Mid Sussex, Crawley, and Brighton unite for School Games Inclusion Festival

Seven schools from across Mid Sussex, Crawley, and Brighton came together for an exciting afternoon of inclusive sports at the School Games Inclusion Festival.

The School Games event at the Triangle Centre in Burgess Hill on Thursday, January 30, featured various activities, including cricket with Sussex Cricket, parkour with Crawley Parkour CIC, and dance with DanceHub. 

The initiative aimed to provide an opportunity for primary school pupils who may not typically participate in such events to engage in physical activity in an inclusive and supportive environment.

Emma Greenough, School Games Organiser (SGO) for Brighton and Hove, highlighted the importance of the event: “It is a great opportunity for schools to bring along a group of students who do not usually get this opportunity and experience inclusive physical activity with cricket, parkour, and dance.”

The schools that attended included Desmond Anderson Primary Academy in Crawley, Brackenbury Primary School in Portslade, Southway Junior School in Burgess Hill, Sheddingdean Community Primary School in Burgess Hill, Twineham CE Primary School in Haywards Heath, Hertford Primary School in Brighton, and The Gatwick School in Crawley.

Among the attendees was Suzy Parvin, a Year 4 teacher from Sheddingdean, who brought students from Years 3, 4, 5, and 6.

“They are loving it. They are all having a go and getting a kick out of it. They all have different abilities and needs and they are all getting on with it and enjoying themselves, and it is fabulous,” she said.

Vicky Lea-White, SGO for Mid Sussex, was also pleased with the event’s success. “It has been a fun and rewarding day, seeing a different group of children that I have not seen before at our events taking part and having fun. 

“They have all given it a go; no one has sat out, and teachers seem pleased with it, too.”

The event was met with enthusiasm from students, who shared their excitement about the activities:

• “I like the part where we had to climb over things, and you get to jump and do lots of fun things.”
• “I loved the cricket because I do love bowling.”
• “I loved everything. I have done cricket before at school every Wednesday and I have danced before, but I had not done parkour before.”
• “I loved doing the dance moves.”
• “I liked the obstacle course in parkour.”
• “It has been really exciting because of all the activities. I had never done parkour before, and now I would like to try lots of different sports.”
• “I loved the music from Deadpool.”
• “I loved the parkour as I was with my friends.”
• “I love whacking the ball.”
• “I loved being with my friends, and I loved parkour because I am good at jumping.”

The event was also praised by the instructors leading the activities. Liam Henderson and Ollie Sebire-Harris from Sussex Cricket reflected on their experience: “I found it great to reach out to different children from different areas. 

“We thought it was fun, and they all seemed to enjoy it. I have never been to an event where we have been able to work with three areas (Brighton, Crawley and Mid Sussex) in one event.”

Drew Ratcliff from Crawley Parkour CIC emphasised the benefits of the sport for students with special educational needs (SEN). 

“It was great to reach out to children with different needs,” he said. “Parkour is a great sport for SEN as it is not a team sport; you can focus on yourself and your creativity. 

“They all seemed to really enjoy it and they were all really good as well.”

Dave Downney from Crawley Parkour CIC added: “It has been great for us to come here, meet local schools, and show them what we can do. We have even had one PE teacher enquire about joining our adult parkour session!”

Active Sussex are the strategic lead for the Sussex School Games, working with School Games Organisers to deliver meaningful opportunities for the children who need it most.

Ed Bartram, Regional Project and Events Officer at Active Sussex, said: “The success of days like these depends on partnership working. 

“Firstly, three SGO’s working together, forgetting geographical boundaries, gives some of the children the opportunity to come to a new venue, and mix with different schools.

“Also, working with the community partners means the children have opportunities beyond the day. 

“Today should just be the spark to get them engaged, so having partners on board who can continue to deliver back in school or in a community setting is essential.

“Credit to all three SGO’s for embracing this way of working. It’s been a great day, and is a fine example of the evolution of the School Games in recent years.”

The success of the School Games Inclusion Festival highlights the importance of inclusive sports initiatives, providing opportunities for all children to experience the joy and benefits of physical activity in a supportive and engaging environment.