Creating a 2012 Network to help inspire children
Why Get Set?
With many children living within sight of the Olympic Park development St Joseph’s (Waltham Forest, London) wanted to use this to its advantage to help get children excited and inspired about the Games.
Activities were already taking place as part of a local network of schools but joining Get Set meant that St Joseph’s and its children would become part of a national network with schools across the UK.
The Journey So Far
With other local schools St Joseph’s founded a 2012 Network complete with its own blog which children can access and update. A 2012 room has also been set up on St Joseph’s VLE so children can upload examples of what they have been busy doing. The 2012 room also has links with a school in China. Children found out about the Beijing Games and now look forward to sharing their experiences of London 2012.
Older children designed posters for infant children on the theme of inspiration to raise awareness of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Other classes are producing a series of posters, leaflets and articles based on the Values.
A whole school programme of events and learning opportunities is being put into place in the run up to the Games. Sports day will be expanded into a cross-curricular Olympic Games week; children will have the opportunity to take part in a range of sports including those they have designed themselves in a mini Olympic Games.
Positive Values
A combination of the range of sports on offer and opportunities for cross curricular activities has meant that it has been possible to engage children who are normally reluctant or nervous about PE.
Children have been inspired by athletes’ stories showing that dreams and ambitions can be obtainable; they have particularly enjoyed hearing about local people who have gone on to compete at an international level.
And the highlights for students?
- “They have started to build houses where all the athletes can stay during the Olympic Games. When the athletes go back home in 2013, they will sell those houses to us!”
- “All the pools are going to become local pools and the whole place will become a new town in London!”
- “I know the Paralympics and the Olympics are going to be together.”
Towards 2012
St Joseph’s wants its children to feel involved rather than seeing the Games as an event which is being held in their borough for others. It sees it as important for children to visit the park and view the events for themselves rather than watching it all on TV as they have done for previous games!
Key aims are for St Joseph’s to make links with other schools around the UK and internationally and for children to realise that their own personal ambitions are achievable, being inspired by the Olympic and Paralympic athletes.
