During February Half Term at Northampton Academy, we were delighted to welcome the Sports Leaders from the County Leadership Academy to attend our first face-to-face session of the academic year. It was great to issue all the leaders from across ten schools with their LCV Leadership Academy Hoodies, which were worn with pride by all.
The day incorporated the following elements:
Team Building:
Given that this was the first time we had gathered this year’s cohort of leaders together, it was important that the students got to know each other we took them out of their school group comfort zone through some fun activities. Mrs Carter-Morris led two great activities: Winter Luge and Spaghetti/Marshmallow tower building to encourage the students to work together.
Cricket Practical:
Northants County Cricket Club provided two coaches who delivered a session focussing on cricket skill games practice. The Year One Leaders were then provided with a resource card and asked to set up and teach the cricket activity to the rest of the group. Year Two leaders were asked to set up a Dynamos Cricket game to mimic what they will be required to do at the County School Games Finals in July. All the leaders did really well. When reviewing sessions, the STEP principle was used:
Space – Is the area appropriate for the activity?
Task – How can you change the activity?
Equipment – How can you adapt the equipment for the needs of the children?
People – How do you group children quickly? Where are they positioned?
Session planning and next steps:
Following further team building activities, including two-person bobsleigh, the leaders reviewed and critiqued a series of anonymous session plans that the leaders had written and submitted. This exercise allowed the leaders to see how others had approached the task and the content they included, hopefully allowing them to consider what needs to be included in their future session plans. Leaders were then grouped by their schools, providing an opportunity to start their medium-term planning for their in-school project. This time together was precious, allowing the leaders to discuss and finalise their plans before approaching their in-school mentor to confirm their start date, cohort, etc.
The final part of the session separately grouped the Year One Leaders and the Year Two Leaders. Year One Leaders met with Mrs Carter-Morris to discuss their role at the Get Active Festival at the Summer School Games on Thursday 7th July 2022 and how they will use the Wonder Woman resources to deliver the festival. Miss Lawrence met with the Year Two Leaders to talk through their role before the County School Games Cricket Finals and their role on the day. All leaders were advised that there will be an additional face-to-face session taking place over the Easter holidays – the intention of this session will be to provide some Cricket Officiating training and First Aid training. All Year One Leaders were given their County Leadership hoodie.