Panathlon Xtend is our programme for children with disabilities and special needs in Key Stage 3.
Research shows that disabled children’s participation in sport drops off in Key Stage 3 age groups (11 to 14-year-olds), so we started Xtend in January 2019 to make sure we keep pupils active and engaged after they leave primary education.
Most of all, we wanted pupils who had flourished on our primary programme to be able to continue their progress. Xtend is a great way of ensuring that momentum is not lost and that we offer a pathway for further achievement.
It also allows us to engage with secondary schools who do not yet compete in Panathlon competitions, and introduce them to the sports on the programme.
By getting more secondary schools on board through Xtend, it also allows us to build capacity and add more competing schools and events into our existing Panathlon Multi-Sport programme.