Christ the Word School in Rhyl, north Wales, have just embarked upon an exciting Panathlon journey.
They hosted a recent multiskills event – their first-ever Panathlon event, and it was one that was a little fraught with nerves.
Teacher Andy Morris, who has worked in sport and leisure for 20 years and been a teacher for the last decade, admits that the school were initially apprehensive due to a fear of the unknown – but after a meeting with Panathlon COO Tony and events manager Dom, they decided they would host an event for themselves and for other local schools.
“As we are a through school, modern build, it seemed an immediate fit, especially following the initial discussion about events,” he explains, adding that the school is currently in special measures and needed to be sure they were doing the right thing. “It was certainly a risk well worth taking having seen the positive impact and experience.”
He adds: “Panathlon were superb at integrating into the school. All children remained thoroughly engaged throughout the event, including our high school learners who supported as leaders. Feedback from all learners involved was extremely positive, including the other schools. The experience was exceptional given the level of inclusivity and opportunity it provided towards enhancing our high school learners’ understanding of additional learning needs and how to support learners with these qualities.”
Indeed, Mr Morris says that some of the older leaders are already thinking about how they might be able to support similar events in the future, whether that’s in school or an outside opportunity, while the participants are experiencing enhanced self-esteem and self-confidence.
“Participating in such an event helped learners and families realise there are events and opportunities available to them which are able to fully cater for their needs,” he says. “Hopefully over time, this will help translate to greater uptake in disability sport within the area should opportunities allow. Similarly, there was an improved realisation that there are many others with ALN, so they aren’t alone.”
He adds: “This helped strengthen our inclusive school community by encouraging greater empathy, teamwork and respect across all children, whilst some of the activities helped build confidence, resilience and physical wellbeing.”
And for any other schools considering starting a Panathlon journey, he advises: “Schools are extremely busy places and sometimes events can be time-consuming and create anxiety, but Panathlon events are certainly well worth it given the enjoyment and impact this had on ALN learners and older game leaders creating an exceptionally positive memory and increased confidence for all children involved.”
