Pathways to Lifelong Participation

Active Schools, despite its name, goes beyond the school.  It’s an ethos – the desire to see children and young people engaged in an active lifestyle that will positively affect their involvement in physical activity and sport, now and into the future.  Schools have a major role to play, with the idea that they become the hub for delivering a varied programme of activities which can be continued in a community setting.

Active Schools builds links within the wider community in order to allow pupils to continue developing their sporting experience outside of school.  These relationships – with sports clubs or other community groups - are key to a lasting impact on behaviour, as they enable pupils to develop their own sporting experience outside of the confines of school. 

This may be as simple as continuing to play a sport or physical activity socially with people that have a similar interest. Likewise it may result in more serious participation in sport, developing through the club structures into competitive sport.

Club Links in Practice

There are a number of ways in which a strong link with sports clubs in the community can be developed and benefit everyone involved; pupils, Active Schools and the club. 

For example: If an Active Schools Coordinator identified the desire from pupils to have basketball sessions, they could approach their local basketball club to ask if their club coach could come along to the school to run a series of sessions for the pupils. If the pupils enjoyed the sessions and wanted more opportunities to play or develop their skills further, then the club coach could encourage the pupils to attend the club, thus increasing the clubs junior membership and increasing the number and amount of time pupils were being active.

In this scenario everyone’s a winner! Active Schools benefits because they have an additional volunteer from the club delivering activity.  The interested pupils have benefited because they have the chance to develop their interest in a new sport.  The club have also benefited because they have some new junior members.

Interested in finding out more?

If you are a club interested in building links with your local Active Schools Network, simply contact your local school and ask to speak to the Active Schools Coordinator.  They’ll be able to advise you on their current plans, and how you can work together to build a school-club link.