Tameside Primary Academy received a visit by Sandwell Council’s Cabinet Member for Children & Education, Cllr Simon Hackett to discuss plans to transform it into a Sport Centre of Excellence.
The Academy, based in Wednesbury, is making preparations to build brand new sports facilities, including proposals for a 4G pitch, which will not only support and transform Tameside’s curriculum delivery but also offer a valuable legacy for the future of the Wednesbury community.
Sandwell Council, Councillor Simon Hackett, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “These new facilities will not only enable the young people of Wednesbury remain fit and active but will offer more opportunities for the wider community, both individuals and teams to benefit from new state-of-the-art facilities right on their doorstep.”
The initiative follows the impact on health and mental wellbeing resulting from the pandemic, and after the recent success of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The Centre of Excellence for Sport will offer more collaborative opportunities to work closely with local sports teams and organisations, including high-level coaching and teaching opportunities which will focus on a range of sporting activities such as football and cricket with the prospect of improving opportunities and take up rates for under-represented groups including girl’s and women’s sports teams.”
Mitchell Hill, Principal at Tameside Primary Academy said: “The pupils of Tameside Primary Academy deserve the best and we always aim to give them that. To have the chance to develop a Sports Centre of Excellence is not only a fantastic opportunity for our pupils but also the local community of Friar Park and Wednesbury as a whole.”
The project will also offer opportunities to further embed sport into the Academy’s Excite, Explore, Excel curriculum and make the most of collaborative opportunities to open unique and exciting learning experiences for pupils. As part of this, the new sporting facilities will be used throughout the school day to support Tameside’s Physical Education and improve children’s overall fitness and promote healthy lifestyles.
Sir Mark Grundy, CEO of Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust said: “This is a hugely exciting time for Tameside Primary Academy and the local community that it serves. We hope that the Centre of Excellence for Sport will provide our pupils and the local community with access to high quality sports facilities and the chance to benefit from relationships with local teams and organisations. We will also be embedding sport much deeper into the curriculum at Tameside so that it becomes a bigger part of what the children do on a daily basis.”