10th April 2025
Case studies highlight success stories of Opening School Facilities Funding in Sussex
Dozens of Sussex schools received funding to help them open up their facilities and find new ways to empower young people and the wider community to get active.
The Opening School Facilities (OSF) project, funded by the Department for Education, ran for three years, and Active Sussex helped to identify almost 40 schools in the area to receive funding.
Andy Wright, Strategic Relationship Manager (Children & Young People) at Active Sussex, said: “Schools often have underutilised facilities that could be a great asset to their communities. With the guidance of our team of coordinators we have been able to support targeted schools across Sussex to upgrade equipment, upskill staff and forge links with community clubs that ultimately have enabled more young people and their families to get regularly active.”
You can read more about five schools who have used the funding and how the project has impacted the school and wider community below.
Willingdon Community School, Eastbourne
“I like this club because otherwise, I would just be at home gaming for hours.” – Rufus, 12
The school created two after school clubs: a girls’ fitness class and a boys’ alternative sports club. The girls’ fitness class, attended by 21 students each week, is led by a PE teacher trained in CrossFit. The activities focus on strength training and endurance using equipment such as dumbbells, steps, and skipping ropes, all purchased through the OSF funding. Grace, 12, said: “Sport is something I love doing – it’s not a chore because I enjoy it.”
The boys’ alternative sports club has provided a much-needed outlet for boys who may not be drawn to traditional sports like football. This club is tailored for Year 7 and 8 students who may lack confidence in sports or have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and 14 boys attend each week. The club focuses on non-traditional activities, including pickleball, POP Lacrosse, capture the flag, new-age curling, goalball, and volleyball.
Rufus, 12, said: “I like this club because otherwise, I would just be at home gaming for hours. I come here, and it’s fun and a good laugh.”
The clubs can continue running with the equipment purchased through the OSF – making them a lasting asset to the school. Looking ahead, the school plans to expand these initiatives further by involving families, encouraging parents to join their children in fitness and sports activities.
PE teacher Amie Legate said: “For some of the parents the main reason they wanted their children to take part in these activity clubs was because their child was not doing anything other than gaming. For others it was to help them make new friends.
“We wanted to offer something engaging that would encourage kids to be active and social, rather than spending hours in front of a screen, giving them the opportunity to meet other students that they might not have come into contact with in lessons/tutor time.”
Read Willingdon Community School’s case study in full here.
Chichester High School
Chichester High School used the funding to revolutionise its sports and fitness facilities, creating a dedicated spin room in the first year.
Head of PE, Charlotte Honour, said: “The girls love it because it’s dark, they can’t see each other and they can’t see themselves as there are no mirrors, so they don’t feel self-conscious. It has been a massive confidence booster for them, and they actually really look forward to it. They can just focus on exercising and enjoying the music.
“I don’t honestly know what we would do without it now. We use it a lot during lessons, especially in wet weather, but we’ve also introduced staff sessions. These have been running since September and are funded through this programme. An instructor leads the sessions, and the staff absolutely love it.”
In the second and third years of funding, the focus shifted to upgrading the gym for external hire, buying portable floodlights and improving netball courts.
Charlotte said: “Sport is a natural way to improve our reputation, so we’ve discussed things like mother and daughter netball, father and son cricket and things like that.
“For us, our focus is extracurricular for our children first, looking after our kids first and trying to encourage them to be active for life. But then further on from that, it’s about engaging the families, because we often find that children with a negative attitude towards sport are because their parents have a negative attitude.
“Ultimately, we want the parents to know us. We want them to be part of our community. And obviously, that will then reach out into the wider community.”
Read the full case study for Chichester High School here.
Bexhill Academy
“I think a lot more people use it in school because you don’t have to go anywhere to use it.” – Alex, 16
The school made a substantial improvement to their gym facilities with the funding, creating a modern and welcoming fitness environment that benefits students, staff, and potentially the wider community in the future.
Much-needed refurbishments were made to the gym, including two new bikes, a weighted sledge track, Smiths weights machine and more. And the money also funded a member of the PE team to complete their Level 2 gym instruction course, enabling them to deliver sessions to students and community users.
Ben Petty, Director of Physical Education, said: “The equipment here before was 12 years old and now they have access to high-quality equipment for free.”
The improved gym has attracted a wider range of students, including those who may not otherwise have accessed a gym environment. This has been particularly valuable for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Ben noted: “New kids are getting involved. For many, it is the first time they can access a gym and the kit is at the level you would see at a commercial gym without having to have a membership, which is massive for them.”
Alex, a 16-year-old student, said: “It is free in school so I do not have to pay for it, and I think a lot more people use it in school because you don’t have to go anywhere to use it.”
Looking ahead, Bexhill Academy plans to expand gym access to parents as part of a broader community outreach initiative.
Read the full case study for Bexhill Academy here.
Varndean School, Brighton & Hove
Boxing, skateboarding, basketball, and mountain biking were introduced at the school thanks to OSF funding.
Calum Thomas, Director of Physical Education, said: “Boxing was one of our main focuses for the OSF this year. We established a link with a local boxing instructor based in Brighton, and they’ve been coming in twice a week to run after-school sessions, which have been really popular.”
Boys and girls sessions were held twice a week, and the boys’ group consistently attracted around 25 participants, while the girls’ group had between six and ten.
Skateboarding emerged as a sustainable success story within the OSF initiative. The school invested in a mobile skate park and equipment while forming partnerships with local skateboard coaches.
And the funding also enabled the renewal of mountain bikes, allowing the school to continue its mountain biking programme for the foreseeable future.
Calum added: “We put in a bid to renew our mountain bikes, which were about eight years old. That funding will keep things going for at least the next five to ten years.
“The mountain bikes are used after school. We typically run a girls-only group (on site) and then a mixed group of varying abilities who go further afield once or twice a week.”
While the programme has faced sustainability challenges, particularly for boxing and basketball, the school continues to explore funding avenues to keep these activities running.
Read the full case study for Varndean School here.
The Mill Primary Academy, Crawley
Initially, the funding was used to enhance the school’s sports equipment, focusing on gymnastics, basketball, and football. It was then used to establish a holiday camp.
Led by Assistant Headteacher Matt Eagle and supported by Deputy Headteacher Chris Noble, the initiative has provided children with structured activities during school holidays, fostering engagement, physical activity, and social development.
Each camp features three different sports or activities per day, with parkour and football popular activities, as well as hockey and lacrosse.
Matt said: “We’ve got a really good relationship with a local parkour club – Crawley Parkour – which is down the road from us here, and they’ve worked with us for years and years. It’s always so popular.”
The camps have attracted a core group of 20 to 30 regular attendees, with another 20 to 30 children joining based on availability and word-of-mouth recommendations. To ensure inclusivity, the school has worked to accommodate children who might not typically engage in sports, offering a variety of activities.
Recognising the programme’s success, the school is now looking at ways to sustain it beyond the initial OSF funding, including partnerships, revenue from leasing school facilities to external organisations, and a small charge for children from other schools attending to cover costs.
Matt said: “The biggest thing for me is the children we’ve had with us. There’s been a real mix across the school, but we have had some of our most vulnerable pupils attend who we really feel benefit from doing something purposeful in the holidays.
“They have been coming here, doing some sport and socialising, which has helped our families and, first and foremost, has helped the children. They have enjoyed it, and it’s given more opportunities.
“We’ve had endless amounts of children who have gone on to do some of the sports they took part in at our camps outside of school. That’s been a real highlight for me.”