5 a side football success!

Inspire students pulled out all the stops to run the 5 a side tournament for primary school students on Monday. The children had a fantastic day and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. We were impressed with the respect they showed for other teams and the skills displayed on the field.
One of the headteachers sent this really rather lovely comment:
“I was so amazed at the students who ran the football on Monday and rather blown away by the teacher who had believed in them and their achievement”

The students should be very proud, as was I, of their wonderful achievements – even those who retired early with sun stroke (hope you’re ok Ash!)

A full set of results to follow…in the meantime some photos taken by Inspire students themselves!

They’re here!!

Message to all Inspire students- the trophy and medals we ordered are here! One week to go and it’s happening!
Get your sports t shirts and joggers washed, those speeches written and keep practising the warm ups for the big day (8th. July).
Just a quick extra- you will need permission slips in by this Friday latest.
Exciting!

Inspire 5 a side tournament cup

Monday 8th July sees the launch of the Inspire 5 a side football tournament, organised by Inspire students for years 4,5 and 6.
The tournament will start at 3.45pm and run until about 5-5.30pm including a short awards presentation in which we will discover which team has earned 1st, 2nd and 3rd place and who has won the Man of the Match and Fair Play awards.
The tournament has been designed to promote teamwork, leadership, organisation, discipline and confidence, all skills which Inspire students have gained working on planning the tournament too.
We look forward to seeing you there to support the teams and to watch Inspire students in action on the day as leaders.

Gold medallist Tim Prendergast visits Inspire students

 

Tim Prendergast visited Inspire students today as part of Sky Sports Living for Sport Change Your Game programme.

He spoke about his ambitions as a child, before losing his sight, and tracked the highs and lows of his athletics career. Students were enthralled as he spoke about winning the Gold medal in Athens and felt inspired by his story of wanting to give up when he lost out on the medals in Beijing but finding faith in himself agin through the power of positive thought. Students also reflected that being the best you can be and ‘running the best race you can’ was more important than winning the medal. 

A variety of activities (including the rope of fear and guess the celebrity relay) encouraged students to think creatively and as a team, as well as improve communication and organisation skills. 

At the end of the session Tim was asked what the best piece of advice he had every been given was. He said “making one small change in your life, makes a massive difference to the outcome of it. Just by thinking positively and approaching things with a positive attitude, you will achieve more.”

Here’s a great photo of the group and of the gold medal too – which all the students were allowed to try on and hold – a very special day!

Photos have been sent on to local press and we look forward to seeing the story in print soon! Thanks to Tim and well done to all those who came along and got involved. 

Ambition

Inspire students have been thinking about the hard work, drive and motivation needed for success prior to our visiting Paralympic athlete visit this month. As part of this work we considered what ambition students had when they were younger, perhaps at Primary school. For most of them this was crystal  clear and highly memorable. For many, they had either lost the desire to pursue this ambition or no longer thought it was possible. 

Students spent some time considering where they would like to be if they could see 10 years into the future. What job they would like to have and what else they would like to have achieved. 

We split up the goals and ambitions into:

I will: (writing down and committing to an achievable but challenging goal that requires dedication and hard work – e.g. pass three A Levels, attend University, become a professional writer)

I hope to: (writing down a dream, a ‘make your life’ goal – e.g. find the cure for a terminal illness, be the next world champion)

I might also: (things that may also happen as part of this plan – e.g. travel extensively, make a difference to others).

These ambitions were sealed in envelopes to be opened during the GCSE preparation as a reminder for why we work so hard in school and what it is all for.

So impressed with the bravery and honesty shown in this week’s session. Especially (but not exclusively) from the Year Nines. Wow. You guys are really growing up – and into really nice people!

Gold Medal Athlete Visits!

The exciting confirmation came through this week that these two successful Paralympic athletes will be coming to visit Inspire students in the coming weeks and talking about their achievements (including winning Paralympic gold!). As part of Sky Sports Living Change Your Game programme, the athletes aim to encourage participation in sports, as well as improving motivation, leadership and boost confidence.

Students are currently undertaking research about the athletes and preparing questions for their visit. The day will be well documented, hopefully including photos and film, and this will contribute to our Inspire Summer Movie, showcasing the work form this term including the summer sports tournament and athlete visits.
Exciting and inspiring times ahead!

Change Your Game

Linking up with Sky Sports Living project this term to organise and run a sports tournament as a way of exploring the discipline, organisation, leadership and teamwork skills necessary. Students will design the event, promote it and run it on the day, taking on a variety of roles such as photographer, media, journalism, coach, referee etc.
Watch this space for more information about the event (which will happen in July).
http://livingforsport.skysports.com/