Thursday 26th November was an incredible day at Heles School – we were fortunate enough to be joined by Faye Dale, the GB men’s Goalball head coach. Faye was invited the long way down to Plymouth by the Plymouth School Sports Partnership as a representative for the national governing body, Goalball UK. Across our city we have a number of visually impaired children who perhaps find it more challenging than most to access sports and games. We wanted to provide them with an experience of Goalball but also for their friends so that they would all have a chance to compete on an even footing. Faye ran sessions for various age groups throughout the school day and was joined by 3 students from Heles who (having experienced one session in the morning) then became helpers and young leaders throughout the rest of the sessions. Having been inspired by the sessions, we hope that Matthew, Ellie and Stephen will start their own club for the school. Each session aimed to provide students with the confidence to wear their blindfolds and give them some of the necessary skills needed to play. It wasn’t just the students that were inspired – some of the teachers were keen to play and even got quite competitive. It was great to see some children from Woodford Primary school joining in alongside the older children – they really rose to the challenge and were fearless in their approach to the games. I would like to say a huge thank you to Faye and Goalball UK for coming down and spending the day with us – we had a fantastic day and have learnt so much. Another huge thank you goes to Heles for hosting the day and for looking after Faye so well. Following this amazing opportunity I am keen to get in to more schools to provide more visually impaired students and their friends with an opportunity to try Goalball; if you would like to arrange a session or discuss this further, please contact me on crowthercpssp@gmail.com.
Claire Crowther
PE Specialist Teacher
Plymouth School Sports Partnership
