Introduction

Welcome to our July newsletter. It was great to see you all virtually in June at our network meeting. We’re hoping that in 2021 we can meet more face to face in the new year, starting with the Lead School Changemaker Regional Conferences in September and October.

Within this edition, we’re excited to share with you the Move Like Me videos that seven young people from around the country have co-created with their peers at school. The videos come at a perfect time for inspiring young people to stay active over the summer break. Continuing with the inspiration theme, the Paralympic Games in Tokyo are less than 50 days away and Channel 4 has recently announced their comprehensive coverage of the games. Below you’ll find some information from two National Disability Sport Organisations, Boccia UK and British Wheelchair Basketball.

Actions

Move Like Me launch

Funded through the Peter Harrison Foundation, and working in partnership with Highfurlong School (Blackpool), Slated Row School (Milton Keynes) and Budmouth Academy (Weymouth), young people have both co-designed and created a suite of online sport and physical activity videos, alongside some blogs to help inspire other young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to stay active over the summer. There are a range of sports and activities covered, including football, boxing, judo, athletics, cheerleading and Special Olympics Motor Activities Training.

Videos can be accessed here, where you will also find some blogs written by the young people. Please promote to your networks and let's try and get as many young people active over the summer as possible.

Termly reporting

Just a reminder that the summer term reporting window closes on 16 July. If you have any questions around completing this, please contact Roshni.

Updates

TOP Sportsablity

Thank you for your patience as we migrated Top Sportsability onto our new YST website. We are pleased to say you can now find Top Sportsability here: www.youthsporttrust.org/top-sportsability

Paralympic related stories

Peter Harrison tribute

The British Paralympic Association is saddened to hear that Peter Harrison CBE, the founder of The Peter Harrison Foundation, passed away peacefully on 18 June 2021. The foundation Peter Harrison set up is supporting the Move Like Me project.

Boccia UK is looking to find the next generation to compete at future Paralympic Games.  Boccia UK is on the lookout for future athletes over the age of 13 with the skills and attitude to progress through the UK Player Pathway and perform at the very highest level. Know anyone that fits the criteria? For more information about which impairments are eligible to play Boccia at an elite level, please email [email protected] to get in touch with the Boccia UK team if you are not sure.

Wheelchair Basketball GB squads announced for Tokyo Paralympic Games

On 2 July, ParalympicsGB announced 24 athletes who will represent Great Britain in Wheelchair Basketball at Tokyo 2020, for both the Men's and Women’s teams. Many of these athletes came through the school games pathway. The press release is available via the BWB website where you can view the selected athletes and coaching staff who will represent ParalympicsGB in Tokyo.  

This announcement coincides with the launch of British Wheelchair Basketball’s Inspire a Generation Paralympic Legacy Open Events. These events are exclusively for British Wheelchair Basketball clubs (UK-wide) and are designed to signpost anyone inspired by the GB Wheelchair Basketball Team’s Tokyo Paralympics Campaign to find their local club and try the sport. We would also appreciate your support in promoting the Inspire a Generation Paralympic Legacy Open Events which will take place across the weekends of 28 & 29 August 4 & 5 September 11 & 12 September. The events will be available UK-wide, including Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

Publications

Rehabilitate your thinking around PRUs

This article in TES this week highlights how education is a right of every child and calls for a better understanding of PRUs, special, hospital and prison schools.

Read here

ADHD in Girls

There is growing interest in how ADHD may present itself in girls. As with autism, there are gender-related issues and profiles linked to the social biology of the brain. This short overview article by Fintan O’Regan offers some valuable insights and useful observational starting points. 

Read here

Sharing good practice

Wirral School Games Learning and Discovery Festival

Jon White from Clare Mount (Lead Inclusion School in Merseyside) and Wirral SGO Gemma Corcoran have worked in partnership to embed the Learning and Discovery Festival format into the local school games offer. The Wirral School Games team has been out and about in schools delivering this version of the festivals to 16 schools. To further support Lead Inclusion School and School Games delivery, Jon has worked with Premier Education and students at Liscard Primary School to develop a series of videos to support festivals and bring the YST Paralympic L&D resources alive.

Click here to watch the videos:

• Athletics
• Badminton
• Kurling
• Volleyball

Students from The Angmering School rise to the Paralympic Games in Tokyo

Louis Saunders, from The Angmering School, is one of Britain's brightest boccia talents. He shares his journey from playing at school to being hopeful for selection for the Tokyo Paralympics. 

To watch Louis’ story, please visit: https://boccia.uk.com/athlete-recruitment