CASE STUDIES 2008
Date posted: 10 Dec 2008
1) EAST SURREY, September-October 2008
In collaboration with the East Surrey Schools Sports Partnership and various School Sports Co-ordinators (SSCOs), Jo Robinson (London/Surrey Community Squash & Racketball Coach) set up a
6-week programme which incorporated the following:-
• 4-5 weekly hour-long Squash skills sessions in School Halls/Gyms for over 100 Year 7-11 children in 5 Special Secondary Schools (for those with communication, learning & physical difficulties), with their final 1-2 sessions being held on the squash courts in their nearest Squash Clubs (Limpsfield & Warlingham) . By the end of the programme, the students of varying ages and abilities had learnt the basics of both Squash and Racketball and were able to play fun & competitive Team matches.
• 2 hour-long Mini Squash ‘Taster’ sessions in their School Hall for Year 4 & 5 children from Warlingham Village Primary School, linked to Warlingham Squash Club (working towards Charter status). In their third week, all 50 children then walked to the Club to take part in an Intra-School Mini Squash Festival Team Challenge involving Target Squash, Longest Rallies, Racket Relay Obstacle Races, a Squash Quiz and two of the pupils playing a couple of ‘exhibition’ games on court with the Coach.
The success of this particular half-term programme was due mainly to the involvement and enthusiasm of a number of supportive Warlingham Sports Club Members, some of whom had recently passed their Level 1 Mini Squash/Assistant Coach qualifications with a view to starting new ‘Warlingham Warriors’ Mini Squash After-School Club and Saturday sessions. Several Members even took time off work to help Jo with the on-court Squash and Racketball sessions with the Special Schoolchildren, and the Primary School ‘Tasters’ and Festival.
Promotional flyers, discount voucher prizes & certificates were handed out to the Festival children and several of them have since attended the Warlingham Warriors After-School Club and Junior sessions, with numbers growing to 15-20 after only a few weeks.
2) SOUTH LONDON/CROYDON AREA, November-December 2008
Following 6 weekly whole-class curriculum-time net/wall syllabus sessions of Mini Squash skills coaching in various South London/Croydon Primary School Halls delivered by Jo in 2006-7, 26 teachers from those schools subsequently attended a one-day Mini Squash Teachers Award workshop facilitated by ES tutor & Croydon SSCO, Rae Anderson. At the end of the workshop England Squash gave each School a free Mini Squash Wall and rackets to enable them to continue with Mini Squash. Eighteen months later, Rae and Jo invited those same schools to participate in a 3-week Team Teach ‘Refresher’ initiative, with Jo working with different staff to deliver a variety of whole-class Mini Squash/Multi-Skills (Warm-up/Circuits/Team Games/Cooldown) full morning or afternoon sessions in 10 different schools to over 500 children in 2½ days p.w. over a 6-week period during November-December 2008.
Jo Robinson, December 2008
In collaboration with the East Surrey Schools Sports Partnership and various School Sports Co-ordinators (SSCOs), Jo Robinson (London/Surrey Community Squash & Racketball Coach) set up a
6-week programme which incorporated the following:-
• 4-5 weekly hour-long Squash skills sessions in School Halls/Gyms for over 100 Year 7-11 children in 5 Special Secondary Schools (for those with communication, learning & physical difficulties), with their final 1-2 sessions being held on the squash courts in their nearest Squash Clubs (Limpsfield & Warlingham) . By the end of the programme, the students of varying ages and abilities had learnt the basics of both Squash and Racketball and were able to play fun & competitive Team matches.
• 2 hour-long Mini Squash ‘Taster’ sessions in their School Hall for Year 4 & 5 children from Warlingham Village Primary School, linked to Warlingham Squash Club (working towards Charter status). In their third week, all 50 children then walked to the Club to take part in an Intra-School Mini Squash Festival Team Challenge involving Target Squash, Longest Rallies, Racket Relay Obstacle Races, a Squash Quiz and two of the pupils playing a couple of ‘exhibition’ games on court with the Coach.
The success of this particular half-term programme was due mainly to the involvement and enthusiasm of a number of supportive Warlingham Sports Club Members, some of whom had recently passed their Level 1 Mini Squash/Assistant Coach qualifications with a view to starting new ‘Warlingham Warriors’ Mini Squash After-School Club and Saturday sessions. Several Members even took time off work to help Jo with the on-court Squash and Racketball sessions with the Special Schoolchildren, and the Primary School ‘Tasters’ and Festival.
Promotional flyers, discount voucher prizes & certificates were handed out to the Festival children and several of them have since attended the Warlingham Warriors After-School Club and Junior sessions, with numbers growing to 15-20 after only a few weeks.
2) SOUTH LONDON/CROYDON AREA, November-December 2008
Following 6 weekly whole-class curriculum-time net/wall syllabus sessions of Mini Squash skills coaching in various South London/Croydon Primary School Halls delivered by Jo in 2006-7, 26 teachers from those schools subsequently attended a one-day Mini Squash Teachers Award workshop facilitated by ES tutor & Croydon SSCO, Rae Anderson. At the end of the workshop England Squash gave each School a free Mini Squash Wall and rackets to enable them to continue with Mini Squash. Eighteen months later, Rae and Jo invited those same schools to participate in a 3-week Team Teach ‘Refresher’ initiative, with Jo working with different staff to deliver a variety of whole-class Mini Squash/Multi-Skills (Warm-up/Circuits/Team Games/Cooldown) full morning or afternoon sessions in 10 different schools to over 500 children in 2½ days p.w. over a 6-week period during November-December 2008.
Jo Robinson, December 2008