During the 2024/25 academic year, the Devon Cricket Foundation has continued to drive participation in girls' cricket through the delivery of the Girls' Secondary School Programme, funded by Chance to Shine.

This year, the Devon Cricket Foundation were tasked with providing six-week full participation and leadership programmes in schools across the county. Each year, we aim to provide cricket for girls in schools that have not participated in the programme before.  

The six-week programme focuses on providing basic skills and gameplay during curriculum lessons, which culminate in intra-school festivals to put what they have learned into practice. Alongside this, we also focus on developing leadership skills in cricket, and those leaders then lead activities for primary schools or officiate at the intra-school festivals.  

The schools we delivered to this academic year are as follows:

  • Bideford College, Bideford
  • Okehampton College, Okehampton
    • The leaders at Okehampton College used their new skills to run intra-school festivals, as well as four tournaments which were open to girls and mixed teams from around the area.
  • Marine Academy, Plymouth
  • Sir John Hunt School, Plymouth
  • St Cuthbert Mayne School, Torquay
    • The leaders at this school delivered a primary school festival for 90 children.
  • St Luke's C of E School, Exeter
    • The leaders at St Luke's ran all the intra-class festivals for the girls in Years 7 and 8.

The sessions not only provided the girls with basic cricket skills, but also helped professionally develop the teachers in the schools. 100% of the schools said that the programme meant that they would deliver cricket again next year on the girls' curriculum. One teacher commented: "The girls were engaged and liked working in the smaller groups during the first session. These sessions also allowed me to develop my own knowledge within cricket."

The number of girls participating in leadership programmes from 150 last year to 170.

As well as the six-week programmes, we also offer Leadership Days to schools. These days are focused on ensuring that leadership is seen as a positive attribute in girls, which they can develop in a safe, female-only environment. Across all eight programmes, 170 girls were involved in the leadership programme in schools across the county. 

These are based around the ECB Foundation Coaching Course and give the participants basic coaching technical points, as well as developing tools they can use to be effective leaders and coaches. They also learnt about Officiating and Scoring so that they could run games, as well as activities.  

The schools in which we delivered the standalone Girls' Leadership Programmes were as follows:

  • Honiton Community College, Honiton
    • These leaders went on to run a cricket primary school festival.
  • Park School, Barnstaple
    • These leaders ran a primary school cricket festival with 20 teams across the Barnstaple region.
  • Pilton College, Barnstaple
    • These leaders ran a primary school festival for eight schools in the region.
  • Teign School, Newton Abbot
    • These leaders ran a primary school festival for 120 school children from nearby primary schools.
  • Notre Dame School, Plymouth
    • These leaders were due to run a primary school festival for local schools.

We took feedback from the children and the teachers during the events. One of the children at the Teign School Festival said: "I really liked the feedback the leaders gave me. I got a sticker, and I know exactly what I did well to get it. I was very pleased." 

The children from Ashleigh Primary School at the North Devon Tournament said: "They told us what no balls and wide balls were, so it helped us to play the game. They were fair."

One teacher commented at the same festival: "They were lovely and loud at the beginning of the day. They clearly knew what they were doing. They were great."

As well as the leaders receiving positive feedback, Foundation staff and coaches were also praised for the "excellent delivery" and the programme being "the best governing body programme delivered in our school this year."

Ann-Marie Presswell delivering on a Girls' Leadership Course.

"By 2029, we want cricket to be on the curriculum of every secondary school girl in the county," says Ann-Marie. "In areas where cricket is encouraged and strong on the curriculum, we see good movement of players from schools to clubs.

"As we work with trainee teachers, coaches and PE staff to upskill them and continue to provide an excellent programme for girls in the curriculum, I cannot see why we cannot achieve this and continue to drive female cricket participation through school delivery."

Contact

If your school is interested in taking part in the programme next year, please contact Ann-Marie Presswell:
ann-marie.presswell@devoncricket.co.uk
07494 151557