Sports Leadership Pathway KS1-5

In Warrington, our pathway of leadership opportunities starts in the primary schools, where children are trained as Playground Activity Leaders (PALs). More than a quarter of primary aged pupils in Warrington are helping their school by organising and leading activities at break times, and schools often tell us how running the PALs or Phys Kids scheme helps to make their playtimes more positive and can also affect lessons too, as children are ready to learn after their activities, and as there are fewer incidents which affect the start of lessons. Children also develop their confidence, self-esteem and key skills through the experience of playground leadership. As well as the training offered by Warrington SSP and Borough Council, students aged 9-13 years old can also take part in the Sports Leaders UK ‘Young Leader Award’, which a number of schools and partners are adopting. Increasingly, primary aged pupils are also taking on other leadership roles, such as match reporters, club ambassadors, sport council representatives, and in their curriculum lessons, where they contribute to their learning through Sport Education principles.

Building from here, in KS3 pupils might continue to take part in Sport Education through the yoUR Leaders resource, and go on to take part in a Top Link Conference. In KS4 many pupils take a Sports Leaders Level 1 course, Dance Leaders Award or other accreditation. By the time they reach KS5, at the age of 16, many young sports leaders have already been actively volunteering in their school for some time, and will begin to get involved in Community Volunteering, working closely with a placement mentor. This is the age at which they can start to expand their volunteering into a community setting and may take the Sports Leaders Level 2 Award. Further courses are available from Sports Leader UK, such as National Governing Body bolt on awards, Basic Expedition Leadership and the Level 3 Award in Higher Sports Leadership.

In KS3-5 (14-19 years old) we run a Leadership Academy. A Leadership Academy is essentially a Leadership Club. We try to provide the members of this club with structured opportunities for development such as conferences and workshops, with quality placements and with opportunities for reward and celebration.

As young adults, the opportunities to take part in sports leadership are many and varied. As well as the other awards and sport specific qualifications available to them, sports leaders in KS5 often help out at sport clubs and community events, and from here many go on to study higher education qualification in sports coaching or sports development – or indeed go straight into employment.