Case Study
Sport and activity in Hertsmere
The council supports many different sports, through grant funding and the support of the
council’s Community Sports Officer, which are accessible to people regardless of their ability.
This case study will highlight some of the work that is done with different clubs and schools
who support disabled people to play sport.
With funding from Sport England, a
satellite club was set up at Bushey
Meads School. This club works with able
and disabled bouts and girls from years 7
– 11. Coaches from Watford Harriers
Athletics Club engaged the students with
sessions tailored to their requests.
Sessions take place weekly for 90
minutes. Sporting champion Abi
Oyepitan visited the club twice, delivering
a motivational speech and coaching the
young people which proved inspiring especially for the girls.
Working with the Watford Harriers improved the standard of athletics across the school and,
as a result, the school finished 6th overall in the district athletics competition.
Young people are becoming more concerned with their wellbeing and shift towards fitness
activities is happening earlier (Sport England Youth Insight). 60% of the participants are
female and 10% of participants have a disability. All sessions are inclusive regardless of
ability and the club waived the entry fee for students to encourage first time participation.
This satellite club has been so successful that it was recognised with an award as Eastern
Region club of the year.
Potters Bar Additional Needs Tennis Group
Potters Bar Additional Needs Tennis Group has received community grants which has
allowed them to develop and expand their tennis coaching sessions to all types of disabled
people in the community. They are delivering tennis coaching sessions to the following
groups:
Visually impaired
Hearing impaired
Behavioural problem youths from a local school
Severely disabled groups with both mental and physical problems
Special needs schools
The participants are aged between 3-81 years old and come
from different ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds.
Feedback from the participants is very encouraging as it
gives them a feeling of inclusion in sport and normal activity
and increases their self-esteem.
King George recreation ground
We have installed a 'Wheelspin' roundabout from Inclusive
Play and by having ground level access, the Wheelspin is
accessible for wheelchairs and also accommodates several
children, enabling inclusion and social integration. Children
can choose to sit, stand or push it round and the large
surface area enables lots of children to play together.
Also installed is the Orb Rocker, a four way seating springer
seesaw which makes a chime sound, increasing the play value
and sensory experience. Children who need more support have
large hand grips to hold on to. The jingles heighten the sense of
hearing and there is also vestibular stimulation from movement
which is key to brain development.
The springy Mezzo allows children to peer inside and watch the coloured balls move around.
This is appealing for children who may have limited mobility but can control the movement of
the balls.
Learning through the arts