Barrow AFC Community Trust has confirmed a new partnership with Furness Education Trust to deliver the Furness School Games provision for schools across the peninsula.
The Furness School Games organiser role has been delivered by Furness Academy, as part of Furness Education Trust, for a number of years. When the role became vacant and the position was advertised this summer, Barrow AFC community Trust contacted Furness Education Trust about the possibility of a partnership moving forward. This provided an opportunity for both parties to explore the programme, look at what Furness Education Trust has achieved through this role and what this proposed partnership could deliver for the young people in the area.
With very clear values and ethos, the School Games role aligns perfectly with what the Community Trust and Furness Education Trust are aiming to achieve for young people in the area.
With the full support of Sport England, this partnership looks to maintain school engagement, in schools across Furness, ensuring students are able to develop and support their psychological and physiological fitness. Alongside this, the programme will offer leadership and volunteering opportunities.
What makes the programme unique, is the insight provided in the transition phase of students’ education, from primary to secondary, and the impact this has on engagement, through Furness Education Trust.
Craig Rutherford, Manager of Barrow AFC Community Trust and Furness Schools Games Organiser, said: “This opportunity offered a unique and innovative partnership that allows full integration of children from the local area to engage with the school games and Barrow AFC programmes.
“It is our aim to build on the great work that has already been delivered through the SGO programme and by Furness Education Trust, developing the partnership to allow more young people to have exposure to the programme.”
Barrow AFC Community Trust looks to further develop the provision both they and the School Games role offers, by looking to provide free holiday provision for local children, develop funded projects focusing on physical and mental wellbeing, and building on the Olympic legacy, engage more young people in sport.
CEO of Furness Education Trust, Simon Laheney added: “This partnership is already proving to have great benefit for our local area, as we combine the already great work delivered by the SGO programme and the Community Trust to reach more young people through a more robust programme of activity.
“Thanks to this new partnership, we can develop our young people into leaders through the wide variety of opportunities now available to them.
“I am pleased we have been able to create something so unique, for the benefit of all young people in our area, both in our Trust and outside of it, and I look forward to seeing how this continues to develop”.