Investing in Sport
In 2003 the Government announced a £459 million
investment in PE and School Sport. This was to fund the ‘School
Sport Co-ordinator programme’, in which primary schools join with
local secondary schools to form partnerships for the development
of PE and sport.
Since September 2003 Lewisham has been developing
these partnerships and approximately half of the Borough‘s
schools are involved. Six secondary schools are to each work with
a range of five to 10 primaries. The six secondary schools, including
Catford Girls from amongst the SET secondaries, have appointed a
part-time 'School Sport Co-ordinator' to work with their ‘family’
of primary schools. Each primary has allocated a ‘link teacher’
to work with their Secondary’s Sports Co-ordinator.
The co-ordinators and link teachers have conducted
an in-depth audit of facilities, resources, staff expertise, out-of-school-hours
provision etc. This information will be used to devise a draft ‘Partnership
Development Plan’, which everyone can see and contribute to.
This will form the basis of plans to start to make a difference
to the young people of the Borough.
Each secondary schools hosts a ‘launch event’.
This involves representative pupils from each of the primary schools
going to their linked secondary school for a festival of sporting
activities, ranging from dance to gymnastics, trampolining to football,
basketball to netball. These festivals will be repeated on a regular
basis in the future. There will also be an increase in support for
the excellent work and range of activities that already exist within
the schools.
