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Sussex leads the way in debate on school sport funding

mason steele

The future of school sport in Sussex was debated by over 100 stakeholders from the education, health and sport sectors at the Amex Stadium on 1 May at the first Sussex School Sport Summit.

The summit was organised by Albion in the Community and Active Sussex in response to the government’s announcement in March of a new £150 million funding package for school sport and PE provision – the equivalent of approximately £9,250 per year over the next two years for every primary school in England.

Over £4 million of the government’s funding, which will come from the Department of Education, Department of Health and Department of Culture, Media and Sport, will be allocated to primary schools in Sussex.

Guests at the event examined the issues around the new funding. The general consensus was that pupils should be at the heart of the plans so they can be inspired by a high quality first experience of PE and school sport. A real interest was expressed to work inpartnership to maximise the opportunity presented, and create a sustainable legacy. Delegates recorded the hot topics on Twitter, allowing interested parties who could not attend to participate remotely.

08 May 2013 15:39

Treble honours for Sussex at English Schools cross country finals

The Senior Girls team won the English Schools team event, and the Foyston trophy

The Sussex schools squad had a fantastic day of running on an extremely muddy course at the English Schools Athletic Association cross country championships, Catton Hall, Derbyshire, on 16 March, with three of its six teams winning trophies.

First up for honours were the junior boys, who won the Lockhurst Lane trophy, awarded to the first team to get all eight of its runners home. Archie Davies (Patcham), leading the field for Sussex, came 12th overall.

The Senior girls won the team event and the Foyston trophy with Grace Baker (Rye) leading home her Sussex team mates in a brilliant fifth position, with Nicole Taylor (Beacon) 10th, Emma Dixon (BHASVIC) 24th, Maddy Smith (St. Bedes) 50th, Mylene Schuwey (Hailsham) 92nd and Megan Bradford (Varndean) 103rd making up the six scorers.

The Intermediate boys were the revelation of the day with Stephen Ferroni (BACA) coming in 10th to be the first Sussex scorer. The team won the Yorkshire cup, 67 points ahead of nearest rivals Kent. With Billy White (Patcham) in 13th, Josh Woods (Blatch Mill) in 17th, Jake Alger (Seaford Head) in 19th, Harry Leleu (Seaford Coll) in 32nd and Jack Witt (Brighton coll) in 38th, all six scorers finished in the top 40.

The Intermediate Boys team secured the Yorkshire Cup

26 March 2013 15:58

School Games Winter Finals: the results

westgreen winners

Schools from the nine School Games areas did their regions proud at the Sussex School Games Winter Finals, which took place on 6 March at Lancing College.

The Winter Finals is an annual seasonal competition focusing on team sport. It features just four disciplines – football, hockey, netball and rugby sevens – with the best teams drawn from Sussex schools competing for regional and individual honours. Over 400 children took part on the day.

Active Sussex and the Sainsbury's School Games Local Organising Committee are delighted to announce the final results for first placed and runners-up and the overall standings for each region are as follows:

Year 5/6 Girls Football

Winner: West Green Primary School (Crawley) – pictured
Runner-up: Sacred Heart Catholic Primary (Hastings & Rother)

19 March 2013 16:21

£150m boost for primary school sport

school tennis

Primary schools across Sussex will each receive a cash boost worth £9,000 a year to spend on sport, the government announced on Saturday.

The ring-fenced money, totalling £150m nationally, will go directly into the hands of heads and teachers who will decide how the money is best spent.

Sport England, the national agency for community sport, is committing £1.5m a year of lottery funding

18 March 2013 09:00

Funding boost for School Games

school games opening Competitors warm up at the inaugural Sussex School Games, K2 Crawley, July 2012

School sport in Sussex is set for a boost after Sport England announced additional National Lottery funding for Sainsbury's School Games Festivals.

The Sainsbury's School Games, which is delivered by the Youth Sport Trust, is jointly managed in Sussex by Active Sussex and the local organising committee as the Sussex School Games.

Sadie Mason, chief executive of Active Sussex, said: "We are very pleased to acknowledge the extra investment from Sport England in the Sussex School Games. The Games are a chance for Sussex schools to come together for a day of competition and celebration.

"Building on the incredible debut event in 2012, which saw 1,200 school children take part at K2 Crawley, we are thrilled that this year we will host two events in Sussex – a winter and summer games. Active Sussex is particularly proud that the first of these is being hosted by Lancing College."

The local organising committees for School Games festivals in the South East, which include Sussex, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, Kent, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, are each to receive at least £45,000 of Lottery funding from Sport England which will help make their events a real celebration of sport.

In 2012, 14,660 young people took part in Sainsbury's School Games festivals across the South East, inspired by the incredible year of sport that the country witnessed. The events in the South East were made possible by the hard work schools and 1,247 volunteers, most of whom were young people themselves.

Sport England's Director of Community Sport, Mike Diaper, said: "Young people can look forward to an inspirational sporting experience at their local Sainsbury's School Games Festival, thanks to this lottery funding. Last year's events were a huge success - something everyone involved should feel proud of – and they're set to be even better in 2013."

John Steele, Chief Executive Officer at the Youth Sport Trust, said: "The Sainsbury's School Games Festivals offer young people a fantastic opportunity to take part and compete across a range of sports against their peers. The funding for these festivals will help make the events an exciting and inspiring occasion for those taking part."

The Susssex School Games Winter Finals take place on Wednesday 6 March at Lancing College. Special guest is Team GB Olympic hockey star Alex Danson

04 March 2013 11:51

Olympic hockey star to guest at School Games

danson crop

Hockey international Alex Danson is the special guest at the Sussex School Games Winter Finals, Lancing College, on 6 March.

The 27-year-old was joint top scorer in the London 2012 hockey side and her opening goal in the play-off against New Zealand helped Team GB to Olympic bronze. She made her international debut at just 16 and was named in the FIH World All Stars Team in 2011.

What do you love about your sport?

It's fast, physical and requires a high level of skill – but most of all I love playing in a team, competing alongside my team mates.

What has been the highlight of your hockey career so far?

Standing on the podium at London 2012 was incredible and a moment I will never forget. We had worked so hard for so long to get there. It was a combination of excitement, relief and total pride to share that moment with my friends and team mates.

What's the biggest setback you've faced and how did you overcome it?

I have dislocated my shoulders on a number of occasions, often close to major tournaments. Being injured is a very isolating time as you are so used to be around training with all your friends. Suddenly you are training alone and desperately trying to rehab over short time periods. The best way I have dealt with it is to plan methodically, work closely with my physio and set very clear, measurable targets.

28 February 2013 14:50

Lancing College to host Sussex School Games

Lancing-College

Lancing College will host the next Sussex School Games, which takes place on 6 March 2013.

Building on the success of the inaugural Games in July of 2012, there are two events planned for 2013: a winter and summer finals, both supported by headline sponsor Sainsbury's.

Lancing College will host the Winter Finals on 6 March and the Summer Finals will return to K2 Crawley, site of the 2012 Games, on 10 July 2013.

Jonathan Gillespie, headmaster of Lancing College, said: "Lancing College is delighted to be hosting the Winter Finals in March and we look forward to welcoming our many visitors on the day. In the meantime, we wish all teams and competitors the best of fortune in the preliminary rounds."

Organised jointly by Active Sussex and a Local Organising Committee made up of representatives from schools across East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove, the 2012 Games saw over 1,000 children come together for a celebration of competitive sport.

For more details and for local contact information, visit the Sussex School Games website

14 February 2013 00:00

Social enterprise: a model for sports development

lebron portrait NBA Miami Heat pro basketball player LeBron James leads a training session for London School of Basketball, an intiative developed by Sport for Social Change Network

As a trustee of Community Action Zone (CAZ), formerly known as Sport Action Zone, I've recently been involved in an exciting social enterprise initiative in South London. Community Action Zone, originally set up by Sport England in

06 June 2012 00:00

Sussex School Games plans take shape

Representatives from across Sussex met at the University of Brighton on 13 July to discuss plans for the new School Games, which start next year.

"This is an opportunity to begin the task of ensuring all relevant groups are engaged with the School Games at an early stage, and that they are represented at the highest levels on the organising committee," said Active Sussex's Chief Executive Sadie Mason.

The School Games, a government backed Legacy initiative to raise the profile of competitive games in schools, is being piloted in nine regions and will launch nationally in Olympic year, 2012.

13 July 2011 16:36

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