DfE Volunteer Leaders Programme 2017 / 18


The volunteers taking part in this programme were a mix of male and female students aged between 16 and 18. They were recruited via an existing network with a cluster of 6th form Secondary schools in the North Wiltshire area, who Wiltshire and Swindon Sport work closely with in many fields. This relationship has allowed the WASP to annually recruit volunteers who have an interest in sport and volunteering since 2015.


All the volunteers are very passionate about sport, taking part and competing in numerous sporting disciplines.


They were recruited via the SSCO at Abbeyfield Secondary school in Chippenham, part of a large cluster of over 30 Primary and Secondary schools.


Comments from this years group of young volunteers:


“To date, over this academic year, we have volunteered at several events which included the Wiltshire and Swindon Winter School Games held at Dauntsey’s School in Market Lavington. We played a supportive role to the WASP team and the schools that took part. For the smaller events we volunteered at, we found that we were very helpful as it allowed the organisers to concentrate on the event in hand. Jobs included, collecting score sheets, taking photos and preparing prizes as well as answering enquires from the school staff. We found it helpful to volunteer at both the small-scale events and the larger county wide games which were held for the first time at Dauntsey’s School, as it gave us more insight into the school games programme and volunteering generally.”


“It was a great experience to volunteer at all levels of the school games, but it was particularly beneficial at the Winter Wiltshire School Games event in Market Lavington, as we were


part of a new event happening for the first time. It was great to see how all the hard work put in by the WASP team, schools, teachers and children came together, resulting in a fantastic event and experience.”


As a group, they summarised a few pros and cons of the scheme:


PROS


 Gained sports coaching qualifications & first aid qualifications (which some of us have since used !!)


 Fantastic scheme for school leavers (6th formers) keen to follow this career path


 Access to many resources and contacts to help further career


 A greater understanding of school sport


 Opportunity for more young people to get involved in sport and build confidence


 Guidance from the WASP team and School SSCO


CONS


 Struggled with finding time to attend some events due to events being in school time


 Sometimes couldn’t get to events due to distances involved and lack of transport.


“Overall, we think the scheme is a fantastic opportunity and we were very pleased to be involved in in it. We found it very helpful to learn a more about school games and event management. The experience on the programme, made us all feel so much more confident when assisting with events and competitions both at school games events and in our own clubs. We also had the opportunity to go on various coaching courses and gain a certificate in first aid. We were encouraged to take part by some of our school friends who were involved last year, and we would encourage anyone with an interest in sport and / or volunteering, to get involved and sign up for next year.”


School Games Mark


The School Games Mark is now in its 7th year and continues to reward schools for their commitment to and development of competition, school sport, physical education and physical activity. Schools assess themselves across bronze, silver and gold levels of the award and, for those schools that can demonstrate a sustained high level of delivery, the Platinum award.


School Games Mark is directly linked to a schools engagement in the School Games. This needs to reflect a broad and balanced offer that actively encourages those young people that aren’t currently engaged or who are engaged less often. This isn’t about provision for a small cohort of young people but needs to consider ALL the school’s population.


14 Wiltshire and Swindon Relay Kingdown Secondary School Gold Award Winners Mrs Hodge, Holt Primary School


A special well done to Holt Primary who achieved the Platinum Award this year following a successful application and four years in a row of achieving the Gold standard. Only 100 schools in the Country have achieved this award.


In West Wilts last year 11 schools achieved the Gold Award, 11 Silver and 4 Bronze.


Gold Winners include: Wylye Valley, Crockerton, Sutton Veny, Fitzmaurice, Castle Mead, St John’s, Bitham Brook, Horningsham, Holt and Chapmanslade.


Gold Winners


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