College wide engagement in celebrating London 2012
Why Get Set?
Joining Get Set meant Hartlepool Sixth Form (Hartlepool, North East) being able to share good practice with schools and colleges across the country and draw on other schemes and projects to raise the profile of the Games in the local area. As a training camp for sailing at the Games is being hosted in Hartlepool, this was a real opportunity for inspiring local people.
This was also a chance to co-ordinate a cross college campaign rather than activities taking place only in individual departments.
The Journey So Far
Sports students at the college are part of the Loughborough Flames initiative and are working with local primary schools, both mainstream and special needs, delivering sports sessions promoting the Values. This will culminate in an Olympic festival where children from participating schools will join together. As part of the festival, teams will carry banners displaying the Values.
Business studies students are co-ordinating a marketing challenge in conjunction with the local sports development team. This involves organising a fun day which will include taster sessions for local children and adults in a wide range of Olympic and Paralympic sports. Students have taken responsibility for marketing, merchandising, attending council meetings and overseeing the budget.
The Values will be incorporated into the college’s pastoral programme; tutorial groups will each choose a Value and demonstrate how they have lived that Value throughout the academic year.
A yearly diversity week promotes equality and all students are encouraged to take part. Each day is devoted to promoting a different culture with students experiencing music, cultural activities and foods from across the globe.
Positive Values
Hartlepool has found using the Values to be a useful means of promoting equality and diversity across the college and effective in raising standards for students on BTEC sports courses.
A proactive atmosphere is developing across the college inspiring students to achieve excellence.
And the highlights for students?
- “To me it’s about everyone coming together to watch the best athletes in the world”
- “To see first-hand people overcoming adversity be it a disability, injury, defeat and coming back and achieving the highest levels of performance”
- “To see the hard work done by all the athletes.”
Towards 2012
A real measure of success for Hartlepool Sixth Form College would be increased student involvement in Olympic and Paralympic events both in the college and across the region; it aims to engage the entire college in celebrating London 2012. It is also looking to develop opportunities in volunteering and to extend links between the College and the community before, during and after the Games.
Hartlepool aims for its students to realise how they can live the Values in college and outside every day and not just when playing sport. It wants students to continue being inspired by initiatives such as sports awards and hopes to incorporate visits from Olympic or Paralympic athletes to demonstrate that the same work ethic of the athletes can be applied in all aspects of college life.
