Sports for All
Aside from the obvious benefit to health, sports are a brilliant way of keeping pupils positively engaged during the ‘dead period’ after school, and can also inspire young people to transfer positive gains, such as discipline, teamwork and leadership skills, to other areas of their life, including academic learning. However the hidden costs of school sports, as school budgets tighten ever-more, can be prohibitive.
Donations have funded climbing, outdoor rowing, swimming, sports camps, and small bursaries to support training by individual students.
380 Year 7 students participate in a 6-week swimming programme each year.
Prior to the swimming programme, 35% of 380 children could not swim with confidence. 92% of children reported that they had progressed in their swimming thanks to the programme.
110 students benefit from a 6-week rowing programme each year.
An elite rowing squad has been formed, which has now doubled in size. Its 12 members have demonstrated progress in teamwork, leadership through coxing, and confidence on the water.
“The best state schools recognise the wider benefits of participation in competitive sport in building a strong ethos and helping children to develop into well-rounded and successful individuals. As a result, attainment across these schools tends to be high.”
–– Sir Michael Wilshaw, Head of Ofsted
Outdoor Rowing
We kickstarted the outdoor rowing programme in 2018 with 110 Year 10 students. Delivered in partnership with Fulham Reach Boat Club, the programme provides the opportunity for a whole year group to discover rowing, the great majority for the first time.
Rowing is a particularly physically, mentally and technically demanding activity, and in taking part, students gain in confidence, perseverance and focus.
A number of students have really taken to the sport, and they are given the opportunity to join the school’s newly-established rowing squad. Their levels of commitment and motivation have been such that they rarely miss their 7am weekly training sessions on the river, and often use the ergo machines at school to keep up their form.
The school's 30 strong rowing squad train twice weekly on land and on the river. The Fulham Reach coaches have been very impressed with their growth in technical skills and confidence, progressing to fine boats and singles, learning to cox and competing in regattas.
This progress has seen a number of our students picked for Fulham Reach's Junior programme. One of the programme’s rising stars is Tashi, who was first introduced to rowing through the KAA programme and is now competing in the trials for the Great British Junior Rowing team! You can read more about Tashi’s story here.
In this video four novice Year 10 rowers tell us about their growing love of the sport.
Year 7 & 8 Swimming Immersion
Though the government has introduced a drive to ensure that every child leaving primary school is able to swim, the reality is that many children arrive at secondary school unable to swim 25 metres, with a significant minority unable to swim at all.
Though the school recognises the great need to prioritise swimming, particularly for younger students, it is simply not affordable within the school budget.
Each year KIT funds weekly group swimming tuition for all 380 Year 7 and Year 8 students at the school, with each student receiving six swimming lessons.
“Thank you to everyone who has made this happen.
I really appreciate it because I know how to swim now.”
It has been a huge success: the students love it. As well as being a crucial life skill, swimming also offers breadth to our students’ sporting knowledge which is important in PE exams when they are asked to apply their knowledge to a diverse range of sports – many which they will not have experienced before.