Ten youngsters from Beatrice Tate School in Tower Hamlets competed with skill and enthusiasm at Harrow Lodge Sports Centre in Havering, beating rivals from five other special schools to become East London Xtend champions!
Forty-six students from four east London boroughs took part in a series of sporting activities over several hours of competition to see who would take home the honours.
The competition was magnificently officiated by 15 young leaders from Eastbrook School in Barking and Dagenham (pictured below), who provided support and compassion and were professional throughout.
Mrs Nicholas said, “It is fantastic to see my sports leaders enjoying the event, interacting with the children and seeing the joy that this competition brings. I believe Panathlon is such an amazing organisation providing pupils the opportunity to participate in a variety of sports in a safe and inclusive environment, supported by young leaders and support staff.
“My leaders are very grateful for the experience and we look forward to working with Panathlon again as it develops excellent leadership skills and empathy for them all.”
Peace, one of the young leaders, said, ”Today was an amazing experience, I really enjoyed interacting with the children. Thank you for this opportunity.”
There was further positive feedback from Catalina, a teacher from Little Heath School in Redbridge, who commented, “This is not our first experience of Panathlon and our students get a lot out of it and have demonstrated great teamwork and new skills.“
Adam, a competitor from Little Heath, said, “It’s been really good fun! I love all the different games!”
Nadia, a teacher from Newbridge School, added, “It’s been a wicked event! It’s been really good for the kids, they love it! I have absolutely no criticism, there is just the right level of competition and all the sports are very interactive.”
Finally after all the sports were competed for, Beatrice Tate School won through and Antoni Montagut, one of their teaching staff, said, “It’s amazing to win overall, it’s been a wonderful day of competition, but great fun at the same time!”
Thanks to Jack Petchey Foundation for funding the Panathlon Xtend programme in London & Essex.
