Andrew Walmsley from Sports4Kids North London on the launch of a new weekend class in Southgate for children with special needs

*Sport4Kids has been running local football sessions for four years*

We launched Sport4Kids around four years ago and have now established ourselves as one of the largest and fastest-growing children’s sports providers in North London.

Operating across five weekend venues, we predominately focus on children’s football between the ages of 18 months and eleven years and have several teams competing in local leagues. We also host a dance academy, coached by a dance world cup gold medallist.

In addition, we partner with more than 30 local primary schools and nurseries to deliver a variety of sports through breakfast, lunch and after-school clubs. During school holidays, we run three multi-activity camps, and we also host many children’s birthday parties throughout the year.

While our current provision caters for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send), these sessions can sometimes be overwhelming, with participation and engagement becoming sporadic. Looking to change this, we have spent the last six months having discussions with various parents who have been struggling to find appropriate weekend sports activities for their children with additional needs.

No current sports clubs in the borough are really set up to provide appropriate sessions for Send children in a safe, welcoming, and non-judgmental environment, making it hard for these families to find the right place for their children to be active, fit and healthy and to be introduced to the benefits of sport properly.

We have been working with parents and partner schools to put together Send-friendly weekend sporting activities, and these are now set to take place on Saturday mornings at Southgate School. My sister Alison Walmsley has been a nursery and primary school teacher for 20 years in North London, as well as having 17 years’ experience working in a specialist respite centre for children with severe, multiple and profound special needs. Alison will be assisting with the launch of our new Send sessions and will be working closely with the coaches.

Alison will be joined as joint Send community lead by Jeddiah, who has 16 years’ experience teaching primary-aged children with varying needs and is herself a mother of an autistic child.

At Sport4Kids North London we have a vision to create a community hub for Send children to be introduced to, participate in and enjoy local sporting activities, and we hope this will be something of help to local families.

For more information:
Email [email protected]
Visit sport4kids.biz

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