"I would like to thank all the coaches for their dedication, hard work and making my son's week fun and enjoyable! Thank you very much...10/10"
Parent of Child attending St. Teilo's
"It's such a relief to leave my son knowing that he is in a safe, fun environment. Thank you Sportstars!"
Parent of Child attending Ysgol Glantaf
"The staff were extremely friendly and had a great rapport with the children."
Parent of Child attending course at Brecon High School
"A really good week - excellent value, the girls were really happy, we knew they were safe and the performance was great! This is our second time and we'd definitely come again."
Parent of Child attending Westbury-on-Trim Primary
"I brought four children to the scheme, ranging from 5 to 10. They all loved coming and ran in every morning. Excellent...10/10"
Parent of Child attending course at Amman Valley Leisure Centre
"I was a bit concerned about leaving my son as he's only just four, but the coaches were so friendly and confident it put my mind at ease straight away. Thanks all. 10/10"
Parent of Child attending course at Coleg Sir Gar
"The coaches have all been fantastic with the children - an excellent balance of fun, learning and discipline. They really manage to communicate with all the children regardless of their age or ability - very impressed indeed!"
Parent of Child attending course at Cardiff High School
"(Sportstars) supply extremely high quality planning, preparation and assessment cover and after school activities, all at a reasonable cost to already stretched school budgets".
Sian Voyce, Head Teacher of Hywel Dda Infant School.
"As a Headteacher I have been challenged by the latest educational reforms of providing good quality cover for staff while they have their 10% Planning Preparation and Assessment Time. I tried a range of providers before and themes for the pupils before employing the services of Sportstars... I have now decided to use Sportstars to cover all the schools PPA requirements for next year and have been very impressed with the company...the services they provide have been a real godsend to Headteachers and the quality of staff are of a high standard".
Jayne Edwards, Head Teacher of Bryn Celyn Primary School
"Sportstars has been working in Kitchener Primary school for the past year. The enthusiastic and energetic coaches are well trained and motivate the children in a wide variety of sports during the year. Sportstars also provide end of year reports for the teachers with whom they have been working."
Jane Evans, Head Teacher of Kitchener Primary School
"Sportstars is very well organised, has excellent coaching personnel, offers a diversity of sports and is excellent value for money! Sportstars has addressed the Health and Safety issues and the coaches have a code of conduct - both of which are so important where the safety and security are concerned'.'The work being done by Sportstars in schools and in holiday clubs, will play a major role in the fight against obesity and also encourage children to take a more active role in sport".
Peter Morgan, former Head Teacher of Eglwys Wen Primary School.
"We are a small school and it's been fantastic to receive fresh new faces bringing in their expertise. Sportstars is a very dependable company and we have never been let down. We had been having great difficulty covering PPA in the past but now we have no worries."
Angela Jones, Head Teacher of Mynydd-y-Garreg Primary School.
"I have been extremely impressed by the professionalism and enthusiasm of the staff of Sportstars. They enthuse and engage the pupils which will lead to them continuing to enjoy the benefits of sporting activities throughout their lives."
Chris Blatchford, Head Teacher of Glyncoed Primary School.
"We have been working with Sportstars since September 2006, when financial pressures meant we were unable to fund a qualified teacher to provide PPA cover. Coaches work closely within existing school policies and frameworks. They have proved extremely popular with our pupils and are highly respected by staff as they bring extra specialities into our school routines."
John Tobutt, Head Teacher of Gabalfa Primary School.
"The qualified coaches of Sportstars are making a significant contribution in our school, both through covering classes for PPA and also by raising standards of achievement across all year groups. With their detailed planning, accurate assessments and good class management, they have quickly won the respect of teachers and the trust of pupils. I recommend them highly."
Carolyn A. Evans, Head Teacher of Rhydypenau Primary School.
"Sportstars is a well organised and very efficient service. They have excellent coaches who cover the full range of the PE curriculum. Detailed lesson planning is provided and is tailored to suit our school's individual needs."
Mike Colcombe, Head Teacher of Hareclive Primary School.

SportStars opens a Bristol office as it tackles English market

18/11/09

A Welsh company that specialises in providing primary schools with sports specialists to cover teachers’ planning preparation and assessment (PPA) time has expanded its offering into the south west of England with a new office in Bristol.

Sportstars, an award winning company that was founded in Cardiff, is set to employ up to 40 new members of staff as it tackles the English market for the first time.

Since establishing in 2006, SportStars has built up a strong reputation across the education sector in south Wales working with over 100 schools in the principality and 25,000 children.

Now with its first premises in the south west of England, Sportstars is set to embark on a roll out of its services across the UK, following the same model of success that the company has achieved in south Wales by establishing a series of successful holiday courses in the area before diversifying into providing PPA cover.

Jon Beddow, 25, from Bath, who has been working with SportStars in Wales for two years, has been appointed to oversee the new Bristol office and develop the business in the region.

On his appointment, Jon said: “We have seen an overwhelming demand for our services over in England and our Bristol office is located in an ideal position to tap into these new markets. The aim is for it to become a growth engine for SportStars to expand across the rest of the UK.

“Undoubtedly it will be challenging however we have a talented team of hard working sport specialists to ensure we make the transition across the bridge a successful one.”

Set up by budding entrepreneur James Taylor, 27, the business aims to help further educate children through physical activity combined with the company’s core vision of spreading the benefits and pleasures of sport.

Says James Taylor, managing director of SportStars: “I launched SportStars after spending the summer in LA coaching children during their summer holidays. When I came back to Britain I realised that children here were no longer as active, opting to play video games instead. This along with the rise in childhood obesity concerned me. I set up SportStars in a bid to tackle this growing problem, providing children with opportunities to get children healthy again.

“Since launching we have had tremendous success in the Welsh market proving that our approach to tackling childhood obesity is a successful one. I am confident that our transition across the bridge will provide us with a platform to tap into new geographical markets and spread the benefits of sport even further.”

Earlier this year, the company won the prestigious Small Business of the Year in the Nectar Business Small Business Awards 2009 and James was also recognized as one of the UK’s best young entrepreneurs being named a Young Gun of 2009 by Growing Business magazine.

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