Disability Sport in Kent Schools
Playground to Podium initiative
Playground to Podium is a national programme, being rolled out through Schools, to help find and support the next generation of disabled athletes.
The Schools element of the programme is being promoted by Youth Sports Trust, through the School Sports Partnerships (SSP) structure. and covers six sports ;- Athletics, Boccia, Football, Swimming, Table Tennis and Wheelchair Basketball.
The process involves the School Sports Partnerships running local multi-sport days to help them identify up to 10 talented athletes,plus a further 5 in Swimming.
It is hoped that this programme will help find the next generation of Paralympian's, along with Deaflympic and Special Olympic competitors
For this year the County Athlete Assessment Centre (CAAD) day will be split as follows;-
The dry-sports CAAD will take place on 20th October at Sevenoaks School
Kent Panathlon Schools Challenge 2010
Panathlon Challenge Athletes Ready to Take Kent by Storm!
The eagerly awaited first rounds of the 2010 Kent Panathlon Challenge sports competition for disabled youngsters take place on Tuesday 27th, Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th April .
The first event takes place at Sittingbourne Community College on 27th April and will feature teams from Meadowfield School in Sittingbourne , Greenacre in Medway , Grange Park School in Leybourne and Wyvern Schools from Ashford and Bower Grove from Maidstone .
On 28th April teams from Ridge View in Tonbridge , Five Acre in Maidstone , Milestone in Ash Green Dartford and Ifield & Helen Allison Schools in Meopham will meet at the Malling School .
On 29th April , Laleham Gap, Foreland, St. Anthony’s & Stone Bay from Thanet , St. Nicholas School from Canterbury , Herne Bay and Highview & Foxwood Special schools from Shepway will meet at the Canterbury High School .
The teams will compete across a range of sports - Boccia, New Age Kurling , Polybat, Table Cricket and Athletics, to determine who goes through to the Kent final on May 26th and become Kent Champions 2010.
The Panathlon Challenge is now in its tenth successful year of delivering sporting opportunities and “mini-paralympic” type competitions for young disabled sports people and a round 120 athletes aged between 8 and 18, (30 each of the teams involved), will compete against each other each day. The event goes ahead with the help of investment from the BBC Children in Need and Kent Sport .
Panathlon is investing around £250,000 in sports equipment, coaching sessions and multi-sports competitions in London , Essex and Kent during 2010, aiming to create many sporting opportunities for disabled youngsters.
Danny Crates, Paralympic Champion and Panathlon charity patron says: ” I’ve witnessed some great Panathlon events in the last year and the performances by young disabled athletes has been inspiring. The new investment from the Mayor of London and the other funders, will enable even more people to benefit from specialist sports equipment, thousands of hours of coaching sessions and some real competitive action. Many thanks from Panathlon to all our sponsors for enabling thousands of young disabled people to play and enjoy sport.”
Special School Gets Sports College status
Valence Special School, near Westerham, has been awarded Sports College status. The School is the Kent County Council day and boarding special school for children with physical and multiple impairments and is an active supporter of disability sport.
Within the School the youngsters are particularly enthusiastic about Powered Wheelchair Football and Table Cricket, as well as Boccia, and have represented the county at numerous regional and national events.
Valence will be the 16th Sports College in Kent, and whilst remaining in the Malling and Sevenoaks School Sports Partnership, it will become a beacon for disability sports development in Schools,across Kent.
A second Special School in the County is now beginning the process of applying for Sports College status.
Valence School now have their own website; www.valenceschool.com
Valence Sports College is now the regional centre for the development of Boccia in Schools
Similarly, Wyvern School in Ashford is the regional centre for Sitting Volleyball development
Youth Sport Trust have launched an inclusion website - http://inclusion.youthsporttrust.org/subpage/introduction/index.html
