Opening School Facilities Fund supports Milton Keynes Cheerleaders

This case study, provided by LEAP, reports The Radcliffe School in Milton Keynes, England, South-Eastern Region. The report is the result of a collaborative review and evaluation involving teachers, coaches and participants. Our aim is to celebrate success and to identify learning from the project which can be embedded in future projects.

The Radcliffe School wished to establish a cheerleading club, staffed by qualified coaches. Its aim was to develop positive mood and self confidence, improve physical endurance and flexibility and foster teamwork and resilience. The core values were based upon all participants growing to be the best versions of themselves: improving their self esteem, positive mindset and self regulation to give them strategies to manage their mental health and well being. In Year 1 the club started as an afterschool club, but evolve in Years 2 and 3 into a financially sustainable community outreach project.

Roxy, a qualified cheerleading coach from First Class Athletics and PE teacher Lauren lead after school sessions for year 7 to year 10 students. 42/43 students normally attend. On the day Leap attended, several students left for a school football competition and then came back to cheerleading!

We loved observing the session. We witnessed excellent relationships between coaches and students. The was clearly structure and a formal style of coaching as cheerleading requires discipline for safety, but time for girls to chat and socialise.

The students enjoyed socialising and the challenges of mastering and becoming competent at the movements. Those with less experience or ability were included in adapted movements to ensure the session were truly inclusive.

The teachers were very proud to show us the cheerleading after school club and how engaging it was to so many to their female students. They were thrilled to be able to offer it to so many students, freely.

To continue reading the case study, please visit the LEAP website.

Case study provided by LEAP.

Image courtesy of the Sport England Image Library.