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How we did it

Sport for all

From fencing to fishing, there's a sport for everyone at Needham Market Middle School. PE teacher Jessica Finbow explains how the school's sporting ethos led to it winning the NUT-sponsored 'state school of the year' prize at the 2010 Daily Telegraph/Aviva School Sport Matters Awards.

We're a small middle school, with just 280 pupils, but we punch above our weight in sporting terms. This is due, in no small part, to the support of Gipping Valley School Sports Partnership (SSP). Based here, Partnership Co-ordinator Dave Hall has enabled us to offer a huge range of sports.

We do the traditional netball, football, rugby and hockey, but also fishing, lacrosse, fencing, indoor curling and even frisbee-golf, all thanks to the partnership. Kevin Cook, my PE colleague, and I have been able to learn about an array of activities, acquire the necessary equipment, and introduce them in PE lessons or extra-curricular clubs.

Some pupils tried lacrosse at a partnership day and asked if we could do it at school. The partnership provided us with a lacrosse kit and a scheme of work, which was handy as I had no experience of lacrosse!

It's important to make sports enjoyable, fun and sociable, and to offer a variety. Each year a survey tells us what pupils participate in, what they enjoy most, and what they'd like to do next. Activities such as fencing, fishing and boxing have come out of this.

Through the partnership we've made contact with local sports clubs, including running, football, gymnastics and athletics clubs. Their coaches come in to deliver sessions, which leads to lots of pupils joining up and enjoying sports out of school.

Young leaders

All our Year 8 pupils do four hours of sports leadership with Dave, as part of our personal, social and health education (PHSE) curriculum. They learn how to lead a session, organise a group, and set up and adapt a sports practice. It's great for confidence-building, learning organisational skills, co-operation and peer support.

They can do additional leadership hours in extra-curricular clubs with Kevin or me. They might take charge of lunchtime practices or referee games after school. It gives a sense of ownership of the sport - and a better understanding of the teacher's role!

This year we've got a group organising intra-school sports. Pupils play form versus form - last night it was Year 6 football and netball. Our young sport leaders organise everything, get the equipment ready and officiate each match. The aim is to get as many children participating as possible and give pupils who might not be selected to represent the school the chance to participate in competitive games.

Extra curricular activities

Almost 70 per cent of our pupils are now involved in extra curricular sport. The number has risen by about a third due to all the extra activities we offer. Indoor rowing in particular has attracted many who wouldn't come to a traditional sports club. The older girls often aren't interested in competitive, outdoor games, but the rowing really appeals to them. They like being able to do it on their own, at their own pace.

We've done competitive indoor rowing against another school, and now we're looking at rowing competitions over the net against schools in South Africa, as an international partnership project in the run-up to the 2012 Olympics.

Looking ahead, the sky's the limit! We're introducing boxing and street dance next term. And we're looking forward to the arrival of our dance mats and Trixter exercise bikes - again funded and sourced by the partnership. These will give more opportunities for individual and group participation, with exciting possibilities using computer screens and internet technology.

Save our school sports

When we heard about the Government's withdrawal of funding for SSPs, the whole school was devastated. With just two PE teachers, we were worried about how to maintain everything we've started. I began my teaching career here five years ago, in the first year of the partnership, so I've never known PE without it.

It's encouraging that the Prime Minister has asked Michael Gove to think again. SSPs give children a lifelong love of sport, helping them keep healthy and avoid problems such as obesity. They're too valuable to abolish.