25 May Chelmsford School Sport Partnership’s Y4 Superstars event helps address negative impact of pandemic on young people
Chelmsford School Sport Partnership’s (CSSP) Y4 Superstars event helps address negative impact of pandemic on young people
Beaulieu’s continued support for CSSP funds Y3 Fitness 3s and Y4 Superstars in 2022, the year groups most negatively affected by Covid-19
Chelmsford Sport and Athletics Centre, 24th May – Countryside and L&Q’s Beaulieu development in Chelmsford is continuing its long-term support for Chelmsford School Sport Partnership’s (CSSP) ongoing programme of physical education and sport for young people in Chelmsford with its 2022 sponsorship of CSSP’s Fitness 3s and Y4 Superstars, designed for Year 3 and Year 4 respectively.
Today over 300 children from five schools across Chelmsford* came together at the Chelmsford Sport and Athletics Centre to engage in two hours of multi-skilled sporting events as part of Y4 superstars, designed for Y4 school children aged between eight and nine. Today’s event was one of six Y4 Superstars events taking place in Chelmsford this week, attended by almost 2,000 children in total.
Fitness 3s and Y4 Superstars are two of the sporting initiatives within CSSP’s programme of Physical Education and Sport for Children and Young People in Chelmsford. Sara Robson, School Games Organiser for the CSSP, was keen to focus the organisation’s efforts on these two year groups in 2022 after the publication of Sport England’s Active Lives Children and Young People Survey report 2020-21. The report identified Years 3 and 4 as those most negatively impacted by the pandemic, with just 38% of seven-to nine-year-olds engaging in any physical activity, the lowest of all age groups from Years 1 to 11.
CSSP, working with all 60 schools in Chelmsford, continues to promote and develop Physical Education and Sport for all young people, delivering virtual competitions, festivals, teachers’ courses and leadership opportunities for students within Colleges, Secondary and Primary Schools in Chelmsford.
Developing links with National Governing bodies and clubs, CSSP works in partnerships with like-minded organisations to develop young people’s interest and participation in sport and drive through government targets for Primary and Secondary schools. This includes developing gifted and talented (targeted) students, training teachers, coaches and staff, developing disability sport and supporting Change 4 Life Clubs to encourage the less active to do more physical activity.
Speaking of its support for the programme, Martin Leach, Managing Director, Strategic Land and Major Projects, Countryside said:
“We’ve long been supporters of Chelmsford School Sport Partnership, whose programme of physical activities in Chelmsford plays such an important role in engaging young people in both the mental and physical benefits of being active. This year in particular, we were very keen to invest our efforts in the activities supporting Years 3 and 4 which have been so dramatically impacted by the pandemic. We’ve no doubt CSSP’s Fitness 3s and Y4 Superstars will help enormously to increase this age group’s engagement in physical activities in 2022.”
Adam Simpson, Director of Project Management and Development, L&Q, adds:
“There are so many benefits to participating in sports, but the pandemic has had a sad impact on the numbers of young people getting involved. Beaulieu was designed with health and wellbeing at its heart – with extensive green spaces and community amenities – and we’re proud to be longstanding supporters of the Chelmsford School Sport Partnership. Their work is more important than ever, and this year looks set to deliver a fantastic programme of initiatives.”
Sara Robson, from Chelmsford School Sport Partnerships, said:
“Since the pandemic, the fitness levels of many young people have dropped dramatically and this has had a damaging impact on their confidence and mental health and wellbeing. Now, more than ever, we are committed to engaging the young people of Chelmsford in sport and activity to illustrate the considerable physical and mental health benefits of exercise. In partnership with Countryside and L&Q’s Beaulieu, we are working together to promote the “60 minutes of physical activity a day” message, the globally accepted standard for every child, to all households in Chelmsford. It has been so beneficial to have the support of partner organisations to help us achieve our goals.”
*The following schools from Chelmsford took part in the Y4 Superstars event on 24th May:
Heathcote
Mildmay Junior
Moulsham Junior
St Annes
Meadgate
The Y4 Superstars event this week was supported by leaders from Chelmsford College, The Sandon School, Great Baddow High School, Boswells and St John Payne schools.
