Cricket in SEND schools
Our ambition for cricket in SEND schools
Introduced in September 2022, our ambition over the next three years is to engage all 1,500 SEND (ALN in Wales) schools and mainstream school specialised units across England, Wales and Scotland.
The programme aims to reach more than 20,000 young people with a disability who otherwise have limited access to sport, providing participants with inclusive coaching, training for teachers and appropriate equipment – while also giving young people the chance to transition into cricket in a community setting (Super 1s).
In year one, cricket was delivered in 400 new SEND schools, benefitting more than 13,000 children. Increased funding in year two as part of our partnership with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will allow expansion into another 200 schools, reaching a further 7,000 students.
How we work in SEND schools
As part of their Youth Strategy, the ECB are working with the charity to enhance the current disability cricket provision within SEND settings.
Building on the success of our work within these settings through table cricket, we’re now providing an enhanced offer of both table cricket and/or softball cricket to ensure sessions are engaging and appropriate for each group we are delivering to. The main outcomes of our work in SEND schools are to:
- Extend the reach of cricket to new settings.
- Ensure more young people with SEND have the opportunity to engage in the most appropriate form of cricket.
- Continue working within SEND settings already engaged in table cricket.
- Transition more young people with a disability to community settings such as Super 1s, Disability Champion Clubs and other appropriate community offers.
The focus of our SEND schools disability cricket offer:
Table Cricket
- Teacher training: as well as delivering directly to participants, we want to continue to up-skill teachers so that table cricket can be delivered independently by schools when coaches are not present.
- Young Leaders training programme: all county cricket boards will be required to train students to become Sports Leaders UK Table Cricket Young Leaders and must utilise Young Leaders to support the running of county competitions.
- Competitions: Our national table cricket competition structure will remain the same with county cricket boards running county table cricket qualifiers. engaging new and existing schools.
Softball Cricket
- School taster sessions for Super 1s community hubs will fall under the banner of our work in SEND schools.
- Emphasis on signposting participants from SEND and ALN settings to appropriate community provision e.g Super 1s and Disability Champion clubs.
Woodlands Academy Girls PE Sessions
Watch this video to see the importance of adapting cricket sessions for young people with a disability.
