Round Oak goes for gold
Olympian heptathlete Denise Lewis OBE will join pupils and staff at Round Oak School, Support Service and Sports College.
The school, situated off the Myton Road in Warwick, has invited Lewis to inspire the students aged 11-19 who have disabilities and learning difficulties. As well as officially launching the schools new sports specialism she will be taking time to speak to students and join them for lunch.
Lewis is an ambassador for the Youth Sport Trust, the national charity which supports schools across the country in their delivery of the sports specialism. This new status has opened up participation opportunities for pupils with local clubs and sports facilities and it is also enabling specialist PE delivery in the local community in five partner schools and also with a group of unemployed young people.
Headteacher Puffin Pocock was thrilled when the gold medallist agreed to visit Round Oak, she said: “We are absolutely delighted to be welcoming Denise Lewis to our school. She is a wonderful role model for the students and we are extremely grateful to the Youth Sport Trust and Denise for including our launch in their busy schedules.”
Sue Backhouse was appointed as Director of Specialism in January and is responsible for developing sporting opportunities at the school. Sue said: “Round Oak has long recognised the enormous benefits that sport brings to our pupils.
“Through sport, students gain more than just fitness and skills as their self esteem, confidence, interpersonal skills and independence are all enhanced. This impacts positively on all areas of their development, stimulating both their physical and mental attributes.”
She continued: “Sports College Status has opened up a number of exciting opportunities for the school and we have already reaped rewards. We have a new team of specialist PE teachers and a coach, equipment has been ordered, more lunchtime clubs have been set up, training has been delivered and with support from the Youth Sport Trust strong links are developing between Round Oak, our partner schools and the local community.”
The Youth Sport Trust is a registered charity, established in 1994, that aims to increase young people’s enjoyment and appreciation of sport. The trust supports Round Oak and other Specialist Sports Colleges around the country which position PE and sport at the heart of the curriculum, using it as a vehicle to improve learning opportunities for all.
Steve Grainger, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said: “Our aims are simple – to ensure all young people experience and benefit from high-quality PE and create better opportunities for them to participate, perform and lead in sport. Working with fantastic sporting role models, like Denise Lewis, we are able to support specialist sports colleges which are leading the way in building a brighter future for young people through sport.”