Introduction to the new academic year

AN EXCITING YEAR AHEAD FOR PRIMARY SPORTS/MUSIC!!

It’s that time of year again for us as we prepare our staff to deliver our high-quality programmes across Devon, Somerset, Cornwall and Dorset. We will be working in 8 new schools this academic year joining the other 38 that we already deliver our programmes to across the South West of England. Below is a summary from Me (Marc Troman) which highlights the year ahead and the exciting news that we want to share!

TRANING DAYS 

We have had three fantastic training days which focused on differentiation within sport, barriers of coaching, CPD delivery, safeguarding Level 2 delivered by Jayne Dibble from Babcock, mindfulness, and autism within sport. This is by far the most talented and dedicated group of coaches that I’ve had since we started in 2010 and I am sure it’s going to be a very successful year for us. One of our main targets this year is to have several Music/Sport events happening where Nathan Keast (Mid Devon director) and Fay Nelmes (Primary Music Owner) work alongside each other to put together a Festival of Sport and Music, which will showcase the talents of our young children in both these areas. This will be a exciting opportunity for our children and also to demonstrate how both music and sport can enhance the learning of all children. 

NEW MEMBERS OF STAFF

We are pleased to have two new coaches who are joining our coaching team. Greg Hooper will be working at a primary school in Tiverton full time and I have high expectations of him to be very successful with us as he’s had plenty of experience working with Exeter City delivering their programmes across the county and has just finished his PGCE in Primary Education. We also have Liam Wollington joining us who is our apprentice from Exeter College and he will be working alongside me as well leading all aspects of teaching at Cockwood Primary School. I’m all pleased that one of our former coaches Jemima Brooker is returning to work with our company part time following maternity leave after the birth of her first child. She brings a wealth of experience to our team and will work closely with me focusing on coaches’ development. 

NEW FRANCHISEES JOING OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM

We also have three new Franchise owners who have joined our management team to progress their careers with Primary Sports. We have Tia and Jemma Sloman who are managing the North Devon region. Both the girls have worked as a lead coaches within our set up for the last two academic years and have built a fantastic reputation within their schools and at Tarka Tennis Centre in Barnstaple where they have been delivering a whole range of tennis programmes to the local community. Tia recently got nominated for Young Coach of the Year through Active Devon for inspiring young children to succeed in tennis across the county which is a credit to her. And lastly, we have Ellen Blackwood who will be managing East Dorset and Hampshire. Ellen has been working part time for Primary Sports whilst studying for her Masters at Exeter University and wants to take on the added responsibility of managing her own team. During the time that Ellen has been with us she has shown a great work ethic and attitude towards her current role working as a lead coach with the Acorn Academy Trust and will be very successful in running her own franchise. 

PRIMARY FOREST SCHOOL AND EDUCATION 

We are proud to announce that we are offering a new set of programmes and schemes to schools from January 2019 in the form of forest schools provision and outdoor education. Ellen is currently studying for her forest school qualification which will completed by the start of 2019 and she will manage these programmes across the South West of England. The programmes will seek to inspire children through hands-on activities with opportunities to succeed within their learning. The nurturing of the children’s independence, self-esteem/confidence and social skills are one of the aims of the programmes. 

ACTIVE DEVON PILOT SCHEME - School Sports funding

At the back end of the summer term Topsham Primary school took part in a pilot scheme run by Active Devon which investigated how the school were spending their sports premium grant and the impact that it has had on the children and teachers. Active Devon interviewed several teachers, children and parents and all highlighted the impact that our coach (Nathan Keast) was having within the school. Please follow the link for the full interview. The interview highlights the outstanding quality of provision and the impact that Nathan has had within the school.

https://activedevon.org/partners/primary-pe-sport-premium/

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=t1-gFUCFDfQ

HOLIDAY CAMP PROVISION

IN October 2017 our holiday camps were awarded as a learning destination by the Children’s University Scheme based at Plymouth University.  Children who are signed up to the scheme can accumulate stamps and once they hit a certain amount they receive prizes from the university. For more details please follow the link to see how your school or children can benefit from this fantastic opportunity - https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/business-partners/partnerships/childrens-university

We have several NEW holiday camps taking part across the South West so please keep checking our website and our FB page for more details. 

Lastly, I am thoroughly looking forward to the new year ahead as so many children are going to benefit from the programmes that we offer in the local schools as well as in the community.

Marc Troman 

Owner of Primary Sports and Education