What is it about?

School / club links build on and enhance the existing PE and sport opportunities available to young people in schools, thereby increasing the proportion of children guided into clubs from School Sport Coordinator partnerships.

In Somerset we are currently working with local badminton, table tennis, athletics, gymnastics, girls football, rugby union, athletics and swimming clubs.

Athletics

No of clubs:future clubs = 14
81 11 – 16 year olds registered with South of England Athletic Association.

Four links have been established, although one is to a future SSP. The links are with the partnerships at King Arthur’s Community School, Wyvern Community School, Castle School and Bucklers Mead, (non SSP).

The key success within Somerset has been the recruitment of volunteers to support the clubs. Club development work has also enabled the clubs to produce promotional material, welcome packs and develop a comprehensive induction process.

82 young people have been linked into a new U11 coaching sessions at two clubs, Taunton AC & Yeovil Olympians. The clubs have been supported to complete Clubmark and a children in athletics coaching module has been delivered to JSLA students who have completed coaching hours within the local clubs – links with Step into Sport.

A session in Somerset has been established around the multi skills concept within a special school linking into the work of the community coaches in that area.

Cricket

Number of School Club Links: 4
Number of Accredited Clubs:
Registered 16

Bridgewater CC Sedgemoor School Alliance
Glastonbury CC Sedgemoor School Alliance
Taunton CC Castle School SSP
Taunton St.Andrews CC Castle SSP

Somerset Cricket board are working with four focus clubs who are all within the CCDF
scheme.

The clubs are Bridgwater CC, Glastonbury CC, Taunton CC and Taunton St
Andrews CC

Bridgwater CC and Glastonbury CC are in the Sedgemoor School Alliance,
although a SSCo has not yet been allocated for the Glastonbury area.

Taunton CC and Taunton St Andrews CC fall within the Castle School sports
partnership.

Somerset cricket coaches have delivered a six week programme of coaching in clusters of primary schools during the spring term.

Following the coaching sessions, the coaches have identified children with ability, enthusiasm and an interest in joining a local cricket club.
District Co-ordinators are in the process of inviting the children to a
"signing-up" coaching session at a convenient centre, where the
Somerset coaches will work alongside coaches from the relevant focus
Clubs to introduce the selected children to the focus club coaches. This will be followed by three early season, club-based coaching sessions to fully integrate the children into the club.

Somerset Cricket Board has already found that through the school cluster sessions, additional primary schools are entering our Year 6, Year 5 and Girl's Kwik Cricket competitions. The interest from girls is particularly encouraging as Somerset Cricket Board is urging all their focus clubs to start up a girls’ section.

At Archbishop Cranmer School, Somerset Cricket Board are involving a small group of special needs children, they are hoping to introduce to the Somerset
Disabled Cricket Club, which has a junior "Somerset Dragons" squad.
The coach Paul Lawrence who worked with the special needs children at Archbishop Cranmer School, found this experience most rewarding.

Football

Working with four Charter Standard clubs and one club working towards the status, with over 50 teams and 750 young players.

The King Alfred School – Two Charter Standard clubs within this partnership are working closely together to develop a programme of opportunities with eight schools following Community TOP’s training for the clubs. Developments of after-school satellite club opportunities for seven primaries have taken place with over 100 young people attending. A 4-week introduction course for girls’ football was run for Years 7/8 and 270 girls have received training and coaching and since then girls football has been added to the school curriculum.

King Arthur’s Community School – Working with the club (Wincanton Wanderers) towards achieving Charter Standard status currently and progressing well, with Community TOPs training being delivered for the club coaches to support the running of after-school activities.

Holyrood School – Two Charter Standard clubs are working closely with the secondary school and the eight feeder primaries to develop a programme of girls’ football activity. In the secondary school, for Years 7-11, 19 players attended each week a 7-week lunchtime session and a 10-week coaching programme in all eight primary schools involved 20 girls each week from each school. Further development work is now being planned to expand the sessions and create more links with clubs and schools.

Gymnastics

Links with School Sport Partnerships: The 2 partnerships involved in the project are King Alfred’s and Castle
Clubs: 5 Clubs are working towards GymMark accreditation
Young people: 306

A couple of clubs in Somerset were already beginning to make links with schools. Phase 1 has supported these links and built on them by creating two new after school clubs with two further clubs in the development stages. Included in the Phase 1 plan was a programme of coach education and leaders awards.
The Regional Development Officer has also supported the development of the Multi-skill Clubs by training some of the deliverers to teach fundamental movement skills.

Rugby Union

Links to SSPs - 2
(King Arthurs, King Wilfrids)
Accredited Clubs - 10 working towards – all with Somerset SoA

Please see attached Project Paper – School Club Links - Somerset and Castle Cary RFC Somerset release

Swimming

Number of links to SSPs 2
Accredited clubs 11

Tennis

Number of links to SSPs 1 (King Alfred)
Accredited clubs 1

Club is a lead partner of a Community Tennis partnership linking with the local authority and some schools.