County Young Coach Academy

Harris SSP is a Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire lead school in Leadership, Coaching and Volunteering. As such we deliver our annual secondary leadership programme, the County Young Coach Academy (CYCA). The academy aims to support and develop the Young Coaches in the transition from school based participation and coaching to a community environment. The pathway provided between developing young coaches in schools to a community setting will provide an opportunity for the Young Coaches to gain greater insight and experience into the requirements of being an ‘Outstanding’ Coach. The Academy is set up in partnership with Youth Sport Trust and is fully funded and there will be no cost for the Young Coaches. 25 Young People Aged 14 – 19 years will be selected to be part of the CYCA and develop into outstanding coaches of the future.

The central workshops this year will be: 1. Introduction to the Young Coach Academy, 2. Practical Coaching Ideas, 3. Coaching Philosophy/Honesty and Ethics the core, 4. Understanding Participants. These workshops will be run after school.

The aim of the programme is to upskill and develop the Young coaches, providing them with a start on their coaching journey, but also to offer opportunities through participation to the young people within schools.

Any young person, who wants to develop as a coach, gain coaching qualifications, receive training and are committed to actively coaching within a school and/or a community setting, please contact Neil Huddlestone via email on coach@harris.covmat.org

Ready Set Ride:

The Ready Set Ride Programme is a programme that engages Primary, Nursery and Pre-schools. The programme aims to upskill ‘lead teachers’ within these settings to develop cycling within their school/nursery, be it balance bikes or pedal bikes.

Benefits for the School/Deliverer:

• Provides teachers and parents with the skills and confidence to give it a go.
• Simple learn to ride programme that connects schools and families to a shared activity and valuable life skill.
• Supports a school to work with families and parents as part of helping children achieve their recommended CMO guidance of 60 minutes of daily physical activity.

For the Young People:

• Easy to follow steps, through playing fun games and activities, both on and off the bike, increasing confidence and skills.
• Children can start their cycling journey at any point. All activities and games are stage and ability specific and not age or time dependent, allowing children to progress at their own pace.
• At the end of each set of games children are encouraged to complete a series of challenges to recognise and reward their progress and achievements with certificates.
• To enable every child to discover the joy of cycling and use it to explore their world through active travel, recreation or sport.

If you are a subscribed school and wish to participate in the programme or find out more information, or if you are a school wishing to subscribe to the partnership please contact Simon King on 01788 812549 ext 2906 or email pdm@harris.covmat.org

FA Barclays Girls’ Football Partnership:

We are extremely excited this to be an FA Barclays Girls’ Football School Partner, making us one of the only hub schools in the country.

This is an extremely exciting piece of development work to be part of as we work to build a robust, committed and well-supported infrastructure of education-based FA Girls’ Football School Partnerships (FAGFSP) to create strategic partnerships with families of schools which will grow and develop girls’ football. Our strategy is to build an infrastructure through which fantastic bespoke programmes can be delivered which engage, excite and encourage girls and young women to make football a part of their life.

The programme is comprised of the following:

• An opportunity to attend an inaugural FAGFSP national networking day.
• Active Literacy Primary Playgrounds course.
• Game Of Our Own Training for Teachers, Game Of Our Own Football Activators Camps for young leaders.
• Strategic support to develop Girls Football within your Primary school.
• Links to Wildcats centre for afterschool clubs.
• Delivery of The FA Primary Teachers Award (Primary staff CPD).
• Delivery of The FA Secondary Teachers Award (Secondary staff CPD).
• Disney Active Play Through Storytelling and Afterschool Club training for staff.

If you are a subscribed school and wish to participate in the programme or find out more information, or if you are a school wishing to subscribe to the partnership please contact Barclays Girls Football Lead, Simon King on 01788 812549 ext 2906 or email pdm@harris.covmat.org