London Wasps Schools Programme Next Previous

London Wasps Schools Programme

London Wasps are committed to developing Rugby in School throughout Buckinghamshire, South Oxfordshire and East Berkshire.

London Wasps Community Team: Primary Schools Programme

London Wasps are committed to developing Tag Rugby in Primary Schools in Buckinghamshire, South Oxfordshire and East Berkshire, through programmes such as:

Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme
Tackling Numbers in partnership with MBNA Programme
Something To Chew On Programme
NSPCC Kick Bullying In To Touch Programme
Mars In The Community Schools Programme
School Sports Partnership Programme
Side-Stepping Alcohol Programme
After-School Clubs Programme
Independent Schools Programme
Secondary Schools Programme
School Lifestyle Assembly Programme
Try It Programme
Try It, Love It, Club It Programme sponsored by Wooden Spoon

London Wasps Community Rugby Coaches Ben Smiley and Ian Isham coordinate the delivery of the majority of our schools programmes with the support of our part-time staff and the Sports Management with Rugby Studies students from Bucks New University. All coaches are RFU qualified and CRB Enhanced Disclosure certificated.

Our coaching aims to to provide health and social benefits for boys and girls:

Physical development - using healthy and enjoyable exercise to tackle the rise of obesity in children and adults
ii) Skill development - helping children and adults improve performance levels, educational attainment and lifelong learning
iii)Social development - using team games, co-operative skills and fair play
iv)Mental development - establishing and reinforcing confidence, self esteem and well being of children and adults

As part of our programmes we also organise numerous Tag Rugby Festivals through the year for all levels of play and Teacher Tag Rugby Education sessions to promote the sustainability of Tag Rugby in the schools.

Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme: This season sees the launch of the exciting new Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme, an initiative that will introduce over 36,000 young people to the sport through Tag Rugby. The scheme is run by Premiership Rugby and the 12 Aviva Premiership Rugby clubs up and down the country and is expected to involve 600 primary schools with 1,200 teachers also receiving training. 600 sets of equipment and resources will be distributed and 300,000 spectators are expected to watch demonstration events. The Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme is aimed at Key Stage 2 pupils aged 9 and 10 years. Each Premiership Rugby club will work with two classes at 50 schools. The Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme involves a six week introduction to rugby that focuses on skill development & learning the rules, skill development & team skills and a Festival. The Tag Rugby festival will be the first taste of competitive rugby for many children and will allow schools that are new to rugby to participate in a fun tag rugby festival with schools of a similar standard. One school from each Premiership Rugby club region will qualify for the Finals at Twickenham on Aviva Premiership Rugby Final day where they will represent their Premiership Rugby club. We will work closely with the Schools Sports Partnerships within our community to target the appropriate schools.

Something To Chew On Program: An interactive project aimed at teaching 7 - 8 year olds about their own health and well being with a rugby focus. According to government figures one-third of children and two-thirds of adults are currently overweight or obese and, unless action is taken, this could rise to almost 9 in 10 adults and two-thirds of children by 2050. Rugby's diversity makes it the perfect vehicle to drive a health and activity led initiative; as a sport rugby can offer playing opportunities and role models to children of all shapes and sizes. The interactive programme takes a rounded approach to teaching children about leading a healthy lifestyle. The key aims of the project are to:

Improve young people's understanding of what constitutes healthy eating and a healthy diet, as well as increasing their knowledge of food safety
Increase young people's uptake of physical activity
Raise awareness of the food competences amongst educational stakeholders
Work as a contribution towards the 5-hour offer of high quality PE and sport

Tag Rugby Coaching and Health Education Programme: A five week dual coaching and health education coaching programme. Each session lasts for two hours and contains one hour of healthy eating and one hour of coaching activity. The programme will deliver healthy eating sessions based on the FSA’s food competencies, coach core rugby skills and Tag Rugby.
Tag Festivals: Each participating school will have the opportunity to take part in a Tag Rugby Festival at a local rugby club. One school from each region will qualify from the local festivals for a showpiece final on the same day as the Guinness Premiership Final at Twickenham. The programme will be delivered to both boys and girls and it is estimated that over 8,000 school children will be involved.
Teacher Coach Education Programme: Two teachers at each participating school will receive an 'Introduction To Tag Rugby' coaching induction session. A sustainable legacy will be provided to the schools as the teachers will gain the core skills necessary to provide coaching and supervision to the children playing tag rugby and learning core rugby skills. This capacity building element will be supported by the allocation of rugby equipment and healthy eating educational resources to each participating school. The schools will then have the necessary skills and equipment to provide rugby and healthy eating opportunities for all its current and future school children.

Mars in the Community Schools Program: Working with Mars in the Community, we will deliver Tag Rugby coaching to 25 schools in the South Bucks area. The programme has been designed to introduce and increase participation of rugby in primary schools all across South Bucks; from the Burnham Upper School Sports Partnership; focusing on the retention of players in rugby through purposeful activity in a safe and enjoyable environment. Working in partnership with Community Partner Clubs Drifters RFC, Phoenix RFC and Slough RFC, the programme will culminate with a huge Tag Rugby Festival, to give the children an opportunity to play against new opposition in a rugby club environment.

NSPCC "Kick Bullying into Touch" Tag Rugby Program: In partnership with the NSPCC, two teams of coaches will deliver a total of 30 x 1-hour Tag Rugby sessions that are designed to help children identify what is bullying. We are delighted to be a part of the campaign which will see star winger Paul Sackey, acting as an ambassador for the club for this great cause. Through the partnership and the hard work of London Wasps Community team 18,000 children in Bucks, East Berks and South Oxon are set to get help tackling bullying through the campaign. We will work closely with the Schools Sports Partnerships within our community to target the appropriate schools.

Tackling Numbers in partnership with MBNA: The concept of the program is to improve young peoples numeracy and financial literacy skills in 20 Primary Schools (Year 4); 60% from 20% IMD or recommended by LEA. The program content will see London Wasps deliver double incentive lessons:

Week 1-5: Double lesson; 1hr - Classroom and 1hr – Practical
Week 6: Parental involvement; 1hr - Classroom and 1hr – Practical
Tag Rugby Festival
Regional and National Showcase events

The sustainability of the program for numeracy will be through school teacher involvement and training, work packs and resources and Tag Rugby Balls and Tags. Sustainability for rugby will be though pathways created at the local grassroots rugby clubs that host the Program Tag Rugby Festivals.

After-School Tag Rugby Clubs: We offer schools the chance to stage a After School Tag Rugby Club. Run by a coach from the London Wasps Community Team. There will be a coach to pupil ratio of no more than 1 to 15. All coaches will be RFU Qualified and CRB checked. Clubs run for a 5 week period - spanning one school half term. The cost for this is £17.50 per pupil (minimum of 10 pupils).

Tag Rugby 'Taster Sessions': During the 'off-season' (June, July and August) schools may apply to receive Tag Rugby Taster sessions. These sessions focus on introducing the game by teaching the core skills of rugby and basics of game play. For more information please complete and submit an enquiry form here

Independent Schools Programme
Our Independent Schools Programme is organised and delivered by our Independent Schools Coach through a flexible programme of activity for schools in the Independent Sector to receive coaching and rugby development opportunities that include:

Bespoke training sessions with our CRB Enhanced Disclosure Certificated and RFU Qualified London Wasps Coaches
Practical Coaching Development input for your Coaching Staff from experienced RFU Coach Educators
Lifestyle assembly visits that focus on subjects such as Active Lifestyles, Healthy Lifestyles, Nutrition & Hydration and a London Wasps-themed assembly
Classroom-based lessons that focus on subjects such as Health, Nutrition & Hydration, Goal Setting & Motivation, Numeracy Through Rugby, Anti-Bullying, Side-stepping Alcohol, Leadership and bespoke rugby-related tactical lessons
Bespoke pre-season programmes
Bespoke half-term holiday CoacHclass

Schools should be prepared to offer either funded sessions, part-funded sessions or large group ticket sales-linked sessions to become involved in this initiative. Coaching delivery will concentrate on the development of core skills through enjoyable activity; promoting participation in grass roots rugby and support for London Wasps. Our local Community Partner rugby clubs will be utilised as 'pathways' for participating children to continue their rugby playing careers during out of school time.

London Wasps Community Team: Secondary Schools Programme: Our Secondary School Coaching Programme offers schools from Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire a number of developmental coaching sessions, the number of which is subject to the growth and productivity of the partnership between the school and London Wasps. Coaching is lead by our Community Coaching Team. Schools will also be offered the opportunity to:

Enter Emerging Schools Festivals if eligible
Gain professional development through planned Coach Education Sessions for teachers
Get further involved through our Community Team Match Day initiatives

London Wasps Schools Lifestyle Assemblies: Let London Wasps engage with your pupils during a guest assembly visit through our themed lifestyle assembly or a bespoke assembly to suit your needs. Our themed assemblies are based on:

After-School Tag Rugby Club Assembly – a 20-minute assembly promoting the 5-week After-School Club with information regarding the club and fun games
Active Lifestyle Assembly – a 20-minute assembly promoting the importance of staying active and keeping fit
Nutrition Assembly – a 20-minute assembly outlining the importance of a healthy diet
Healthy Lifestyle Assembly – a 20-minute assembly combining the messages of the importance of diet, activity and school work
The London Wasps Assembly – a 20-minute assembly that promotes the values of London Wasps – Determination, Teamwork and the pursuit of Excellence
Hydration – London Wasps and Brita combine to talk about the importance of hydration in a 20-minute assembly

If you would like to be added to our schools mailing list please complete and submit an enquiry form here