Shropshire’s annual summer School Games competitions are being replaced this year by two ‘Wellbeing Weeks’ for primary and secondary pupils.

Schools across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin are now being invited to sign up for the programme, which includes a series of fun and active challenges.

The action will start with a Wellbeing Week for primary schools on June 21, coinciding with the National School Sport week, followed by a similar programme for secondary schools on June 28.

Registration is now open, and all schools which sign up will receive a digital resource pack containing all the information they need, during week beginning May 17.

The events are being co-ordinated by the organisers of the county’s School Games, active partnership Energize Shropshire Telford & Wrekin, supported by Shropshire Homes, and Paveaways.

   

Chris Child, chief executive of Energize, said: “The School Games have become firmly established in recent years as a popular part of the education calendar.

“With Covid-19 restrictions still in place, it’s not possible to deliver the usual programme, so we have come up with something slightly different.

“Our School Games Operational Group has created two fun and engaging weeks for everyone at Primary school and Years 7,8 and 9 at Secondary schools with lots of prizes and awards to be won, as well as supporting staff and children with wellbeing resources.”

For secondary schools, the week is being split into two sections: Active Challenges, and Emotional Wellbeing. A third category, promoting the importance of Healthy Eating, forms part of the primary school programme.

The digital resource pack will explain the active challenges which can be completed at any time during the week – with demonstration videos provided by sixth form students from Idsall School of Shifnal and Thomas Adams School in Wem. There will also be challenge guides and scorecards.

All challenges have been designed to be completed by individual classes, with each pupil’s score recorded on scorecards provided and emailed to the School Games team.

Trophies, medals, and t-shirts will be up for grabs for classes competing in the active challenges.

Judges’ Choice awards will also be given to schools that send in photos or videos, highlighting how pupils have joined in during the week.

Jake Jones, active lives officer at Energize, said: “These could include creative and inspirational poems, write-ups, or posters and leaflets from pupils about the importance of keeping healthy and what activities they enjoy.”

“The weeks will also provide an opportunity for Young Leaders to get involved in activities such as recording class results and tallying up total scores. Templates for Young Leaders in the resource pack.

“The school that emails in the highest number of Young Leaders involved across the week will have the chance to win sport equipment vouchers. And finally, schools will be able to issue certificates for those pupils demonstrating one of the six School Games’ values."

The Wellbeing Week programme is being backed by Energize’s network of ‘Sporting Champions’ – including world record holders and Paralympians – who will give video messages to participating schools.

For more information, and online entry details, see

Secondary Wellbeing Week

Primary Wellbeing Week