Twyford

Pupils at the Robert Piggott Junior and Robert Piggott Infant school’s Wargrave after-school club are taking up the challenge laid down by the Everyday Sport campaign of building sport and physical activity into their daily lives.

Wokingham District Council is working with Sports England to encourage schoolchildren to increase physical activity which will ultimately improve their health and well-being. And for the past six weeks, the district council’s disability and community sports coach Simone Jacobs has been visiting the after-school club at the Robert Piggott Junior and Robert Piggott Infant schools to encourage more children to take part in sport.

The Wargrave after-school club opened in September 2004 and is registered for 24 children aged from five to 11 years old. They take part in many fun activities after school from art and craft sessions to board games and movie sessions. However, whilst the children are encouraged to go outside to play, there was no dedicated time for sporting activities.

Simone has stepped in to offer pupils multi-skill sports such as rounders, quick cricket and tag. And pupils can now take advantage of the lighter evenings and will be outside playing football and taking part in athletics to name just a couple of activities.

Each child at the club has been given an Everyday Sport t-shirt and they have each had great fun painting and personalising it.

Simone Jacobs, disability and community sports coach, said: “We are encouraging the district’s children to take part in more sport and physical activities. The children at Robert Piggott Junior School’s after-school club are experiencing for themselves how easy it can be to get active and have fun at the same time. By providing a weekly sports session at the after-school club, I am able to encourage youngsters to take regular exercise and I hope that it will become part of their daily routine.

“Each week we try a new sport which is great news for the children! I am hoping that those who learn new skills will continue taking part in sport in the future. They will soon be reaping the benefits!”

Johanna Faul, supervisor at the Wargrave after school club, said: “The children are always very excited about Simone's visits and greet her with great enthusiasm. She has built up a good relationship with them and it’s lovely to see some of the less sporty children gaining confidence and joining in. They all have such fun!”

Wokingham District Council