Junior Sports Leaders Award: 5 Question You Need To Ask Before Starting
By Imtiaz Jamil
What Qualities Make a Great Junior Sports Leaders Award?
1. What Qualities Make a Great Junior Sports Leaders Award?
A great Junior Sports Leaders Award typically should give your students the following skills:
- Leadership skills
- A passion for sports
- A commitment to community service
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Responsibility
- Motivation and Enthusiasm
- Adaptability
“The program emphasizes teamwork, communication, and responsibility, with an array of modules that teach essential skills such as session planning, event management, and behavioural guidance.”
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- Guided Curriculum Sample
- Step-By-Step Implementation Guide
- Assessment Checklist
- Learning Path Poster
2. How Will A Junior Sports Leaders Award Benefit My Students and My School?
The Sports Leaders Award should positively impacts your students, your school and your community by ensuring:
- Inclusive Sports Activities: Leaders often organize events or sessions that are accessible to everyone, regardless of skill level.
- Health and Well-being: Through encouraging physical activity, the program promotes healthier lifestyles.
- Youth Development: It empowers young people to take on leadership roles and become role models in their communities.
- Social Cohesion: It brings people together through sports, promoting teamwork, respect, and mutual support.
3. Which Schools Have Used the Sports Leaders Award and What Can We Learn from Them?
Sharing best practice is a key part of how schools take from each other and model methods of good practice. Our Junior Sports Leaders Award is aimed specifically at Primary Schools. Typically schools will use the program for students in Years 4 to 6.
Learning Themes
Staff Can Be Trained Up Quickly: It’s a rarity to have specialised sports and PE staff at a Primary School. So it’s essential any program is easy to understand and quick to implement.
Logical Modules: Schools report each module should be a separate theme and have logical progression, taking students from no knowledge to impact in a reasonable time frame .
Easy To Use: Schools tell us that time is of the essence so systems have to be easy to use.
Impact: Students want to make an impact. Schools want their programs to have an impact. Communities should benefit from that impact. After taking our Junior Sports Leaders Award, many schools report the increase in confidence, increase in engagement during playtimes and uptake of enrichment programs across the school.
From their stories, we can learn that persistence, a focus on community impact and the ability to inspire and lead others are the kind of impact your junior sports leaders should be having.
To learn more about the impact other schools have had with this award and our other leadership programs you can take a look at this page here.
Ms. Emma PerkinsDeputy Head, St Barnabas Primary School, UK
“The children are able to develop their confidence, self esteem, communication, problem solving skills, creativity skills, teamwork skills and conflict resolution skills”
4. What Impact Does A High Quality Sports Leaders Award Have on Student Development?
The Junior Sports Leaders Award contributes to student development in several ways:
- Confidence – 95% of junior sports leaders say this program has significantly improved their confidence
- Mentorship and Role Models – This award helps junior sports leaders grow and develop their skills and they can help mentor the next cohort of sports leaders, furthering developing their leadership skills
- Leadership Skills – Students who participate in the program develop leadership qualities that can help them both in sports and life beyond school
- Team Dynamics – By promoting teamwork, the program helps students understand the value of collaboration, strategy, and communication
- Positive Environment – Sports leaders create a supportive environment in your school where younger students can thrive and build their confidence, making a stronger, happier school community
5. How Can Schools Participate in the Junior Sports Leaders Award Program?
Schools can participate in the Junior Sports Leaders Award program by:
- Registering their interest – Schools can connect with Young leaders Academy who offer the Junior Sports Leaders courses (called Reach for the Stars) and sign up their students
- Offering the Junior Sports Leadership Course – Schools can incorporate Reach for the Stars Junior Sports Leaders course as part of their physical education curriculum and as a standalone leadership opportunity
- Encouraging Student Involvement – Schools can promote the program among students, encouraging those interested in sports and leadership to enrol
- Partnering with Community Groups – Schools may also collaborate with local sports clubs or community groups to enhance participation and outreach and strengthen community ties and enhance their profile
Schools benefit by fostering leadership in students and contributing to the health and well-being of their communities.
Schools also enhance their reputation in the community by offering structured leadership programs.
Students from the school can further enhance the reputation of your school by offering these new skills in the community, for example like this school did in this article here.
Summary of Key Skills Learnt
- Leadership: Students learn how to manage groups, organize activities, and guide their peers in a positive way
- Teamwork: The program teaches the value of working together to achieve a common goal, a skill that benefits both sports and academic success
- Communication: Pupils practice clear and effective communication, essential for resolving conflicts, giving instructions, and making sure everyone feels included
- Problem-solving: When organizing playtime activities or sports sessions, junior leaders quickly learn how to adapt to different situations and solve problems on the go