Lower Sixth Formers Troy Arora and Jamie Wallwork have been teaching primary school children at Goldington Green Academy how to play basketball since September last year, and in doing so are making a real difference for the children, as well as for themselves.
Troy and Jamie, who regularly play in school basketball fixtures, chose to share their love of the game with the children as part of the school’s Community Partnership Programme to offer the children an exciting new sport to sit alongside their usual curriculum of activities.
Last term, they taught a group Gifted and Talented children who benefited from learning the game as part of an enrichment programme to help stretch their abilities. This term, the boys are teaching children in a lower ability learning group to help improve social, emotional and mental development.
Vicky Moore, Teacher at Goldington Green explained, “Having Bedford School boys coming into school to teach a new sport is a massive benefit to us and to the children. We are very short staffed and do not necessarily have the range of expertise to be able to offer such a sport. The children really benefit from playing a team sport as it teaches them vital social skills such as how to cooperate, to be less selfish, listen to others and it gives them a sense of belonging. It also helps greatly with their self-esteem. The children engage with the boys and rarely misbehave as they want to make them proud. It’s a great session for them.”
It is not only the primary school children who are benefiting from the lessons. Troy and Jamie have learned a lot over the months too. Their leadership skills have developed, as well as their organisational skills as they have planned the lessons completely independently.
Troy explained, “I have become a lot more organised and I feel more confident leading the children and showing them what to do. As we have got to know the children, it has been great to see their game develop, and, in particular, watch them grow as a team and how see how they communicate better with each other.”
Troy and Jamie are just two of our Lower Sixth Formers who work in the local community as part of our Community Partnership Programme. We aim for every boy to have made a meaningful contribution by creating links with groups and organisations in the Bedford area, including many local primary schools, where boys can make a regular commitment each week.