Tasker Millward School in Haverfordwest has been named 5×60 School of the Month for October for its efforts to get young people fit and active.
More children and young people in the school are cheering, spinning and dancing thanks to the school’s 5×60 officer, Daniel Field.
The prestigious title was awarded by the Sports Council for Wales who based the honour on the school’s extra-curricular activities.
The Sports Council for Wales’ 5×60 scheme, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, is designed to get more secondary school pupils taking part in 60 minutes of physical activity five times a week.
Field, who has only been in post for a year, has introduced roughly 16 new sports activities to the school timetable ranging from streetdance and cheerleading to tennis and badminton.
34-year-old Field explains, “The most popular activity with the girls has to be the streetdance and cheerleading sessions. With the boys, football and rugby are still strong favorites, but basketball and dodgeball are also proving a big hit.
“The great thing about 5×60 is that the activities appeal to a different set of children – children who wouldn’t normally participate in sports or would be on the sidelines.”
Field, an ex-PE teacher from London now living in Haverfordwest, has attracted just under 40% of his pupils to take part in 5×60 activities at the schools. He adds, “Being able to facilitate all these different activities for the children and seeing the benefits, gives me a real boost.
“It’s great to return to the school where I used to come to as a child and work with some of the teachers that used to teach me. The school has been very helpful and I get a great deal of support from the PE department, as well as other departments, within the school.
“The children, as well as the school, have embraced this programme and the number of children participating will now only increase year on year” he adds.
Tasker Millward also holds table tennis, kwik cricket, golf, volleyball, canoeing, fitness training, girls TAG rugby and girls football sessions.
Jane, Zoe and Lucy, year 7 pupils at Tasker Millward School, add:
“Its fun and something to do at break times other than just playing around outside. We get to choose the activity at the beginning of term and Mr Field puts it on for us.”
“You get to learn new things about dancing and different ways of doing them. It’s also really energetic.”
“It’s more fun than PE lessons because you are doing something that you want to do, not what you have to do.”
5×60 has stormed onto the school scene in Wales with 98% of mainstream secondary schools now signed up.
All secondary schools in Pembrokeshire are on board which means that significant progress is taking place up and down the county.
Pupils are invited to visit www.5×60.org.uk and to nominate their officer.
