Porchester Junior School children receive tuition in Paralympic Sports

Children at Porchester Junior School in Carlton have been receiving tuition in some Paralympic Sports this week, including wheelchair manoeuvring skills and wheelchair sports including basketball, archery, rugby and tennis.

Dan Richards of Express Coaching Services provided the tuition and said children taking part in wheelchair sports was a valuable experience. He said, “Children learning wheelchair skills and sports creates opportunities for disability awareness, providing firsthand experience of what it is like to be in a wheelchair, -and brings in to focus the many challenges that wheelchair users experience on a daily basis.

“It is also about inclusion, and it provides a level playing field for pupils to try new sports. We start off with basic chair skills choreographed to some music, then move onto wheelchair

rugby, tennis, then wheelchair archery and wheelchair basketball on the final day. It’s a brand-new skill for most children, who have often never had to use a wheelchair before, and for me it’s a fantastic job to see them smiling and learning throughout the week, becoming more disability aware along the way.”

Photograph: Annie and Jacob (both year 6) learning to manoeuvre their wheelchairs.

Pupil, Rose McMullen is in year 6 and said, “We have been turning and moving around in the wheelchairs. It is all new for me, because I have never used a wheelchair before. I think the easier bit is turning but you do have to think about how you are going to move, and to find the space you can move into. Also, it makes you think a lot about how hard it must be for people getting around in wheelchairs.”

Pupil Jude Spinks is in year 5 said, “I have been in a wheelchair once before when I broke my leg. I think it will help all of us to understand how hard it is for people in wheelchairs just to move around and lots of places are not helping them because they don’t have ramps. But it has been lots of fun taking part too, -and I am looking forward to playing wheelchair basketball.”

Pupil Annie Williamson is in year 6 and said, “It has been really fun to learn because I have never been in a wheelchair before. It does make you think about people who have no choice, and how much that affects their life. I know wheelchair users are able to do lots of things, but I also know it must be much harder for them every day. It has been lots of fun to learn, but I am respectful of people who don’t have a choice about using wheelchairs.”

Headteacher at Porchester Junior School is Vicki Welsby who said, “We were excited about involving our children in a wheelchair sport experience as it reflects our curriculum commitment to inclusion and equality.

“This week has been truly inspirational for everyone. The children have loved participating in various wheelchair sports, showing incredible levels of empathy and gaining a deeper appreciation for diversity, teamwork, and the experiences of their peers, -some of whom use wheelchairs. This has been a meaningful and lasting experience for our school, and we will definitely take part in it again.”

Photograph left to right: George Year 5 and Rosie year 6 enjoying the experience.

Photograph: Jacob year 6 and Annie year 6 honing their skills.