Playground Leaders Scheme at Norton Junior School
Norton Junior School first started the Playground Leaders Programme in 2008, working alongside sports leaders from year 9 at Campsmount Technology College. They then continued to run the programme alone last year and they looked at setting the programme up on site to develop participation at lunch times within their school and also the Infants School next door.
This programme has now developed where various sports leaders are trained up at the start of the year to deliver small games to younger students and they also go over to the Infants School on different lunch times and deliver games to the students at key stage one.
Norton have tried to look at different unique activities to keep the students entertained and interested, therefore offering a varied mix of activities, which helps promote healthy fitness and lifestyles within their school. This also runs paramount to the fact that Norton Juniors achieved their healthy schools gold award last year.
Students take part in circus activities for example using spinning tops and mini stilt walking to participating in the normal games activities. The school have also just purchased a new boom box and IPOD to use outside to choreograph routines to in dance and cheerleading, using money donated from the Extended Schools Services.
As the School Sports Co-ordinator for this pyramid it has been fantastic to stand back and look at the progression this school has made in making this scheme such a huge success and to see the students delivering the activities in their clearly marked uniform is aspiring. A great step in the right direction for leadership and volunteering Norton – Well Done!!
C.Knowland
(Campsmount School Sports Co-ordinator)