Healthy Active Sports – A games based approach to improving inclusion and wellbeing Erasmus Project

Project Title

Healthy Active Sports – A games based approach to improving inclusion and wellbeing

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Health and wellbeing

Project Summary

It has become an increasing topic of public discourse recently that children of primary school age are becoming less active. This has becoming alarmingly relevant in our school of St Paul’s N.S. Dooradoyle where we recently found ourselves in the unfortunate situation when we were unable to field a team in the local championship of our national sport of hurling for the first time in our school’s history. This is because not enough pupils are participating in the sport despite our large pupil numbers. This prompted further research where we discovered that our situation was far from unique and lack of participation in games and sports was more widespread not just nationally but internationally. At the same time child obesity levels are rising. Latest statistics compiled by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration and reported on in the Lancet medical journal demonstrate a tenfold increase in the rate of obesity among Irish boys between 1975 and 2016, and a ninefold increase among Irish girls. Global figures match this trend. We believe a sharing of local games, knowledge and expertise from across participant schools in the area of fundamental movement skills will enhance interest and participation in healthy activities, and sports with the knock on effect of increasing children’s perceived level of social inclusion. Participation in an Erasmus + project will be hugely beneficial to our school due to the large amount of international students. Therefore we wish to increase fundamental movement skills, participation in sport and perceived social skills through the exchange of national and local games with schools in Italy, Belgium, Spain and Greece in our project ‘Healthy Active Sports’.The schools we have chosen to participate in this project have expressed similar concerns and they are interested in developing their pupils activity levels. These schools have previous experience in national and international projects. Visiting teachers will bring with them games and activities to share with pupils and teachers of the host schools as well as experiencing firsthand the local and national games. Twinspace will provide the platform for communication and sharing of information. By creating a physical literacy pack, that can be shared both digitally and in hard copy, participant schools and indeed other interested schools can benefit from the knowledge gained and shared in this project now and into the future.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 98795 Eur

Project Coordinator

St. Paul’s N.S. & Country: IE

Project Partners

• 3rd Dimotiko Sxoleio Oreokastrou
• 2° Circolo Didattico Garibaldi
• Vrije Lagere School Windekind
• CEIP LA CRUZ