Children and Young People

Cornelius Vermuyden School

Opening Schools Facilities Funding

Embarking on a journey to enrich their extracurricular offer, and foster greater community engagement through their sports facilities, Cornelius Vermuyden has flourished through Opening Schools Facilities funding with support from Active Essex.

Recognising the barriers hindering many pupils’ access to community clubs, the school seized the opportunity to expand its extracurricular offer. Leveraging the Opening Schools Facilities (OSF) investment programme from the Department for Education (DfE), Cornelius Vermuyden School has facilitated partnerships with sporting organisations. These partnerships not only enable the delivery of activities but also empower local solutions to foster long-term behavioural changes, particularly in areas where physical activity is needed most.

 

AE Whos it for
Who is it for?
The local school community and their families.
AE Prime
Prime Objective:
to increase activity levels through sessions that utilise school facilities.
AE Second
Second Objective:
to increase awareness of facilities to the community.
 

Utilising core #MoveWithUs principles and ensuring youth voice was at the centre of empowering their students, sessions were designed to resonate with young people.

From girls-only mindfulness sessions to engaging activities like badminton and rock climbing, the activities cater to diverse interests. Notably, rock climbing has emerged as a particularly popular activity, even engaging parents in sessions. Whilst Friday sessions have emerged as a highlight, offering a fitting conclusion to the school week.

 
117
children and young people participated in sessions
473
attendances at the pupil engaged sessions
200
community users have also benefitted from these initiatives
 
It has been a blessing working with OSF, as it has allowed us to open our school sports hall and gain the needed equipment to run Friday night climbing and badminton sessions. Our students have now had the opportunity to experience sport outside of their school in a calm, safe and respectful environment. Students working in a range of year groups has really allowed our students to build resilience, confidence and the teamwork skills needed to be great members of society.
Jayme Goodger, Head of Physical Education and Mental Health Lead at Cornelius
 

Key learnings

It's important to take time to reflect and understand the learnings from work undertaken, to focus on ways to improve in the future.

Communication

Youth voice at the heart

Asking opinions of young people encourages more positive experiences in physical activity.

Building

Different environment settings

Children thrive in different settings, some with competition, others a more relaxed pace.

Accessibility

Inclusivity and accessibility

Facilitated sessions must foster inclusivity and enjoyment, by accommodating diverse abilities.

Engaging

Community engagement

Importance of leveraging physical activity as vehicles for broader community engagement.

 
This OSF programme has provided safe and enjoyable avenues for physical activity beyond traditional lesson times. With climbing proving especially popular, the OSF funding has paved the way for promising avenues of growth, fostering collaborations with the Youth Sport Trust and local clubs, all driven by the aspirations of the school’s pupils.
Tom Weller, Active Essex Assistant Relationship Manager
Tom Weller
 
 
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