Sports Therapy and Mentoring (KickStart)

Alexander First School’s Sports Therapy and Mentoring programme is designed to improve our pupil’s attention and listening skills, social competency, and cognitive functions.  
We aim to provide a life-skills development approach which posits that the behavioral, physical, and cognitive skills that young child utilise to succeed in sports can be translated across other settings such as school, home, or their community.

There are a variety of reasons as to why a child would benefit from our Sports Therapy and Mentoring programme such as:

• Parents/carers often express a need for a positive role-model for their child, whilst our pupils report wanting to find someone to talk and play with them.
• Sessions aim to develop qualities and skills such as confidence, leadership, and stress management.
• A greater sense of belonging and community connectedness is developed through our Sports Therapy and Mentorship programme. This is particularly important for our pupils who experience high levels of mobility and frequent moves.
• Essential life skills such as etiquette, sportsmanship, and perseverance are taught through sports activities, which can then be applied beyond the sports context.
• Physical and mental health are closely aligned, we aim to improve self-management and growth skills. Pupils are supported in achieving greater levels of self-management, time management, and tolerance.