Improve sports club uptake in your school with ParentMail

With the World Cup, Tour de France and Wimbledon taking over our television screens recently, children all over the UK have been inspired to take part in lots of different activities, encouraged by schools especially during National Sports Week.

However, Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw recently said that state schools denied competitive sport, arguing that too many professional athletes come from private schools. He went on to say that head teachers of state schools needed to stop treating competitive sport as an ‘optional extra’.  The National Union of Teachers responded to this, saying Ofsted’s comparison between state and private school sport was “ridiculous”.

Another report from Helen Fraser, chief executive of the Girls Day School Trust (GDST), said that girls in particular, should take part more in competitive sport to build confidence and resilience. She concluded stating research that girls are far less active than boys is worrying.

According to the report, “research from the Women’s Sport and Fitness Foundation suggests only a quarter of girls in England meet current recommended levels of physical activity each week, with the proportion taking part in regular sport falling steeply after the age of 10.” Furthermore, it showed that one in five girls do no physical activity at all, twice the proportion of boys.

We know that many schools offer a wide range of sports clubs, whether that’s in lunchtime or after school – but are your parents aware of them? Sending letters and timetables home by pupil post can often result in information being left in the bottom of a school bag, meaning many children could be missing out on getting involved with sports.

With ParentMail, you can alert parents of new clubs, sports timetables and even cancellations all with our email and text system which goes straight to their computer or mobile phone. This information, received instantly by parents, could improve the uptake of children in your school getting involved in sports clubs or other extra-curricular activities.

And of course, our Forms, Permissions and Surveys app means you can get permissions in minutes, ask parents for feedback on clubs and complete registration forms instantly – all with a few simple clicks of the mouse! And don’t forget, simple online payments like our +Pay service could make collecting money for club membership even easier!

To get a free demonstration of ParentMail and all our Apps simply visit https://www.parentmail.co.uk/free-demonstration/ or leave a comment below.