Lifechanging badminton sessions to help schoolchildren with severe learning disabilities

Stevenage Arts and Leisure Centre, managed by Everyone Active in partnership with Stevenage Borough Council, joined forces with Greenside School, a local school for children with severe learning difficulties aged 3-19, in January to enable disabled students to participate in team sports and physical activity.

The sessions are currently for those over 16 at the school, whose specialist teaching is provided at a studio at The Hyde shopping centre in Stevenage. With the facility having little space for exercise, the sessions provide an essential space for the students to play a wide range of badminton activities and games to help improve their physical and mental wellbeing.

Currently, 10-12 young people attend the sessions which take place every Friday morning from 10:30-11:30.

Two young men who have been attending the sessions since they began shared their thoughts. Reggie, 17, said: “I like the tournaments and when we play the fun game with the shuttle and the cones [during one activity, students throw the shuttlecock over the net and try and get it into a cone on the other side]! It was really good; it made your arms much more active,” whilst Alex, also 17, added: “It makes your arms stronger and builds them up!”

The sessions are run by Dave Brown, a Level 2 Badminton Coach at Everyone Active who adapts the activities to suit the student’s needs with support from Joh Maher, a tutor from Greenside School who has worked at the school for 26 years.

Joh said: “It’s so important to us that our students are given opportunities to build their skillsets and relationships with their peers. When the sessions first began, our students were very quiet but now we are a little team – they are a group of mixed ability but are helping each other, and we have even introduced new children to the group who have slotted in so well.

“We have a deaf and blind student who has just a tiny bit of vision and the impact these sessions have had on him is incredible. He is now able to get out in the community and join in with everything the other guys are doing in a safe environment.

“Our students’ mental wellbeing is looked after so well here, they feel secure, they can go and get a drink of water on their own and they all give it a go every week - even the boy who came for the first time today!

“Overall, it is a fantastic experience for them. Their social skills have really progressed, and this has been helped even more by them getting a bus every week to the centre which has been great for building their confidence as they are out in the community. We never thought we could offer something like these sessions to our students, and we are beyond thankful to Everyone Active for the role they have played in bringing this idea to fruition.”

Funded by Badminton England and Stevenage Borough Council, the badminton sessions originally received enough funding to run for one year.

However, due to the programme’s success, Danny Kingston, activity and wellbeing manager at Everyone Active, has secured funding for another year, with aspirations to offer a timetable of different activities including badminton, golf and athletics.

Danny said: “The way we have seen these students transform due to their improved mental and physical wellbeing in just a matter of months is truly amazing. They were very reserved and quiet when the sessions began, but now the group are confident in interacting with all the staff at the centre, especially Dave and myself!

“I am really excited about what’s to come for these sessions, and I hope that we can continue to support as many local children with learning difficulties as possible.”