Why a Sports Campus?

The Positive Impact of the Sports Campus on Physical and Mental Wellbeing

Long before the pandemic, the school had become increasingly concerned about young people struggling with their physical and mental wellbeing – with a decline in rates of physical activity being matched by a steep rise in referrals for counselling services. The constraints of its outdated facilities made it very hard to devote space to physical and mental health activities, or to inspire young people to try new things. With the advice of key partners, the school designed the Sports Campus: innovative facilities to revolutionise the physical learning experience, and inspire young people of all abilities to follow an active and balanced pathway at school, university, in their community, and beyond into employment. 

“Alongside counselling, we promote exercise to combat anxiety and depression, and other issues facing young people today. Access to decent sports facilities within a school enables exercise to be used as a proactive rather than a reactive tool, ensuring good mental health in all young people, giving them resilience and better tools to help in times of difficulty.  Physical activity can give us clearer thinking, increase our self esteem, teach us new skills, help us meet new people, have fun, and critically, give us a safe way to release intense emotions. There is strong evidence suggesting that physical activity alone can play a role in improving self worth in young people – and schools have a vital role to play in meeting this need.” 

– Sue Wheble, Specialist School Counsellor and Psychotherapist

The Sports Campus will be seeking to have a positive impact on the wellbeing for the school and community in a range of ways:

• By offering more ways for more people to be more active, more often
• Removing the barriers to being more active, by creating a welcoming place where people want to spend time and feel inspired to be brave and to move more
• Encouraging young people to volunteer to support their peers to be more active
• Mindfulness classes
• Free community lectures from experts in the fields of sport, health, psychology and wellbeing
• Creation of an autism friendly guide to the Sports Campus
• Sessions for Young Carers and community groups
• Sessions for Furze Down Special School
• ‘Back to school’ sessions for the over 40’s
• Sessions encouraging families to exercise together
• Training sessions to help primary school teachers deliver effective PE lessons