The team of United Learning Sport Ambassadors are elite athletes who all want to make a difference to the lives of young people.

Having recently recruited track star Jason Gardener to the team, our cadre includes World Champions, Olympic and international medallists, international performers and athletes who have been the best that Britain has had in their field. Some are transitioning out of their careers as professional athletes; others are very much still competing, including Alex Danson, Maddie Hinch, Lauren Steadman and Emma Wiggs who all competed at Rio 2016.

Each athlete has been linked to one of the six United Learning ‘Core Values’. Bonita Norris, for example, having been the youngest British female to climb Everest, represents our value of ‘Ambition’. When she speaks in schools she relates her journey from a non-climber to elite mountaineer stemming from her ambition “to see the curvature of the earth”. Former international athletes and Gladiators, Jenny and Wayne, on the other hand, deliver their Core Value of ‘Enthusiasm’ through fun active, practical workshops with students.

Feedback from the Sport Ambassador visits to our schools has been incredible, from students and staff alike. We know that they have been an inspiration to over 10,000 young people in the past two years.

X-Elle

Nationally, the issue of inspiring girls into sport has been given enormous profile. Initiatives such as Sport England’s #thisgirlcan campaign and the Youth Sport Trust’s Girls Active programme are in full swing. X-Elle is part of United Learning’s contribution to this national priority.

"Developing confidence and life-skills in girls in and through sport”

Nationally, the issue of inspiring girls into sport has been given enormous profile. Initiatives such as Sport England’s #thisgirlcan campaign and the Youth Sport Trust’s Girls Active programme are in full swing. X-Elle is part of United Learning’s contribution to this national priority.

In February 2015, United Learning held five X-Elle days across the Group. Each day, led by four-time Olympic skier Chemmy Alcott with additional involvement of Team GB hockey star Alex Danson, involved 60 girls from across five local United Learning schools. Sessions included activity classes, acting and body confidence, healthy eating, and the drafting of pledges drawn up in partnership with Women in Sport.  Since then the 300 girls from the five days have been working hard to deliver on their pledges.

To celebrate their successes and achievements to date, we held a celebration event at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in June 2016. Over 200 of the girls from across the country came to gather for a series of awards to celebrate their individual and schools’ successes. Shoreham Academy won the X-Elle School of the Year award and Faye Smith from Sheffield Park Academy won the X-Elle Leader of the Year prize.

With additional schools working to develop X-Elle initiatives in their schools, we have met our target of reaching around 10,000 girls through this programme.  But we are not stopping there.  The new United Learning PE and Health curriculum gives schools a new opportunity to develop girls’ confidence through PE and sport, so a new set of pledges and plans will be developed in schools to continue their excellent work.