My first visit to Ridgeview School in Tonbridge Kent was fantastic. I enjoyed seeing the Panathlon trophies proudly displayed in the Trophy Cabinet in reception. It’s great to see Panathlon meaning so much to the school.
I then met and trained a group of 7 leaders with learning disabilities. I covered 3 of the Panathlon Sports over a 2 hour period & supported 2 of local sports coaches to continue the work over the next 3 weeks in the other Panathlon sports.
These leaders have been involved in the Panathlon Team in the last few years and now, as older members of their school, are becoming the coaches for the next generation of Panathlon stars. The purpose of this training was to support these leaders, to help them grasp the rules and give them coaching tips to enable their team to be ready come next years competition.
The leaders finished with a quiz asking them to score a boccia game, which they found easier as the game continued. Their teacher, Lorraine Stapleton believes that they will get a lot from this program, particularly in the coming weeks as the learning is re-enforced. I look forward to hearing about how this develops and how can support more SEN schools to coach themselves.
Thanks to Tonbridge & West Kent School Sports Partnership and to Charles Harris once again for his support of the Kent Panathlon Challenge.
