Council's leisure operator to help out at local school
Leisure operator GLL in partnership with Hammersmith & Fulham Council are working with Sacred Heart High School to provide P.E. lessons for 320 pupils in years 10 & 11. From the start of the September term, Hammersmith Fitness & Squash Centre has provided weekly group exercise classes and fitness centre sessions. The partnership will assist Sacred Heart School achieve its PESSCL (PE, School Sport and Club Links) targets of providing 2 hours of quality P.E. to its pupils.
The partnership grew from a pilot scheme that ran from February to mid July 2007. Hammersmith Fitness & Squash Centre ran weekly activities for 65 pupils from Sacred Heart. Due to the popularity of the classes, the school agreed to launch the scheme on a larger scale and agreed to incorporate the centre’s activities into its P.E. curriculum for the year.
Simon Sen, the General Manager of Hammersmith Fitness & Squash stated ‘This project with Sacred Heart is a great example of how partnership working can allow schools to provide an alternative for P.E. lessons to their pupils. This scheme is designed to help young people gain confidence in using gym equipment and get fit through the array of group exercise classes provided. Each pupil will receive a training programme to monitor their progress, and we are confident the project will be a great success’.
Sharon O’Donovan, Assistant Head teacher at Sacred Heart commented ‘The partnership with GLL has enabled us to extend the range of PE and fitness provision we offer pupils at Key Stage Four. Pupil response to this initiative has been very positive. It is our hope that their experiences will impact their attitude towards lifelong health and fitness.'
This is the first project of its kind to be launched within GLL, and there is potential for it to be used as a template for future partnerships with local schools.
November 9, 2007