"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.

Child fitness – is it a case of ‘Extreme Parental Guidance’?

18/02/10

Maintaining healthy lifestyles is one of the hardest challenges modern society faces in the 21st century. The blame, alongside the usual reasons of too much junk food has come to rest, at least in part, with too little physical exercise.

In 1959, a study was carried out measuring the fitness levels of more than 3,000 seven- to ten-year-olds. Leeds Metropolitan University, who recently re-discovered the results of the test, teamed up with Supernanny Jo Frost and put 80 of today's ten year olds through the same challenges to see how they would compare.

The results of the test showed that children of today were shockingly unfit compared to their counter parts of 1959. With more access to organised sports, access to healthcare and more knowledge of the importance of nutrition, today’s generation should be fitter than those in 1959. Therefore, this presents the question, is the lack of physical activity one of the most challenging dilemmas facing society today?

In recent decades, several studies have highlighted concerns about the fitness and participation in physical activities of young children. Declining fitness in society could be blamed on modern day technology including video games and television, combined with the number of British families who are increasingly living “couch potato” lifestyles.

Modern day technology has replaced more traditional forms of leisure time and exercise is no longer part of most children’s days. Children less frequently walk or cycle to school, and some don’t even play sport, instead spending hours in front of a television or computer. These modern day activities not only contribute to a lack of physical activity but can also hamper young children’s ability to learn important life skills. Interest in sport leads to a desire to participate in it in some way and teaches teamwork, communication skills, leadership and self confidence.

Furthermore the role of sport in society, particularly schools has been debated for many decade. According to leading health specialists, children should be participating in at last 60 minutes of physical activity each day, but at least four out of ten boys and six out of ten girls fail to reach this target.

If we are to alter attitudes toward physical activity and encourage it, education is vital. Research suggests that low levels of physical activity in childhood have been linked with low levels in adulthood. Therefore it is essential that schools create positive experiences for children when they partake in physical activity, encouragement is a necessity and praise is vital. This in turn will help shape their attitudes and skills, further instilling confidence, allowing them to take part in a range of activities during their childhood and continue them through into adult life.

It is also a case of educating children about the importance of maintaining a healthy balanced diet. The UK is a nation of junk food lovers, often opting for fast food outlets rather than cooking healthy alternatives. If we are to promote the importance of physical activity this needs to go hand in hand with promoting healthy lifestyles. If we are to change the current lifestyle trend of society we need to educate children about the importance of eating nutritious foods like fresh fruit and vegetables

However, all this needs to be part of a much bigger campaign. If we are to combat children’s attitude towards physical activity, parents also need to take responsibility. Research suggests that currently over a third of Britain's mums and dads are unaware of the recommended activity levels for children. Parents should become role models for their children, encouraging participation in physical activity and structuring family time to include exercise. Therefore if we introduce physical activity to children at a very young age, this will provide the foundation needed to foster interest which should continue for a lifetime.

Major changes are needed and expectations need to be raised if we are to achieve higher levels of physical activity among children and young people. Although a large amount of responsibility ultimately lies with parents, if we are to tackle the issue of fitness, a combined effort from the government, schools and parents is needed. This in turn will ensure that children are given as many opportunities as possible to engage in physical exercise and improve their fitness levels.

Child development specialist James Taylor is the founder and managing director of SportStars, a company which specialises in providing high quality sports coaching to schools across Wales, spreading the benefits and pleasures of sport.

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