News

Bexhill Academy, in Sunderland, successfully secured funding from the Community Foundation / Schools North East collaboration to start a project that enabled the school to build a ‘multi-sports court’.

The project aim was to improve the sporting provision on the school playground by implementing a multi use sports area and an outdoor climbing area.

Community Foundation

The project was funded through a partnership between the Community Foundation and Schools North East. The partnership behind the funding began in 2021. Schools North East teamed up with the Community Foundation to make over £100,000 of funding available for schools in Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, Northumberland, and North and South Tyneside.

The funding aimed to embed cultural capital through outdoor education, physical activity and sport. Funding was provided for projects that focused on providing a broader enriched curriculum to support students in-school learning, raise levels of pride and appreciation of the region, and develop cultural capital within school settings.

Bexhill Academy get active

Bexhill Academy received  £4,000 from the funding to allow them to build the sports court which has provided the students with new experiences, different to those they would normally come across at playtimes, after school clubs and in lessons.

The project came about following data from Sport England’s Active Lives Children and Young People survey which showed that a third of children are currently doing fewer than 30 minutes of physical activity a day.  Used for PE lessons, lunchtimes, playtimes and after-school clubs, the multi-sports court has encouraged a focus on team sports and games daily.

There has also been a noticeable increase in pupil premium childrens’ levels of participation in sport at playtimes and after-school clubs encouraging ‘sport for all’  as well as enjoying success in local and regional competitions.

Suzanne Gamble, project lead at Bexhill Academy said:

“The multi-sports court we had built with the Community Funding has helped develop hockey, basketball and netball within our school. It has helped to develop their skills to play these particular styles of games but also to increase their fitness levels too.”

Enabling varied experiences

Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East added:

“Brilliant work from Bexhill Academy who have enabled the pupils to enrich their in-school experience through the ‘multi-sports court’. Improvements in physical and mental wellbeing are positive side-effects to doing daily exercise and the academy has found a way of promoting this for all of  their pupils.”

Bexhill Academy is a Schools North East Partner School and they are pare of WISE Multi Academy Trust who are a Schools North East Partner Trust. If you’d like to find out more about our Partner School Programme click here.

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