Youth Sport Trust Award Winners: Excellence in Enrichment

Having been shortlisted among 9 other distinguished organisations nationwide, the Trust was ultimately declared the proud winner of the Excellence in Enrichment Award.

The prestigious accolade “recognises schools or settings that provide inspiring and intentional enrichment through school sport and physical activity. Through this offer, they ensure they build character, develop life and work skills, value young people’s voices, and raise aspirations for every young person”.*

This year’s awards celebrated the positive impact committed individuals, schools and trusts have had on children’s health and wellbeing through the provision of inclusive, accessible opportunities within sport. Key figures from the sporting world were in attendance on the night, including former England Women’s Rugby Captain Sarah Hunter and Director of Sport at the British Olympic Association Sarah Massey.

Adam Douglas, Sports Development Officer at Redhill Academy Trust, said: "The recognition of this award is an outstanding testament to the staff across all of our schools who contribute so much towards creating a high-quality enrichment and co-curricular offer for our students."

Committed to widening experiences through PE, school sport and enrichment, Redhill Academy Trust’s nomination showcased the key steps taken at all levels of the organisation in line with the Trust values, to drive improvements in academic and pupil outcomes, including:

Investment in leadership: Recruitment of a Trust Director for PE, Sports Development Officer, 10 Co-Curricular Co-ordinators, and specialist champions in handball, rowing, chess and boccia has led to stronger partnerships with organisations, including Youth Sport Trust, England Handball, London Youth Rowing (LYR), Boccia England and Chess in Schools.

Broadening opportunities: Collaboration with national and local partners has facilitated wider access to unique experiences for students that would benefit from enrichment the most. Significant investment in equipment and coaching following the launch of the Redhill Rowing Academy** has seen students accessing regular rowing sessions both on the water at Holme Pierrepont in partnership with LYR, and on their school’s Concept2 rowing machines. Many students have gone on to compete at inter-school and national competitions.

Inclusive competition: The Trust Games, delivered during the school day, targets students who have not yet accessed enrichment opportunities or represented their school. This year marked the introduction of boccia, providing competitive opportunities for more than 50 SEND students.

Bridging gaps in participation: A tracking system monitors more than 12,000 students, enabling the Trust to ensure every pupil has access to enrichment opportunities and receives additional support when needed. As a result, 77% of students took part in at least one co-curricular activity across 800 clubs last year.

Boosting attendance through an extensive co-curricular programme***: Since introducing four new core sports across our 20 schools (rowing, handball, boccia and chess), positive trends have been seen in attendance figures across the Trust, with a particular benefit for disadvantaged pupils. Data shows the more co-curricular sessions students attend, the better their overall school attendance is; those who didn't go to any clubs averaged 86 per cent attendance, while students who took part in 10 sessions annually averaged 95 per cent. 

Find out more about your local academy’s Curriculum Plus programme on their website.

* Excellence in Enrichment - Youth Sport Trust

** Redhill Academy Trust - Pioneering partnership brings school rowing talent to Nottingham waters

*** Redhill Academy Trust - Raising game on enrichment helps Redhill Trust boost attendance