Information about our gifted and talented programme.
Coopers' Coborn Athletic Talent Scheme
The Coopers' C.A.T.s has been set up to support our most talented athletes. Our aim is to offer the most comprehensive support provided by any school in the country. If you are selected to be part of the scheme you will be offered support at school in order to develop your talent to it's full potential. The structure of this is listed below.
1) Junior Athlete Education Mentoring Scheme, including lifestyle workshops.
Stages of development Ages 5 to 11 SAMPLING YEARS Ages 10 to 14 years SPECIALISATION YEARS Ages 14+ years INVESTMENT YEARS Two pathways: investment years or Recreational years. In these investment years, parents make a commitment of time and money (approximately £5,000 per year for the average young performance athlete in England according to figures published by Sports Aid ) to support their children's involvement. RECREATIONAL YEARS - can be at any age Children and young people can move into the recreational years from any of the stages outlined above. In the recreational years individuals find themselves engaged in a pursuit that has the potential to enhance their health and personal growth. All of these age ranges can vary from child to child There are three main components
2) Sport Science support and fitness testing.
3) Enrichment activities (e.g. inspirational trips to Universities and Sports Facilities, visits from role models, masterclasses)
Often, a talented or gifted performer has all the foundations in place to help them achieve their potential, but no one to help co-ordinate the complex variety of variables involved in developing success. The JAE scheme starts with the training of staff (could be non-PE staff, support staff or sports development professionals or volunteers). It involves working with "TEAM YOU" which, depending on the student might involve coaches, parents, facilities managers, teachers and national governing bodies to support and empower the young person to manage their lifestyle, training and "performance profiling". It is a very powerful scheme and gives students one to one support in many cases.
More information on the JAE programme can also be found by clicking here
Some of the things a mentor may help a student with are:
- Flexible timetabling (to help with grueling training regimes)
- Counceling when times are hard and the pressure is getting to them
- Liaison with teachers across the school to raise awareness of the pressures and demands of a young performer
- Behaviour and body language coaching. (Students who are being held back due to their lack of skills to deal with social situations or effective liaison with adults involved in their TEAM YOU)
- Performance profiling - helping students to systematically plan their training to fit in with the school work and show progression
Workshops for parents and students
The delivery of specific workshops which involve parents in the scheme and raise awareness to how we can work together to ensure we have the smoothest possible pathway to a young person achieving their potential. There are also workshops for students which covers material which is very relevant to their current situations. It questions the balance of lifestyle and asks students, with the help of the mentor to monitor, plan and ensure that they have the most healthy approach to gaining success.
From this, we aim to develop a comprehensive strategy for gifted and talented students in PE and sport which impacts upon the whole school.
Essentially, the same principles apply to any talented or gifted student. Mathematicians, musicians, artists or drama students will all have added pressures and a need to balance lifestyle, nutrition and overall management of their TEAM YOU. For example, a drama student may well be performing or practicing every weekend and several times during the week. They may need to travel or take certain amounts of time out of school which needs to be caught up. Once the programme is firmly embedded through the Sports College development, it may spread to other students in other areas.
What makes a Champion?
"Sporting success depends upon having a structure in place that supports talented young performers every step of the way. Coaching, competition, facilities and support services need to be available at the appropriate level throughout the system not just at the elite end of sport . Creating a linked, progressive system of talent development is vital if we are to provide an opportunity for the very best to emerge"
Click here for further information on the G & T workshops.
Click here for further information on Sport Science support.
OPPORTUNITY AND ENJOYMENT - establish a long-term pattern of involvement
The specialising years: the child begins to focus on one or two specific sports. Fun and enjoyment remain central
Presentation slides from the launch evening can be downloaded here: