Schoolchildren in Eccles are celebrating being awarded gold in the Sainsbury’s School Games thanks to a unique reward initiative, which was made possible thanks to funding by NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
Clarendon Road Primary School has come up with a new way of awarding pupils, called the ‘Spirit of the School’. The initiative was recently introduced as a means of rewarding pupils, with each pupil credited in a number of principles – determination, honesty, passion, respect, self-belief and team work, as set out in the Sainsbury’s Sports Awards; as a moral teaching for all children to adhere to.
The aim of the initiative is to address not just the physical but also the emotional wellbeing of all of the pupils across the school and help them in their early year’s development.
Emma Ford, Headteacher at Clarendon Road Primary School said:
“Since we introduced this programme the entire culture of the school has changed, and has also increased and improved physical activity through PE, competitions and sports engagement.
“But the initiative doesn’t just focus on the physical but also the emotional wellbeing of the children as well, which we think is vital in early development.
“It’s wonderful to see the positive results not just in the school, but also being acknowledged externally with the Sainsbury’s School Game’s Gold Award.”
The provision and materials required for this initiative at Clarendon Road Primary School has been made possible thanks to funding provided by NHS Salford CCG via the Salford Community and Voluntary Services ‘Primary Schools Health Fund (Universal)’
Dr Hamish Stedman, a GP in Salford and chair at Salford Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said:
“There is a lot of focus on the link between physical activity and a healthy upbringing for the city’s children.
“However, emotional wellbeing and resilience is just as vital in this early years’ development, as children face stressful situations such as exams and need to learn the skills and techniques to deal with them.
“It is great that this initiative is helping them to develop themselves in this way, and will hopefully see them applied in later life.”
