Sky Sports Living for Sport...
...is a free and fun initiative that uses sport to help inspire young people between the ages of 11 and 16. Pupils can take part in a any sports activity that suits them and then arrange a sports event to celebrate together.
All secondary schools across the UK can join in and benefit and we have developed a rewards structure to keep everyone inspired and motivated, including:
• Visits from our athlete mentors (professional sportsmen and women)
• T-Shirts for all participants
• Competitions and prizes
Since 2003 there have been some great achievements from the young people who took part.
• Over 75% of young people have shown improved attitudes towards the staff
• Over 70% of young people have shown improved behaviour around school
• Over 70% of young people have shown increased self-confidence
Video Transcript
Martin Reary (Project Co-ordinator): Good Morning! It's the first day of the Living For Sport project I barely got any sleep last night just thinking about all the things that are going to happen today. It's not often I come to school with an Olympic Athlete in my school who is going to be working with children I've chosen. It's a great project involving the community, they're going to be surf-life saving the surf board construction involved, all of this, it's all happening at my school.
Sky Sports Living for Sport - A case study - Budehaven Community School, Bude, Cornwall
Denise May (Director of Sport): We've been working with disaffected children to re-engage them but using sport as a tool.
David Barton (Head teacher): 'We're very lucky where we live, in the area we live and we wanted to make the maximum opportunity of the surrounding environment. Projects of this nature do deepen the learning experience, certainly give more diversity to the learning experience.'
Claire Witaker (Head of Year 8): 'The most exciting feeling about the project for me, I think is going to be towards the end result, seeing them developing as individuals.'
Martin Reary: This is Mark Hatton, he is going to talk to you and he is going to be working with us over the next few weeks.
Mark Hatton: Athlete Mentor
I'm what's called an athlete mentor. There's a team of us and we go round all the different schools that are with Living for Sport through the Youth Sport Trust.
To student You can see where the spike have been...
Boy 1: It was interesting to meet an Olympian.
Girl 1: I really enjoyed it actually, it was quite inspiring.
Girl 2: I liked it this morning because it proved that you can do something yourself and like not rely on other people and that you can do it if you keep on working at it.
Girl 3: I sort of hate myself really.
Denise May: Some of the children are suffering from quite low self-esteem.
Boy 2: Maybe it's because I don't have anything to achieve or that I'm good enough to achieve.
Denise May: Others again have got this anger management problem.
Girl 4: We've had a few arguments.
Denise May: So we really wanted to try and sort of like gel the two together.
Mark Hatton: The skills that world class athletes use to get to be the best they can be, you can also use in everyday life.
Martin Reary: I wanted to look at the children and think, where are they playing up, which subjects were they causing the most trouble and even though they are mainly in PE time with me could I help monitor their behaviour in other subjects.
Mark Shears (Teacher):
She is lacking in self-esteem I think and self confidence.
Helen Oke (Teacher):
One's got a lot of low self-esteem and is quite unhappy at school with bullying problems as well.
Stacey Ward (Teacher):
They were both having trouble with either turning up to lessons or behaving in lessons.
Claire Witaker: Initially they were quite wary as most groups are when they're thrown together. Probably thinking things like, well why am I here, why have I been selected?
Boy 2: I don't know why I was chosen for this project.
Girl 3: I think I was asked because of my anger problems.
Boy 3: I sometimes muck about in class and don't concentrate very well.
Girl 5: I don't have very much confidence.
Boy 4: I don't work in teams very good.
Boy 5: To improve our behaviour
Boy 6: Yeah!
Roger Tout (Surfboard Shaper): I've been asked by the Budehaven School to help them out with this project of helping the kids to make a surfboard. They know it's going to be hanging up at the school on show or it'll be down at the beach and someone will have it under their arm and they'll say - hey I had something to do with that.
Martin Reary: We're about two-thirds of the way through now and we've just finished the artwork design for the surfboards and it's been probably the most surprising day we've had because I've never seen them so committed. They are also starting to get really involved in the swimming and they're enjoying the surf-life saving and it's starting to become a real part of their lives and just today is a prime example. We've got great artwork and I don't know how I'm going to choose from which one's the best but we should see which ones they vote for.
Boy 7: This is a sharks teeth.
Boy 8: These are bubbles, blues, reds and blacks.
Mark Hatton: The kids didn't really know what was going on to start with and I think some of them were quite nervous of what lay ahead. How they've grown through that is just fantastic. I mean you look at them today and there's so much energy, so much enthusiasm and what's great is that you're seeing them actually geeing each other up and when they're getting demotivated they're motivating each other.
Boy 9: I'd like it to work so then I can get like better marks and stuff.
Boy 5: I think it's helping me quite a lot because I've been better in school, a lot better now.
Martin Reary: The kids have seen the board that they've designed beginning to come into fruition and seeing the actual colours and the shape of it and they were so excited about it today. But we are still a long way to go, we've got to work with the Primary Schools, we've got to do the surfing carnival. I would love to see at the end of there, that they begin to take responsibility for their own behaviour, and see the flip side of being a coach or a teacher and having to teach a session to kids, they might realise that there's some things about themselves that are awkward with teachers and they need to change that as well.
Boy 7: It really is exciting.
Girl 6: I'm looking forward to the life saving bit.
Boy 10: I don't like going in the sea, but you know you've got to brave it.
Girl 7: It's been fun every lesson I've done, I've enjoyed it a lot.
Boy 11: I 'm really enjoying myself.
Girl 3: It's fun today actually yeah.
Martin Reary: You're here today to witness the Primary Beach Festival. I've got forty-two children from a local Primary School who are doing a range of seven activities and I've got my BSkyB leaders taking part as the main organisers of it and running all the activities which is really good to see.
Girl 7: It's a bit hard teaching the children because they don't listen that well.
Boy 2: They've given us a hard time, it's like us giving the teachers a hard time.
Boy 7: I know how they felt when I was being bad. It is really just stupid.
Daphne Murdoch (Learning Support Assistant): All of them really have risen to the occasion today with our session on the beach and shown what they can really do and I think they've gained a lot from it. Talking to them that certainly comes over.
Girl 5: It has helped me because I have more friends now than I used to.
Boy 11: It's definitely given me a lot more confidence.
Boy 5: The main thing that I've learned is to interact with people that I wouldn't normally talk to.
Boy 2: In a lot of my lessons I've been getting better grades and I've not been as naughty.
Claire Witaker: I've been reading through their end of year reports and lots of teachers - subject teachers as well as tutors have mentioned the positive impact that BSkyB has had on these pupils. Not just confidence and self-esteem, on organisation and also they've noticed the difference in group work in classes as well.
Girl 3: Yeah I've learned loads really. So much I can't even remember it.
Boy 6: There's people here that I didn't get on with before and I'm friends with them now.
Boy 7: Probably not changed me but I know I shouldn't go over the top and that I should listen and should do my work.
Girl 3: I feel quite strongly about it and it's helped me quite a bit.
Boy 11: I'm really proud of what I've achieved personally, especially the designing of the surf board.
Martin Reary: Today was possibly one the best days of my teaching career so far. I've witnessed some kids that would never have thought would have been able to lead a session with other younger children, just show complete compassion, motivate the kids and encourage them and it was a really really awe-inspiring day for me. This project has worked again for the second time and it's clear to see from the evidence of the children today what they get out of it. I can't wait for next year, it's going to take me a long time to plan it but I'm sure that it'll be just as awe-inspiring as this year's been.
Boy 2: I'd tell my other classmates if they ever got the opportunity to go on a course like this I'd encourage them to do it because I didn't think I'd have as much fun as what I have been doing meeting new people.
Boy 10: We've all tried hard and I think I've got a little bit more responsibility and it's been really fun.