The SSP is made up of 48 schools ranging from infant, primary, MLD, SLD and secondary schools. The project is managed by Chris Hambleton (Partnership Development Manager) who is based at Rickmansworth School.

Chris works closely with 7 School Sport Co-ordinators (SSCo) who are based at the following secondary schools; St Joan of Arc, Parmiters, Rickmansworth, Garston Manor, St Clement Danes, St Michaels and Francis Combe.

Each SSCo is a qualified PE specialist and is released from teaching two days a week. During this time they liaise with PE coordinators, otherwise known as Primary Link Teachers (PLT) from 6 primary, infant or special schools. They also work closely with their PE department and heads of department.

The SSP one of eight streams of the PE, School Sport and Club Links (PESSCL) Strategy. To see the other seven streams of PESSCL and for more information please click here (PDF 807kb).

This strategy was established to ensure that 75% of pupils receive two hours a week of high quality by 2006. This target increase to 85% by 2008 and 100% of pupils receiving two of curriculum PE and being offered two hours of out of school hours learning (OSHL) by 2010. This target was set by the department for Education and Skills and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

So what does it all actually mean?

It means that for the first time there is a huge emphasis on PE and school sport. In the first year of the partnership over 500 teachers, teaching assistants and other volunteers from these schools have attended professional development courses.

More than 2000 pupils have represented their school in festivals and competitions ranging from dance to tag rugby and from high fives netball to athletics.

More than 75 new OSHL activities have been established in the first year. These include sailing, circus skills, trampoling, table tennis, girls football, speed stacking, cheer leading, aerobics and golf.

These programmes have enabled thousands of pupils to take part in physical activities that they would not usually have access to and encourage them to make a life long association with sport.

In order for many of these events to occur we have raised in excess of £50,000 of funding to pay for equipment, coaches and training.

We still need to do more!

After an excellent first year we are very aware that there is still lots of work to be done. With the 2012 Olympic Games on the horizon it truly is an exciting time for British Sport. There are thousands of pupils who do not take part in enough physical activity and we believe that we now have the framework in place to engage these pupils into sport.

However we need your help! We want more appropriate members of the community to become involved in school sport. We need parents and other family members to help staff run and organise extra curricular clubs.

We need local clubs to become more actively involved with schools. This is a great way for children to carry on participating I sport after the school day.

We are also interested in creating strong relationships with the local business community. We feel that becoming involved in the Three Rivers and Watford School Sports Partnership would be a fantastic way for business to create links with the family’s and pupils in the community.

If you are interested in becoming involved in the School Sports Partnership, please contact your local school or Chris Hambleton on 07870 503755 or email chambleton@rickmansworth.herts.sch.uk