Cricket Reaching Schools Far & Wide Across Wales
2nd September 2024
| Mark Frost
Cricket Wales through our valued partner Chance to Shine has been able to extend our reach into Primary Schools across Wales.
Our programme involves our Cricket Development coaches now work year round in the academic calendar throughout Wales.
In our partnership with Chance to Shine we aim to introduce cricket to children at primary schools, providing opportunities for them to play regularly, form a love for the game and in doing so develop their wider wellbeing.
The Programme Objectives include;
- Develop the ‘whole child’ through cricket.
- Inspire and engage teachers to support their confidence level and develop their skills.
- Support the physical, mental and social recovery for children.
- Enable all children and teachers to say ‘cricket is a game for me’.
- Engage all children through purposeful, active, safe and enjoyable lessons.
Our offer to schools includes:
- Whole School Programmes, which involves and multi week visit to a school provide, play, learn, assembly and informal teacher CPD to a range of classes.
- In our 2023/24 academic year programme we highlighted a number of school with a 40%+ Free School Meals threshold to provide then with a whole school programme.
- Engagement Days - A one Day Cricket for All visit to a school where multiple classes will have the opportunity to take part in play session giving them a taster of cricket
- Festivals /Competitions - All schools in the programme plus other local schools are invite to our local festivals. These festivals are usually held at local cricket clubs.
A key objective is to offer children at the critical Primary school age a taste of cricket as part of their early sporting experiences.
An associated benefit of this programme is we promote our local cricket clubs and sing post children to club All Stars and Dynamos programmes and wider junior sections.
This has made a big impact in the amount of new children trying cricket for the first time at our local clubs.
Once again our All Stars and Dynamos programme number have topped 7,000 children Wales wide.
Our infographic highlights our schools and numbers of pupils involved accessing cricket at Primary School age.
Going forward we are delighted to announce Chance to Shine have confirmed our funding for our schools programmes for the next 2 academic years 2024-2026.
Our Development coaches will be back in schools this September!.
Development Manager Mark Frost said: "Our staff are working incredibly hard to offer a new and often a first sporting opportunity for so many chidlren across Wales. We know this a great first step into cricket and maybe a wider sporting journey for children across so many schools."