Apprentices helping city’s pupils to live healthy, active lives

The impact that apprentices who are delivering sport, health and wellbeing programmes in Wolverhampton schools is having was celebrated at a special event this week.

The City of Wolverhampton Council, education improvement partnership Connect-Ed and Active Black Country have worked together to develop the Community Sport and Health Apprenticeship Programme, which has seen more than a dozen young people recruited as apprentices to provide a wide range of health and fitness activities in schools and the community.

The programme was launched to tackle challenging levels of inactivity among young people and growing health concerns including the number of local children who are leaving primary school overweight or obese, figures amongst the highest in the country.  

The apprentices, supported by apprenticeship provider Aspire, have been working in primary and secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units across Wolverhampton since the autumn, delivering fun, inclusive and challenging health and wellbeing programmes focusing on healthy eating, physical activity and sport to both pupils and staff.  

They are also working in the local community, encouraging families to live healthy and active lives, while at the same time working towards a Level 3 apprenticeship. 

And the impact they have had is already beginning to be felt at schools across the city. For instance, at Graiseley Primary School, half of pupils are now achieving their recommended 60 minutes of activity per day through after school clubs, while St Luke’s Primary has developed a parent and child club and is delivering active Maths and English sessions during the school day. 

Meanwhile, at Grove Primary, a fitness class for staff has been launched, promoting workplace health and showing that health improvement is not just for pupils. 

To showcase this unique approach the Community Sport and Health Apprenticeship Programme was officially launched at a special celebration at Wolverhampton Art Gallery yesterday (Wednesday). 

Key stakeholders including headteachers and representatives from the council’s Education and Public Health teams, Connect-Ed, Active Black Country and national organisations including Sport England, were able to hear first-hand from apprentices about their work, and plans to grow the programme further across the region.  

Ian Carey, Director of Active Black Country, the Country Sports Partnership for the Black Country, said:

The Community Sport and Health Apprenticeship Programme sees schools across the city offer job opportunities for young people to work with pupils and their families and encourage them to physically active. 

This innovative approach – which we believe is the first of its type nationally –uses schools and the City of Wolverhampton Council’s apprenticeship levy to train the apprentice and PE and Sport Premium funding to employ the apprentices. The commitment from the schools will hopefully see the apprentices employed at the end of the training. 

This use of the Premium in a more sustainable way, to improve the health of children and young people across the city and create jobs, meets strategic objectives of a number of local stakeholders including the council, Connect-Ed Partnership, Active Black Country and the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership.” 

Councillor Lynne Moran, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said:

“This innovative scheme has proved an excellent opportunity for young people who are passionate about sport, physical activity and healthy lifestyles to take that first step on the career ladder through an apprenticeship, giving them valuable skills, a nationally-recognised qualification, a weekly wage and a pension.  

At the same time, they have been able to introduce an exciting range of health and wellbeing programmes into our schools which are already having a great impact.”

Councillor Hazel Malcolm, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said:

We are working hard to improve the health and wellbeing of our children and young people, and this innovative programme is helping not only young people but also their families to achieve healthier lifestyles and get their recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity."  

Photo Caption: Some of the Community Sport and Health apprentices join Councillor Lynne Moran, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills (front left), Helen Bourton, Partnership and Schools Sports Manager (front right), Councillor Hazel Malcolm, Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing (front far right), and, back row, James Morgan from Aspire, Richard Welch, Health Business Partner with the City of Wolverhampton Council, Ian Carey, Director of Active Black Country and Sam Fullwood, Partnership Administrator for Connect-Ed, to celebrate the success of the scheme.

ENDS