Q. How has St James Senior Boys’ School got involved with Lions Sports Academy?
Lions provide St James with a wide variety of different sports coaches ranging from rugby and hockey, to strength and conditioning and athletics.
Q. Why did you decide to work with Lions?
Lions were recommended to us through word of mouth within the PE and sport circuit in west London and came with an excellent reputation. In the past we have used sport-specific companies but our needs changed and we needed to recruit a number of coaches for a range of different sports. Lions were able to deliver this with quality and reliability.
Q. How has your work with Lions impacted on the sports department and the school as a whole?
By using one provider to source a number of different coaches in a number of different disciplines, we have taken a lot of the stress out of running the extensive programme that we offer our boys.
We run 16 different sports on a Friday afternoon and Lions contribute to providing coaches to this programme, easing the workload and ensuring continuity and quality.
Q. How does working with Lions compare with finding your own coaches?
Using Lions takes a lot of the stress out of staffing the extensive programme that we provide to our pupils. They have high-quality coaches who are able to teach multiple sports to a high level which ensures that the delivery is consistent.
Q. How has Lions helped to inspire your students through physical activity and sport?
We inspire our pupils by offering them a high-quality physical education and then giving them the opportunity to try out as many different sports as possible until they find one that they truly love and that they will continue to play after they leave us. By using Lions, we are able to ensure that we can produce a programme that includes a wide range of sports that are delivered to a high level across the age groups.
Q. What is St James School’s ethos when it comes to sport?
Our philosophy is that everyone is inherently a sportsman – they just need the foundations and opportunity to find the right one for them.
To find out more about Lions Sports Academy, visit their website.
To find out more about St James Senior Boys’ School, visit their website.
