The Brief

 

Thornhill Community Academy (the featured school in the hit TV series ‘Educating Yorkshire’) asked the Academy to deliver American Football sessions during the school’s alternative curriculum day. The focus needed to be on developing communication, teamwork and giving the 2 groups of approximately 25, year 7 to 9 pupils a taste of a sport they have never played before.

 

 

 

The Solution

 

 

The Academy taught the pupils the basic techniques (passing, receiving, defending) for flag football and a small amount of blocking for the first hour of the two-hour long sessions. The pupils then got into teams of 5 or 6 and gave themselves a team name (including ‘Avengers’, ‘Bulldogs’, ‘Vipers’ and ‘Dragonz’). The pupils put into practice the techniques they had learnt and even began to design their own plays on the whiteboard.

 

As the session progressed, the pupils began too analyse the game through communicating well with each other and recognising the best play to use in certain situations. The pupils enjoyed the sessions and the PE teachers were impressed by how well the sport engaged the children.

 

The Academy is now in discussions with Thornhill regarding an after-school club and further coaching for older age groups.