Following the conclusion of a busy Term 1, we asked our Club and Community Coaches to summarise their delivery in local schools. 

If you are a school or club who wants support promoting and delivering cricket, please get in touch with your local community coach.

West Devon - Vicky Reeve

Being back in schools in Term 1 was absolutely brilliant!

I was coaching Whole School Programmes for the six weeks in three schools: Laira Green Primary, Beechwood Primary Academy and Keyham Barton Catholic Primary; all located in Plymouth. The children in all the schools were amazing and they all made incredible progress to be ‘confident cricketers’.

Some of the feedback from the teachers was very rewarding:

“I find you fascinating to watch and I’ve learnt so much from you.”

- Teaching Assistant, Keyham Barton.

"Vicky has been an absolute pleasure to work alongside this term. Not only has she run a fabulous cricket programme across our Key stage, but she has also helped the teachers with their CPD in teaching cricket."

- PE Lead, Laira Green.

At Laira Green I also ran a Dynamos Intros Programme, a subsidised after-school version of Dynamos Cricket. This was great and the children were asking their teachers most days “Is it cricket club again tonight?!”

There was a great buzz around Beechwood with some children never having experienced cricket before, a very rewarding school with fantastic feedback from everyone including the Head Teacher.

I found the schools this term very rewarding and loved giving out my ‘superstars’ at the end of each class – a reward to those children who were listening, trying really hard and helping their team mates. They loved their Attax cards prize! I particularly enjoy engaging those children who have some additional needs and it’s very satisfying when I see the smiles on their faces at the end of the session and teachers who are really proud of them. 

I find it very useful to observe our other coaches too and learnt lots from Niall Leahy, our South Devon Community Coach when I spent a day with him at Dartington primary.

I’m looking forward to Term 2 where I’ll be running four Whole School Programmes a week!

East Devon - Damian Price

As I write this, the summer sun seems a long time ago! However the cricket hasn’t stopped, and the return to school delivery saw me visit two primary schools and a secondary school.

It was great to visit Honiton Community College for the first time to deliver a six-week programme to their Year 8, 9 and 10 girls. The Year 8s & 9s had six taster sessions, covering all of the skills involved in cricket, and finishing with three weeks of very competitive indoor games (played outside). The improvement throughout the six weeks was great to see and I am hoping that some of the girls will take up the offer of an after school club in the New Year to prepare for the Secondary School Indoor Competitions. For the Year 10 girls, it was all about leadership, and although only a short amount of time, it was good to see some of the girls develop their leadership skills and become more confident every time they delivered to their peers. We hope that these skills will be put into practice during the summer term when we run some local primary school festivals.

Primary School delivery, took me to St Sidwells (Exeter) and Westclyst (Bradninch/Whimple). The six-week programmes covered batting, bowling and fielding skills, as well as focussing on some life skills, such as resilience and teamwork. It was especially pleasing to see the teachers getting fully involved in all of the lessons, with some secret bowling skills on show. The children were a little disappointed when they found out they had to wait until April to go down to their local clubs, but are looking forward to a return visit in early March for an Assembly to highlight all of the brilliant programmes and opportunities their local clubs have on offer.

Next term sees two more Primary Schools (St Martins & Exeter Road) taking part in Whole School Programmes and my first visit to Southbrook School, an SEND school in Exeter.

North and South Devon - Niall Leahy

Term 1 was a busy return to school delivery working in two schools in South Devon and two schools in North Devon. This gave me a fantastic opportunity to work in different environments and see groups who have grown up in different areas.

I visited Sticklepath Community Primary School and Eden Park Academy in Barnstaple, Cockington Primary School & Dartington C of E academy runing six-week whole school programmes at each. The aim of the six-week programme was to allow the participants to develop their cricket skills with the aim of them finding enjoyment in the sport, as well as becoming more confident in their cricket skills. Over the six weeks the progress made by all involved in the sessions was very impressive and the effort, skill and enthusiasm on show was superb. It was also fantastic to see participants excited to come out for the lessons and telling their parents about what they learnt when being picked up.

 

"Niall reacted well to the needs of the children, and was flexible and considerate of all their needs."

- Team Leader, Sticklepath

Term 1 also provided me with the opportunity to visit Rydon Primary School for a re-scheduled engagement day. It was a brilliant day and a very enjoyable visit in which the students demonstrated a range of bowling and batting skills and I certainly hope to be able to return and visit the school again soon.

A big thank you to all schools who hosted us this term and made us feel welcome; it was great to visit some new schools and areas. A big thank you also to all the teachers and teaching assistants who supported the sessions and enabled everything to run smoothly.

Would you be interested in becoming a Devon Cricket Club and Community Coach?

We are currently recruiting for a North Devon Club and Community Coach to support the implementation of our strategic plan in the North Devon area. This post is supported by Chance to Shine, the England & Wales Cricket Board and the Lord's Taverners.