National Sports Comprehensive

St Maurice’s High School is one of three North Lanarkshire schools selected to pilot a scheme in which sport, health, raising self esteem and achievement are the major focus. The all round development of young people is the key to both academic success and the development of Life Skills. It is widely recognised that qualities such as self reliance, a positive outlook, the ability to work independently and as part of team and a sense of self worth are important and need to be nurtured and developed in young people.

St Maurice’s is already involved in such initiatives as the Outward Bound programme and the NOF funded sports colleges, which have been explicitly designed to boost aspirations and to develop the personal and interpersonal skills so necessary to future success in life. Young people who have had the opportunity to seriously engage in sport, music or the arts are testimony to the value of this approach. Characteristically they are also confident, positive and well motivated students in the classroom. Extending opportunities within the comprehensive system in the context of sport will raise achievement in the widest sense, whilst offering a number of specific benefits to students, schools and the wider community. Through his new initiative all students in this school will benefit from an increase in finance, staffing and enhanced resources.

An aim of the programme is to provide pathways for students showing particular promise. However the emphasis will be on enabling and encouraging all students to participate in sport irrespective of age, gender, background or ability. The examples of schools in England, which have taken this approach, suggest that it is likely to yield significant benefits in terms of school ethos, student attitudes and student achievement. 

The ‘Sports Comprehensive’ model

It is generally recognised that sport is an enjoyable and beneficial pursuit for people of all ages and abilities. It contributes significantly to healthy living and positive life styles and promotes social inclusion at a number of levels. The particular benefits of engagement with sport include:

• Being active and staying healthy
• Improving physical and mental well being
• Increasing self esteem and confidence
• Developing social awareness and a broad range of social skills
• Developing positive feelings of community pride
• Helping to deter antisocial behaviour

The St Maurice’s National Sports Comprehensive is not about producing elite athletes, although excellence will be encouraged, rather it is about using sport and PE as a vehicle for driving up achievement, reducing social exclusion and building positive lifestyles for all young people in the community. The Physical Education department will drive the programme initially, but not exclusively, and there will be increased opportunity for cross curricular involvement as the programme develops. I would envisage that our new Sports Comprehensive status would allow us to target the following key areas.

1. Create a sense of belonging to a Sports Comprehensive by acknowledging that this is something special and that so are the pupils.
2. Build on existing good practice and create increased curricular links in the school.
3. Assist with the inclusion initiative.
4. Increase levels of participation and impact on health
5. Increase community and club links
6. Support primary development.

This is an exciting new development for St Maurice’s which will have benefits for every department in the school and other schools as the programme develops throughout the next three years.

Towards Raising Achievement

Developement Plan 2002 - 2003

Spending Plans 2002 - 2003

© Copyright 2003 James McCready. Last update: 20/08/03; 14:54:54.