As a PE teacher, I am always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to engage our young people in physical activity. That’s why I was so excited when Jill Coleman of Active Schools Edinburgh suggested parkour at the start of the autumn term last year.
At St Crispin’s we strive to create a positive and nurturing learning environment for our pupils aged 4-18 with additional support needs. Physical activity is a key part of this, with daily walks, class gym sessions, swimming and Zumba being just some of the ways we encourage pupils to be active.
In my role, I work closely with Jill to offer a range of opportunities, bringing coaches in with new and exciting content for our young people. Active Schools provide fantastic support and have delivered sessions including dance, cycling, outdoor education, circus skills and boccia. Their support and efforts cannot be overstated. Their decision to bring parkour to the special learning community felt fresh and was really exciting to be a part of.
Parkour is particularly suitable for our young people as it has been shown to help build confidence and motor skills in children who may struggle with more competitive learning environments. It is so important to find a physical activity that excites and brings joy to pupils. As well as the obvious physical benefits, it also helps to boost endorphin levels and lower stress and anxiety, which can be an issue for many of our pupils as a result of their disability.
Active Schools coach Kirsten Altenbach’s personality and quality of delivery have made parkour a great success at St Crispin’s. Her calm and positive demeanour is perfect to help our pupils feel comfortable with someone new. Sessions include jumping, rolling and balancing skills. Kirsten uses gymnastic equipment to create activity courses and obstacles for pupils to manoeuvre over, under and around, which they have taken to brilliantly. She has incorporated dance and music into these sessions, which creates a fun and lively atmosphere in the gym hall. Kirsten has also been careful to keep a similar structure to PE lessons at the school, which leads to a seamless transition for the class and keeps them calm and engaged.
The impact on the class has been nothing but positive: pupils have a newfound confidence in how they move and control their bodies, as well as in how they interact with new people. The class look forward with great excitement to Kirsten’s visits, and the pupils always leave with sweat on their brows and smiles on their faces.
At the time of writing, Kirsten had done two six-week blocks of parkour with one of our classes. We would love to see her back working with other classes around the school so they too can reap the benefits of her sessions. I would thoroughly recommend these sessions. Any school that has the chance of high-quality parkour sessions should undoubtedly look into it.
Rory Grant is a PE Teacher at St Crispin’s School, in Edinburgh, for pupils aged 4-18 with additional support needs
