Colourful end to school year for pupils at Derby city school that has turned a corner – with help from Progressive Sports

PUPILS at a Derby school were given an extra-special treat to celebrate the end of the school year – the first complete academic year in more than 18 months.

The youngsters from Zaytouna Primary School, in London Road, welcomed an entrepreneur who appeared on BBC TV programme ‘The Apprentice’ earlier this year as they were presented with certificates for completing their ‘Junior Dukes’ – the school’s version of the ‘Duke of Edinburgh’ awards.

And a group of lucky pupils who have worked hard all year were selected to take part in a ‘Colour Run’ in the school playground organised by staff from Progressive Sports in the East Midlands.

Progressive Sports have been working with Zaytouna for the past 12 months to deliver sports coaching sessions for their children. Youngsters have enjoyed Glow In The Dark Dodgeball, Zorb Football and, to mark the end of the academic year, they participated in the ‘Colour Run’ – where pupils threw handfuls of colourful power paint at their peers resulting in a fun and messy physical activity.

Adam Holland, Managing Director of Progressive Sports in the East Midlands, said: “It was a great way to reward the children after what has been a tough couple of years.

“We love working with Zaytouna Primary School, supporting them with their enrichment activities. The pupils have really embraced every activity session that we have held here, we’ve had great feedback from staff and the smiles on everyone’s faces after the Colour Run said it all!”

Zaytouna joined Transform Trust in 2018 in what was seen as a “positive new partnership” by Ofsted inspectors, who during their last visit in May 2021 found that “Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action in order for the school to become a good school.”

Headteacher Amy Storer and her team have worked tirelessly to improve all areas of the school, including mental health and wellbeing, and PE. They regularly welcome external partners – including careers-based project Our Future – and have used some of their funding from the Department for Education’s Sports Premium funding, which is available to all schools in the UK, to bring in Derbyshire-based Progressive Sports.

As well as working in school to deliver enrichment sessions alongside staff, coaches from Progressive Sports will, during the next academic year, be sharing their expertise with staff at Zaytouna to upskill them further.

Miss Storer added: “We are absolute champions of Progressive Sports, who work with us on a host of projects and, in particular, our enrichment programme that we offer all of our children. It enables them to nurture and develop their skills and their talents.

“They come in and offer activities that we can’t offer ourselves as a school – for example archery and the Colour Run – they also work with staff, encouraging them develop their confidence in teaching PE, school sport and fitness.

“We thought that the Colour Run would be the perfect way to celebrate the last three years; it gave children the chance to get physically fit, get their hearts racing and, above all, it was fun.”

With schools about to break up for the summer holidays, Progressive Sports will be turning their attention to their holiday clubs.

Over the next six weeks, they will host sports sessions for hundreds of youngsters in the region across five different venues from Swadlincote and Etwall to Matlock.

Mr Holland says that interest in sport is at an all-time high, with the success of the Women’s Football European Championship and forthcoming Commonwealth Games, which will be held in nearby Birmingham.

He said: “It is great to see so many children wanting to get active and, hopefully, a medal haul at the Commonwealth Games will increase numbers at our sessions further.

“PE has moved on so much in the past few years and there is much more awareness of the positive effect that taking part in activity has on children; sport can help with general wellbeing, communication and anger management.

“As long as that activity is engaging and varied, plus as inclusive as possible – and our coaches are fully trained to deliver this – then it is of great benefit to everyone involved.”

ENDS

For further information please contact Kerry Ganly at Penguin PR on 07734 723951 or email [email protected]