New Sports Partnership To Benefit Thousands Of Children

A leading multi-academy trust has announced a new partnership that will see staff and primary children benefit from high-quality sports and PE coaching.

Outwood Grange Academies Trust, which sponsors over thirty academies across the North of England, will team up with the Wakefield District Schools Sports Partnership (Wakefield SSP), in a move that will see children across Outwood’s ten primary academies receive expert coaching from PE specialists.

As part of the partnership, three PE specialists from Wakefield SSP, which is run through the Wakefield Trinity Community Foundation, will work in each of the ten primary academies helping both staff and children both in and outside of the classroom. 

Each year group will follow their own, bespoke skills progression plan which will enable them to improve and develop.

In addition to the Wakefield SSP PE specialists, the primary academies will also be visited by coaches from Leeds United Primary Stars and Wakefield Trinity RLFC, who will deliver fun, top-level coaching during the academy day. 

Lee Wilson, Primary Chief Executive at Outwood, said:

“We are really excited for this partnership because after working with Wakefield SSP last year, we know how much the children enjoy the sessions they put on. By embarking on a more thorough partnership this year, we think the results will be even better.

“By working closer together through this partnership, we will also be able to help our staff develop which is something that we are passionate about at Outwood. By helping develop our staff, we can continue to ensure that the children we teach receive the very best education possible.”

Established in 2018, the Wakefield SSP works with primary, secondary and special schools to develop opportunities in PE and school sport. As well as working with the children, the Wakefield SSP PE specialists will be working with staff to help them develop and improve further their skill sets to enable them to lead quality, engaging sessions for children.

Luke Shale, Partnership Development Manager at Wakefield SSP, said: “We are delighted to continue working with Outwood, and we are very excited for this academic year. It presents us with a great opportunity to build on our work from last year with the Trust, and really go on to build a legacy between Wakefield SSP and the Outwood Family.

“As a not-for-profit organisation, we aim to inspire and motivate young people in PE and school sport and encourage them to be active and healthy. We believe this partnership with Outwood really enables us to deliver on this aim.”

The programme will see the PE specialists help develop both staff and students skills across numerous different PE strands, in addition to building up their fundamental movement skills and teamwork skills. 

Also as part of the legacy partnership, primary children from across Outwood’s ten primaries will receive a fun, six-week Wakefield Trinity Primary Rugby League programme. This will see children learn about the skills needed to play the game.

The third part of the partnership is a 12-week programme with a multisport focus in line with the national curriculum, delivered by Leeds United Primary Stars coaches, part of Leeds United Foundation. 

In addition to the physical side of the programme, the children will also have the opportunity to win tickets to Leeds United matches, and other prizes.