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In The Loop Secondary Edition

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ISSUE 024

The FA’s KS4 Girls Football Coaching Pilot 

A bit of background…

The Football Association (FA) are the national governing body for football in England and are on a mission to provide equal opportunities for ALL girls to play football within school, both in curriculum and extra-curricular time.
As part of this mission, we are looking to develop a brand-new initiative for girls in secondary schools (KS4) that allows them to develop themselves as leaders in sport via our new ‘Step into Coaching’ initiative.
It’s so important that this new programme meets the needs of girls in your school but also empowers teachers and wider school staff as deliverers of the activity.  Therefore, we are looking for schools with KS4 girls willing to try out this new programme and share their experiences via taking part.

The Step into Coaching Programme

The new KS4 coaching programme will provide girls in your school with a high-quality introduction into the skills of coaching, build their confidence and inspire and prepare them to undertake their Introduction to Coaching Football Qualification should they wish to.

It will also equip them with the basic skills to facilitate fun and engaging football activity to their peers, or to younger year groups and encourage them to get involved in further delivery roles in their local community football clubs.

For any girls that have taken part in the Game On - GO Lead programme at Key Stage 3, the Step into Coaching programme will provide a natural “next step” to their leadership journey and build on the basic skills developed via our Key Stage 3 offer.

IMPORTANT- Girls do NOT need to have taken part in Game On - GO Lead to access the Step into Coaching programme.

What does the pilot involve?

We really hope your school can take part in this pilot. Here is some key information regarding what the commitment looks like:

Schools that sign up to the pilot must be able to:

·        Attend ONE of the following 90-minute online training events to learn about the programme on either 18th March @ 3.30pm, 18th March @7.30pm or 20th March @3.30pm

·        Have a dedicated teacher to deliver the pilot programme in your school between March- June 2025. Teachers will have the choice to deliver the pilot in 1 of the following ways:

1 x Day long leadership programme

OR

5 x 50 minute modules to be delivered across several weeks.

·        Facilitate a session visit at your school for an England Football or Youth Sport Trust member of staff to come and see your session in action.

·        Take part in a short survey and feedback session after your delivery is complete to share your experiences.

What will I receive?

Schools choosing to take part in the programme will be provided with a fully funded kit and equipment pack, alongside all the resources needed to deliver the programme.

How Do I Sign Up?

If you are interested in being part of the pilot, please register for one of the training calls below:

o   Tuesday 18th March -3.30pm-5.00pm – Register HERE.

o   Tuesday 18th March – 7.30pm-9.00pm – Register HERE.

o   Thursday 20th March – 3.30pm-5.00pm – Register HERE.

Thank you in advance for registering, we can’t wait to see you on the call and share our new KS4 Coaching programme with you.

If you have any queries or questions, don’t hesitate to contact us by emailing fagirls@youthsporttrust.org.

Somerset Schools Day 

We are delighted to announce that this summer, in partnership with Somerset Cricket Foundation and Somerset CCC, there is an opportunity to attend one of three Schools Days at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton, TA1 1JT. These days will enable staff and pupils to experience top level men’s and women’s cricket for free! 

This year’s Schools Days are:

- Tuesday 13th May - Somerset Women v Hampshire (50 over) 

- Monday 30th June - Somerset Men v Nottinghamshire (County Championship, Day 2)  

- Tuesday 1st July - Somerset Men v Nottinghamshire (County Championship, Day 3)  

Each school can apply for up to 55 free tickets. To do this please click on the link below. The closing date for applications is Friday 14th March 2025. 

APPLY FOR SCHOOL’S DAY TICKETS

Unfortunately, Somerset cannot guarantee that every school will receive tickets, as it is expected that demand will exceed the number of tickets available. 

With this in mind please only apply if you definitely intend to attend, the best will be done to meet the needs of everyone.

Please note that you will need to be affiliated to the Devon Cricket Foundation (£30 per year) in order to be eligible for tickets. See our affiliation brochure here.

You will be notified by Friday 21st March to let you know if you were successful, as well as giving you all the information required. 

Girls Active Survey 2025

Schools in England once again have the opportunity to take part in the Girls Active survey. It supports schools to gain student insight through an online survey to understand their students’ participation levels, attitudes, perceptions, motivations and barriers to participation. Each school receives a personalised school insight report based on student responses. We encourage you to get your schools involved to understand the needs and motivations of young people. Covering both the curriculum and beyond, as well as both girls and boys, this survey is a must for SGOs and schools alike.

​​​​​The survey is available for Key Stages 2-5. Schools can register between 10 February and 06 May and will receive their school insight report w/c 30 June.

To find out more and take part, click here.

Biggest Ever Football Session

On Friday 7th March 2025, the Biggest Ever Football Session is back, join us in empowering girls in football and promoting equality in schools. 

Please promote across your schools, encouraging as many girls to get involved as possible and be part of a fun day of celebration that will inspire and empower the next generation through girls' football in schools.  

It’s easy to get involved – schools can simply sign up via the link below, and to make things simple there is an option to ‘add another school’ for those registering multiple schools.

Sign up HERE

Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel is taking place 24 March - 4 April 2025

Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel inspires pupils to make active journeys to school, improve air quality in their neighbourhood and discover how these changes benefit their world.

Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel is open to all primary and secondary schools in the UK, including SEN/ASN/ALN schools. It is free to take part and there are daily prizes to be won.

On each day of the challenge, schools compete to see who can get the highest percentage of their pupils walking, using a wheelchair, scooting or cycling to school. Your school’s best five days will determine your final position, but you can log journeys on all ten days if you wish.

How many active journeys will your pupils make?  REGISTER HERE

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