Launched in February to promote sport and encourage participation from all – regardless of ability or experience – our PARIS 2024 initiative ran over the months leading up to the Paris Games. In total, around 18,000 students from schools across our Group took part in some way. This ranged from regional netball and rugby tournaments and rowing regattas to individual schools’ events and sporting challenges.

The programme was also supported by organisations such as the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and British Rowing, as well as some of the Group’s Sports Ambassadors and other athlete guests.

Kicking off the initiative, twin launch events were held at William Hulme’s Grammar School in the North and Midhurst Rother College in the South. For these, girls from the respective schools took part in a ‘WOMArathoN’ event, collectively running 40 kilometres to commemorate the 40-year anniversary of the formation of Women in Sport, as well as the 40 years since women were first allowed to run the marathon in the Olympics. In Midhurst, students were also joined by double Olympic gold medallist Alex Danson-Bennett.

This momentum was carried over the following months, with students getting involved in a fantastic range of activities. Some highlights across different sports include:

• Promoting girls’ involvement in rugby: In March, Year 7 girls from United Learning schools attended an exciting rugby event hosted by the RFU, alongside over 400 other young people from around the country. At the event, the girls met England player Amber Reed before stepping onto the Twickenham Stadium turf to show their skills in a competitive but friendly environment on the famous pitch.
• Broadening access to rowing: Across the Group, 100 ERGs were leased by British Rowing for students to use. This has enabled more and more young people to try out the sport, improve their fitness and hone their technique on the machines, as well as to increase the accessibility of the sport.
• Netball tournaments across the country: In April, teams of girls from nine United Learning schools took to the court in three regional netball tournaments – covering the North, South and Midlands. At each tournament, students were lucky enough to meet Super League coaches and players who coached, provided encouragement to the girls during their matches and gave them the opportunity to ask questions about life as a successful athlete.

Alongside group-wide activities, individual schools have hosted their own events to encourage students to get active. Inspired by the launch events, Marsden Heights Community College marked International Women’s Day by hosting their own ‘WOMArathoN’ to promote girls in sport and celebrate the achievements of female athletes. Later in the year, students at Barnsley Academy took part in a collective ‘cyclathon’, with the aim of promoting Mental Health Awareness Week by cycling the distance from Barnsley to Paris. Meanwhile, at Huish Episcopi Academy, students were visited by two former Gladiators and United Learning Sports Ambassadors Jenny Pacey and Wayne Gordon who put on various sporting challenges for them.

As the new academic year now gets underway, United Learning plans to keep the legacy of the programme alive and extend its offering of sporting events and activities into the new school year. This includes continuing regional rugby tournaments with the RFU, a repeat of the three regional netball finals between March 22nd and 24th, and a national indoor rowing competition across our schools, which will culminate in a national final on the 11th March.

Shaun Dowling, Head of Sport at United Learning, said:

“With the summer of sport now drawn to a close and a new academic year underway, it has been fantastic to reflect on all that our schools have achieved through our PARIS 2024 programme. In particular, it has been gratifying to hear so many stories of students gaining access to activities they may not otherwise have been able to try, finding newfound or developing talents and enjoying sports in an inclusive and encouraging environment.

“When we first began the initiative, we were clear that we wanted the programme to have a lasting impact and extend beyond the end of the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer. We are therefore committed to ensuring that we continue to develop our sports offering and that, looking to the future, students will have access to a stimulating and enriching programme of sporting activities. These will include exciting plans with Olympic Gold medallist Max Whitlock, Women in Sport and other partners, providing brilliant opportunities for our young people to try out a range of sports and achieve excellence.”