Making Links with Schools

Use this link to make a request for school space

Developing links with schools can be a very beneficial development for your club. Not only can it expose you to new members, it’s also a great way to develop your sport and the way your club runs.

The key to a successful relationship between club and school is making sure the relationship is mutually beneficial. It is also important that both parties are capable and ready for this development. For example, it is important for clubs to make sure their coaches can deliver and are qualified to deliver in a school setting, as it is very different to delivering in the club environment. It is also important that the schools have the facilities or capacity to host your sport as not every school has the same facilities.

If your club is interested in working more closely with schools an important first step is to discuss this with the School Sports Partnership’s (SSP) School to Club Links (SCL) Manager, Patrick Hendrie. Patrick can then discuss the programme in more detail with your club and the school you wish to work with. If both parties are happy with the arrangement, the school and club enter in to a School to Club Links Agreement. This sets out what is required of both parties.

If your club is already working with schools but encountering issues or struggling to meet the terms of your agreement, you can discuss these issues with Patrick also. Below are a few points to consider before thinking about establishing school to club links. You can also use the School to Club Links Checklist in the resources section of the club pages.

School to Club Links “Things to Consider”

• Does your coach have an NGB Qualification?
• Does your coach have a Warrington CRB?
• Does your coach hold a Child Welfare certificate?
• Does your coach hold public liability insurance?

There are many clubs in Warrington that have very good links with local schools. If you would like to see how they have done things why not, attend your local forum and ask them yourselves? Details can be found on the Club Forums page.