White Rose Rugby have been funded and have on-going funding from Yorkshire Sport Foundation and North Yorkshire Sport foundation to deliver Change Through Rugby sessions. Our Change Through Rugby sessions are delivered to target groups such as Girl’s, Minority groups or SEN and mixed ability sessions. We deliver the sessions within many focus communities and areas across the county.
Below is some of our best success stories from our Change Through Rugby project and how it has helped to promote the many benefits of rugby.
We delivered both Boy’s and Girl’s sessions at Dixons Trinity Academy. The majority of the group were from an ethnic minority group and it was the first time all of the participants had the opportunity to play rugby. The sessions ran initially for 6 weeks but have continued due to the success of the project.
The Boy’s group that we delivered too, were a group that misbehaved whilst in the school. The sessions helped the boy’s explore the core values and have now all seen vast improvements with their behaviour. The Boy’s have also began taking part within the White Rose Schools Rugby series and many are now looking for Grass root rugby clubs which they can join.
The Girl’s rugby group has seen some great success within the first few weeks of delivery. This session is a choice within PE for the Girl’s and since starting the sessions the number of participants has grown by 15 and continues to grow.
For many of the Girl’s it is the first time experiencing rugby and in the future we aim to create the opportunity for them to take part within the White Rose Schools Rugby series.
Jacob Rollinson
PE teacher at Dixons Trinity Academy:
“White Rose Rugby have had an immense impact on the opportunities available to our students. Their hard work has enabled an increasingly large number of our students to enjoy additional rugby sessions in a highly motivating, engaging and safe environment.
Our students have enjoyed developing their skills and playing competitively against other schools and as a result and are now hooked. I cannot recommend White Rose Rugby enough and I thank the team for their continued hard work with our young people.”
White Rose Rugby have an excellent partnership with Dixon’s Mcmillan Academy. Over the past two years we have delivered to various groups of different abilities, genders and ethnic backgrounds. A large percentage of the work we have delivered has been through the Change through rugby project, funded by Yorkshire Sport foundation.
Active ‘DEAR‘:
Our latest sessions involve a group of students who spend a large amount of their school life out of curriculum activities due to their behaviour around school.
At the Mcmillan academy, the school run ‘DEAR‘ sessions. The sessions stand for ‘drop everything and read’. It is a session to help develop literacy skills throughout the students. To give the misbehaving students and opportunity to enjoy an aspect of school, get active and learn about the core values as well as rugby, the participants take part in ‘active DEAR‘ sessions with us, whilst the rest of school take part in ‘DEAR‘.
To help promote good behaviour around school, the sessions are behaviour led. For example, a participant can not attend if they have too many behaviour points throughout the week.
Throughout the group we have seen an improvement in behaviour, level of activity and rugby/core values knowledge.The group have began to gain a greater understanding of leadership, teamwork but also coaching. We have created the chance for the students to give coaching a go in a informal and relaxed manor. This helps the students gain more from the sessions.
In the future we would like to see the group to continue improving behaviour through the use of the core values. A large percentage of the group considered looking into grass root clubs, this would be an excellent outcome, if participants began to join their local clubs to continue playing rugby.
Girl’s Rugby:
The ‘DEAR’ sessions were a group of mixed genders but we have also delivered girl’s rugby too participants in Year 7,8 & 9.
These sessions were aimed to get more girl’s in to rugby. A high percentage of the group had never participated in rugby before and were from ethnic backgrounds. The sessions focused on the core values, but ensured enjoyment throughout everything we did.
The group involved became more active and experienced many benefits that rugby has to offer. This includes strengthening existing and making new friendships, learning new rugby skills and also gaining confidence in participating in sport (especially within a contact environment).
In the future it would be great to continue delivering the rugby sessions to the girl’s group. As for newcomers to the school may never f experienced rugby before. This creates the opportunity for all to gain understanding of the benefits they will gain from the sessions.
As part of the Change through Rugby project we delivered 10 weeks of rugby at Wakefield College. We delivered to an SEN and ESOL group of participants with the initial aim of trying out some wheel chair rugby.
ESOL stands for English for Speakers of Other Languages. This meant some members of the group were unable to speak English and struggled with communication verbally.
This was also one of the first opportunities for the students to take part within a rugby session. As mentioned above, initially we started wheel chair rugby sessions, but due to availability of the wheelchairs, we re-focused on an 02 touch style of rugby.
After the 10 weeks of delivery the group became more active and began to gain a greater understanding of rugby. The group finished the 10 weeks being able to play touch and pass rugby which was a brilliant outcome for the group.
For many individuals, it was great to see them becoming more active and getting involved more.
The future plan for Wakefield College would be for them to continue playing rugby within their group at College.
Above are images of some cards that were sent to our coach Matt by the group. To read more about the testimonials above please click here.
Our coaches delivered 6 weeks of rugby at Leeds City College. The sessions were delivered in the Ramgarhia Sikh Centre in Chapeltown, Leeds. The participants who took part in the sessions were all ESOL students at the college.
ESOL students are those learning the english language, this meant most of the group struggled to communicate verbally. We placed a massive emphasis on teamwork and helping one another to ensure everyone learnt new skills and developed their skills.
A large percentage of the group often sat out of sport within college as they struggled to overcome the language barrier and often felt left out. The group experienced the opportunity to become more active, make new friends and socialise whilst playing sport.
In the future, we would hope that the group have gained the confidence to take part in sport at other extra curricular clubs and even grass root clubs. The group’s friendships grew throughout our delivery and we would also hope for this to continue. Rugby is an excellent sport to bring people together from various backgrounds, these sessions proving that.
White Rose Rugby have spent a large amount of time within Titus Salts School throughout our coaching years. We have delivered a range of sessions to a vast amount of students and abilities.
We have delivered Change through Rugby sessions to both Girl’s, Boy’s and too SEN and mixed ability groups at various ages too.
Our most recent work within Titus Salts School was Girl’s and SEN sessions. We spent 6 weeks delivcering both sets of sessions as part of the Change through rugby project.
Firstly we delivered the Girl’s sessions within the school. Throughout the 6 weeks we saw an increase in participants, a lot of which had little or no experience playing the sport. As a group, a large amount of the Girl’s went to play for their local rugby team which is Baildon RUFC. They began to play rugby at a grass root level which was the main aim of this delivery. We also saw the group begin to gain a greater understanding of the core values and the group also became more active because of this.
In the future, we plan for the school to continue participating in girl’s events within the White Rose Schools Rugby Series and to continue to strengthen the bond between the school and local rugby club. To create the opportunity for more girl’s to play rugby outside of school.
We then delivered sessions to an SEN and mixed ability group within the school. Many of the individuals within group became more active and began to become more confident with getting involved within the sessions.
Over the 6 weeks of delivery, we gave the participants to challenge their coaching, teamwork and leadership skills throughout the session. This is something that helped them on and off the field.
Martyn Redhead
Head of Sixth Form/P.E. Teacher at Titus Slats School
“If you need someone to inspire your students in a fun, safe and engaging environment, I would look no further than White Rose Rugby and the influence they have had at Titus Salt School with our Rugby Union Programme. Robbie Hill, our coach, has been a leading force in creating a huge interest in rugby during curriculum lessons as well as his commitment and involvement in extracurricular clubs for both the girls and boys.
As a P.E. Teacher I would not hesitate in recommending White Rose Rugby to help support and develop the Rugby provision at your school.”
Over the past year White Rose Rugby and Barnsley College have worked closely to create the opportunity for students to take part in sessions that help benefit and add on to their course.
We have delivered two types of sessions within the college, each type of session aimed for different outcomes and were all funded by Yorkshire sport foundation as a part of the Change through rugby project.
The complete development program:
We are currently half way through this 10 week block of delivery. We are working closely to all regulations and restrictions regarding COVID-19. The idea of the delivery is to provide students with the opportunity to develop their playing, coaching and refereeing skills. Find out more by clicking here.
In the future we would like to create the opportunity for the students to put their practice into action and go with our coaches to primary sessions in Barnsley. Giving them the opportunity to put their new coaching and refereeing skills in to action.
Taster/newbie day’s:
Over the past year we have supported the college’s welcome/taster day for new first year students. We run enjoyable, short and sharp sessions to over 150 participants across the day. We run one station at the same as other sports companies running other aspects to the taster day. The idea is so that students can experience the sort of sports they may be involved with in their time at the college.
As a part of the Change through rugby delivery we delivered rugby sessions over a term to two year 8 classes within their timetabled PE lessons at Wales High School in south yorkshire.
Only one person in the two classes had experienced the sport before so the programme was looking at getting these girls interested in the sport, and to have a basic understanding so that if they wanted to carry on with the sport then they are capable to do so. This programme was aimed to cover the basic skills within rugby, and to allow the girls participating to develop an understanding of how to play the sport, so that if they had similar lessons led by the sport, they would all be competent enough within their skills to participate.
The impact of these sessions was good, it allowed young girls to be introduced to an unfamiliar sport to them and take part within it. This sparked interest within a lot of girls to do more within the sport and they wanted to do more. This interest may allow the participants to want to carry on this sport or carry on more with what they are already doing, allowing them to lead an active lifestyle.
The next steps for this group would be to look at joining the girls rugby club that the school is running. This would allow them to regularly develop their skills further within the sport, and also take part in games with other schools. Along with this they can also look at joining a local rugby team outside of school, so that they again can have regular sessions within the sport and also meet new people from different backgrounds. And also take part within various White Rose Schools Rugby Series festivals.
As part of the Change through Rugby project we delivered 6 weeks of rugby at The University Academy Keighley (UAK). We delivered sessions to Year 8 Girl’s who had never had the opportunity to play rugby before. Also only a handful of the group had seen or watched any form of rugby. Because of this our aim was to ensure the group were able to play rugby by the end of the 6 weeks.
Throughout the delivery we ensured the sessions key focus was the core values and enjoyment. All of the sessions had game based scenarios that enabled the group to develop physical and social skills throughout playing. This made the seasons more fun and also more active as there was less stop and start.
The Girl’s who took part in the sessions became more active over the six weeks and learnt new skills for on and off the pitch. After the 6 weeks the aim was to get the Girl’s participating in the White Rose Schools Rugby series. We also supplied the school and participants with information regarding local Girl’s teams in the area at grass roots rugby club.
As a part of the Change through Rugby project we delivered six weeks of Girl’s rugby at Beckfoot Oakbank in Keighley. The sessions were throughout the school day and we delivered to two Year 8 Girl’s groups.
Before we started the sessions only a few of the participants had taken part in contact rugby before. The aim of the sessions was to introduce the sport and create the opportunity for the girl’s to become more active.
Throughout the 6 weeks of delivery we saw the group become more active and confident when participating in the sessions.
The group also developed their leadership and teamwork skills, through various challenges throughout the sessions. We ensured all the session were game based, ensuring the group were active whilst developing skills for on and off the pitch.
In the future the Girl’s will begin to participate in the White Rose Schools Rugby Series festivals. This means they will continue to be active through rugby and it also gives them the opportunity to take part within inter-school festivals. Many of which are at local rugby clubs to further aid the transition to grass roots rugby.
Our Change through rugby sessions were funded by North Yorkshire Sport. We delivered 10 weeks of Girl’s after school rugby. The sessions have currently being paused due to the Coronavirus outbreak but will be continued as soon as possible.
The sessions have had some huge success and numbers of attendee’s to the sessions in continuing to grow. Welcoming new participants each week. Our key focus for the sessions was for the sessions to be enjoyable but also provide the opportunity for the girl’s to gain a greater understanding of grass root rugby clubs they can join the local area.
Quotes from participants/teachers – We will be collecting the teacher testimonials at the end of delivery. This enables a review of all delivery.
What was the IMPACT on the young people attending your satellite club?
Throughout the weeks of delivery, we have seen a vast improvement on rugby related skills but also social skills. As the group are from a mix of school years, not many had spoken or worked together before. We created opportunities for the participants to develop these skills, throughout various game based scenarios.
The group have also become more active and have enjoyed taking part within the sessions.
How many have transitioned to the club?
Currently we haven’t had any transitions to any grassroots rugby clubs. We will re-asses this at the end of the 10 weeks delivery block.
How many continue to stay active within the satellite club?
Since starting the sessions, we have had the same core group attending each session. As well as newcomers each week. The core group have attended each week and are becoming more active on a weekly basis.
Has there been an improvement in physical/mental health, confidence, ability?
We believe the whole group have become more confident throughout the sessions. Also, the group have learnt new rugby related skills for on and off the field.
What has stood out about these sessions- how are they different to a club environments or how do they encourage participants to access a club when they wouldn’t have done before?
We think the largest difference from a rugby club setting is the enjoyment seen in the sessions from all activities been game related. The skills are built into games and to keep the games challenging. But this also helps to continue development in a fun way.
Our Change through rugby sessions at The Skipton Academy were funded by North Yorkshire Sport. We delivered 10 weeks of Girl’s for Year 7 and 8 Girl’s.
The sessions have had some huge success and numbers of attendee’s to the sessions in continuing to grow. Welcoming new participants each week. Our key focus for the sessions was for the sessions to be enjoyable but also provide the opportunity for the girl’s to gain a greater understanding of grass root rugby clubs they can join the local area.
Quotes from participants/teachers – Awaiting quotes
What was the IMPACT on the young people attending your satellite club?
The groups at The Skipton Academy were all new to rugby. Our focus was to provide an opportunity to learn new skills to help them on and off the pitch. The young people who attended the sessions became more active but also learnt new skills that could help them in a game of rugby but also in a class room or school environment. We focused the sessions on the core values to ensure all of the participants gained the most from the sessions that they could.
How many have transitioned to the club?
We were unaware of any of the group that had transitioned to the club. Many showed interest in joining local clubs. Although none of the girl’s joined at club, many began to participate within the after school club that had been created.
How many continue to stay active within the satellite club?
All of the participants continue to stay active after the sessions. The after school sessions were key to this to ensure they can continue taking part in rugby related exercise on a weekly basis. As well as school time rugby lessons in PE.
Has there been an improvement in physical/mental health, confidence, ability?
All of the girl’s learnt new skills to help them within the game. We also used many teamwork, coaching and leadership games to improve the social aspect within the group and to give the participants varying challenges to help them develop their skills further.
One of the participants was an SEN student and rarely took part in any PE sessions. Since starting the sessions she took part each week and loved the sessions.
What has stood out about these sessions- how are they different to a club environments or how do they encourage participants to access a club when they wouldn’t have done before?
We believe the largest stand out from these sessions was the fact that school rugby sessions are massively enjoyed by all involved, including our coaches. The sessions enable a fun and safe learning environment were skills can be learnt for on and off the pitch for all abilities.
At Hazelbeck School we delivered SEN and Mixed ability rugby sessions for 10 weeks. Throughout the ten weeks we delivered sessions tailor made to each of the participants needs to ensure everyone could take part within the sessions. Including the staff.
Our coaches were able to work directly with the participants to help them achieve goals and become more active. The sessions were based around the core values, with a key focus of enjoyment and ensuring all of the participants enjoyed the sessions.
Some of the participants would often leave the sessions to look at developing other skills or just to have a chat. Our coaches ensured we met these needs and ensured all of the participants received some benefits from every session.
In the future, we will be looking to continue to build on our strong relationship with Hazelbeck. And would continue to support the students with becoming more active in a safe and enjoyable environment.
The students became more active through the sessions and began to gain a greater understanding of the sport. We created the opportunity for the students to get out of the classroom and give sport a go. The rugby sessions were delivered successfully be our team as all of the participants gained enjoyment and skill development from the sessions.
We also created a strong link between The bumbles mixed ability rugby team and the school. This would create the opportunity for the transition to grass roots rugby and to a local team.
As part of the Change through rugby project we delivered Girl’s after school rugby sessions at Beckfoot. The sessions ran for 6 week and saw a gradual increase in participants that took part. Which helped to grow girls rugby at Beckfoot school.
The group were new comers to rugby and none of the Girl’s had participated in rugby before. The aim of the sessions were to get them playing rugby and create a link to the local rugby club, so the girls can go to a local team if they enjoy it.
We delivered 6 weeks of fun and inclusive sessions all focusing on enjoyment and other core values of the game. This lead to the sessions success and overall enjoyment within the sessions. Also The group became more active and got the chance to take part in rugby. They also got the opportunity to transition to their local rugby club.
The next steps for the satellite club will be to participate In the White Rose Schools Rugby series. And also host open day events at the local rugby club to try rugby at a grass roots level.