One of my goals is to increase physical activity amongst our children, aged between three and 11. This is partly why I agreed to sign up the school to a pilot project testing the new LTA Youth Schools teacher training; I also like the fact their scheme is genuinely inclusive to all pupils, regardless of age, ethnicity or background.
This chimes with our school mission of inclusivity as several of our pupils have learning disabilities, or special needs, health conditions and other impairments (one of our children has cerebral palsy, for example). Additionally, English is not the first language for many children, so we need a programme that’s easy to understand and follow.
Minimal outlay
The cross-curricular training and resources are free, meaning this programme helps us meet our targets for minimal outlay. When the pilot scheme ended, I found the process quick and easy when I booked the school to sign up to the programme again this year.
I like the fact the lessons are designed by teachers, for teachers to adapt to whatever space they have, including our smallest hall. The children get to use lots of inexpensive equipment (some items are already located in our school sports cupboard) such as gloves, different-sized balls, hand mitts – the programme is very adaptable for all ages and sizes.
Skills
The children enjoy the variety of games on offer and the programme is designed to ensure they are constantly progressing in their physical activity. “There’s no stop and start… it just flows,” says Madison Chipman, one of our Year 5 teachers.
The lessons also build the children’s character skills so they can decide for themselves if they want to make it harder or easier.
A sign of the children becoming more independent and confident in the classroom is the fact they ask lots of questions and seem much more engaged in the lessons. This links to our school values: curiosity and the children wanting to know more delineates their passion for what they are learning.
Smiles
Even the pupils we didn’t think would like it are getting involved – they have huge smiles on their faces and are eager to continue talking about it afterwards. They’ll even mention it to their parents, so it’s not unusual to get parents coming up to me in the playground wanting to find out more. A number of parents have asked about when this project will happen again as their children have enjoyed it so much!
Impact
We all agree the LTA Youth programme has had a far reaching and positive impact on the school and its community. The children are better equipped with the knowledge of the rules of tennis and can now apply this to their PE lessons.
Children have shown an interest in a sport other than football and have asked for a tennis net to be put across the playground when they have extra playtimes. Parents have also been more interested in the sport as the project has allowed their children to work with such skilled teachers from the LTA. Moving forward they would love their children to participate in an afterschool tennis club and this is something we are looking into.
Nanaki Bajwa is the headteacher of Nansen Primary School, Birmingham.
The LTA Youth Schools programme welcomes children of all abilities to build their personal and character skills through tennis. All participating schools will be provided with a free £250 voucher on completion of the free training, to use on additional tennis coaching or equipment. Teachers can sign up to the free training here: lta-tennis.force.com/schools/s.
