering Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training.
Tony Byrne, Chief Executive Officer of sports coach UK, told EFDS:
“At sports coach UK we are extremely passionate about the coaching community being an inclusive environment and supporting coaches who are introducing physical activity and sport to disabled people. The partnership work with EFDS in delivering the Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training is vital to making this happen.
“It has been an excellent year with the 3,000 participant milestone reached for this workshop to date. We look forward to continuing this success in 2016.”
Will Swaithes, Head of Physical Education at the Youth Sport Trust added:
“The Sainsbury’s Inclusive PE Training programme has gone from strength to strength. Feedback from teachers has been incredibly positive as it has really opened their eyes to how easy it can be to adapt activities to suit all children.
“We hope more teachers will sign up to the training and feel better equipped to integrate disabled students into inclusive sports activities. Every child should have an inspirational and meaningful PE experience with no exceptions."
And Kat Southwell, Sainsbury’s Active Kids for All manager at EFDS, concluded:
“Without a doubt, the Sainsbury’s Inclusive PE and Inclusive Community Training have both contributed to more positive experiences of physical activity, PE and sport for disabled people and their peers.
“At EFDS we are really excited to see the impact of this work continue to unfold. Thanks goes to programme sponsors Sainsbury’s and all programme and delivery partners for making active lives possible through this programme.”
So, it’s the season of giving - why not treat your school to a free Sainsbury’s Inclusive PE training workshop this Christmas? Or if you support disabled people within the community, look to upskill thanks to a session of Sainsbury’s Inclusive Community Training?
For further information, please contact EFDS, email AK4A@efds.co.uk or telephone 01509 227751. Find us on Twitter @Eng_Dis_Sport, Facebook and LinkedIn.
