Mini Leaders Programme
In November 2009, the Campsmount Pyramid became a pilot study for a new initiative which is going to be launched into Doncaster in 2010. The new initiative was an idea given to Clair Knowland the Campsmount School Sports Co-ordinator on a training course she attended at the end of 2008. Following this, the Campsmount Primary Link Teacher’s were approached and asked if they would like to be used to pilot the study in their pyramid and look at rolling the initiative out across their schools during the beginning of 2010.
The initial idea had come from the Derby School Sports Partnership, where certain budding sports students in Key Stage 1 get selected to train up as mini sports leaders to develop small games in the playground at lunchtimes.
In November 2009, Norton Infants School kindly volunteered to be the hosts for the first pilot training session. The Primary Link Teachers from Askern Moss Road and Askern Childrens Centre, the 2 other Infant Schools in the pyramid also attended the training. 20 students, consisting of 10 boys and 10 girls from Year 2 attended the training and working alongside Sports Leaders from the Campsmount Leadership Academy completed their training.
The students looked at how to set equipment out and organise small games safely and effectively, how to give clear instructions on how to play and showing examples of this and finally how to help children if they found a game difficult. The students took it in turn to lead each other in small groups and then helped each other progress and build up their confidence, by giving constructive criticism.
All the staff who attended the training commented on it being a very useful programme that they will look at building into their PE programme this year, to develop leadership and volunteering in their schools. This will then be a fantastic opportunity to build a framework prior to the playground leader’s scheme, which has proved a huge success, which we already run at both of our junior schools.
So watch out we will soon have keen budding mini sports leaders leading the way in sport at our Infant Schools across Doncaster! C.Knowland (Campsmount School Sports Co-ordinator)
