Trumacar become only second school in area to pick up Platinum School Sports Award

It was a fantastic addition to the other awards the school has achieved over the last nine years and shows a strong continuing promotion of school sports and a healthy lifestyle.

The school has held the Gold Award for the last four years under the excellent leadership of Chris Beckett, who has not only been promoting school sport at Trumacar, but has also been used in other schools within Lancashire and Cumbria to try and spread good practice surrounding sport in schools.

Headteacher Paul Slater said: “It is a wonderful accolade to the hard work Chris and his supporting team have put into sport and school games over the last six years.

“Trumacar is proud to be involved in all of the local events as well as providing new and exciting opportunities for children to get involved in being healthy and keeping fit.

“He is inspirational as a teacher and inspirational as a school sports leader and this has been commented on by Heysham High Sports Coordinator Tim Fletcher as well.

“Chris is one of those guys who has an idea, thinks about it and then simply makes it happen.”

However, in order to achieve the award, the majority of the work and commitment came from the children themselves, and they even had the pleasure of working out alongside Jessica Ennis-Hill, Craig Heap, Jeremy Simpson, Graham Hicks, Aden Woodall, Morecambe FC players and manager Jim Bentley during a variety of sports promotion events at the school and their annual world class sports week.

One of the school games crew manager leaders Isaac Hewitt said: “We enter lots of competitions and it is great that everybody has the opportunity to represent the school throughout the year.”

Shijanan Aruleselvam – a Year 6 pupil and school games crew leader – explained: “Every year, I look forward to sports week – it is the highlight of my school year.

“I love meeting and playing sport with celebrities as it inspires me to take part in clubs both in school and out of school too.”

Another school games crew leader manager Lucas Hedger added: “We are very lucky to be involved in leading playground sports.

“It has given me lots of confidence for when I go to high school.”

To achieve the Platinum Award the school has been involved over the years with the training of 90 school games crew leaders, who now plan, organise and deliver daily competitions at play times and lunch times to engage as many other children as possible.

They have also worked alongside other school PE Leaders to further promote competition and sport in school, as well as planning and delivering an annual sports week for the whole school, including leading the early years, infants and juniors sports days.

The school has also maintained active links with outside coaches – including for Korfball, Cricket, Athletics, Football and Dodgeball, as well as coaches from Morecambe FC, All Stars Cricket, Activ8 Self Defence, Lancaster City Gymnastics Club, Heysham Atoms Rugby, Lancaster and Morecambe College, British Dodgeball, NLDCC Football, Little Kickers, and Laura Sandham School of Dance.

Over 95 per cent of Trumacar’s junior children have been involved in school sport on a weekly basis plus the school entered as many local competitions as possible, including sending B and C teams and holding seven Intra School competitions throughout the year on site.

Chris Beckett said: “Having brought in inspirational people like Craig Heap (Olympic gymnast and BBC commentator), Graham Hicks (Britain’s Strongest Man), Aden Woodall (Team GB Dodgeball player) and Jeremy Simpson (Championship football referee) as well as winning a competition and having Jessica Ennis-Hill in the school has simply been incredible.

“These superstars have lit the fire in our children’s imagination and allowed them to think and be like an Olympic athlete.

“To think of the dream, and know that with hard work, a good attitude and a self-belief they can achieve anything.

“I am in awe of these stars of our sports and the children couldn’t believe that they were real people who could give such great advice directly to them.

“Totally inspirational and to top this with the amazing Steve Cody doing the Cha Cha Plank three times in the school to raise money and awareness for CancerCare.”

Trumacar holds its sports week annually and engages with community, county and national organisations to provide children with the opportunity to try new sports and to excel.

Its aim next year is to increase this offer and drive forward a plan to invite all community groups into the school to enthuse and engage the children in a whole plethora of out of school activities that are available on their doorstep.

Mr Slater added: “I am simply so proud of everyone involved and so pleased for our school and the pupils we serve.”