Find out how one of our newest projects have been helping a local home education group with specialised P.E delivery to help develop a range of skills.

In Autumn 2019 Shrewsbury Town in the Community were approached by a local Home Education group who were looking for help in delivering PE to their children. The idea was first suggested by Emma Basset, who wanted her children to be able to take part in a wider range of sports and team-games different from those that are usually found in community sports clubs and groups. The parents within the group wanted to find a way to help their children learn a range of multi-sport skills, building their confidence and coordination. Emma has been home educating her children for three years and has found that although other workshop groups did exist for other subjects such as History or Science, there was nothing for wider PE delivery.

The group is made up of 16 children aged between 5 – 9 years old, allowing socialising and learning to take place between age groups. Compared to when the group first started, the group’s teamwork and communication skills have improved dramatically, and the children are now able to identify where teamwork is needed and can put different ideas into practice within games.

Some of the children had previously attended school and had negative experiences, particularly around PE, so the sessions were designed to be fun and engaging first and foremost. This was achieved by tailoring the way the sessions were delivered, with encouragement and positivity being key and fitting in with the home education group’s approach. Although children were at first hesitant to offer ideas and engage within the games, now all children are confident in expressing their ideas, including how to make games fairer to accommodate the different ability levels and are fully engaged within the workshops.

Emma Basset has been thrilled with how the sessions have helped the children within the group. “It has been really good at helping them to experience working in a team environment to accomplish their aims and they have really enjoyed it. Simon’s delivery style has been exactly what we were looking for. Everything has been positive, and he has been good at bringing children into the group if they were distracted and making sure that they are all engaged.”

Another parent, Colin, also had high-praise for the group. “Along with team-building skills and the greater confidence, we’ve noticed how the sessions have helped the children’s listening skills. I would definitely recommend the group to others. All the children have really enjoyed the group and it’s been great fun and great exercise for them.”

Simon Tisdale, who leads the sessions, is delighted at the progress the children have made. “Since the start of the home education PE workshop, there has been noticeable development growth of the children in the group. What has been rewarding is the children’s engagement and enjoyment in the sessions; to see them smile and laugh throughout the session and learn some transferable skills has been amazing.”

If you would like to find out more about our Home Education PE Workshop please email [email protected]