Running your project

1. Register and get a free Athlete Mentor visit

We have a team of sports stars who can’t wait to visit your secondary school. Once you’ve registered you will be eligible for your first Athlete Mentor visit. We have capacity for 750 first Athlete Mentor visits a year.  What will the visit look like?

2. Select students, create and submit your plan

Selecting your participants is an important part of the planning process.  We’ve outlined four key reasons for selection but you may have others:

  • Improving self-esteem and self-worth
  • Improving attitudes to health and well-being
  • Improving attitudes to learning
  • Improving attainment

You will probably already have a group of students in mind at this stage, but it’s also a good idea to have a chat with your colleagues to see which students they feel would benefit from taking part. It’s a good idea to mix up your group so it contains a range of abilities.  We’ve found that this helps to boost confidence and has led to some great examples of peer mentoring.

The maximum group size is 20, but we recommend working with smaller groups to get the most impact.

Second inspirational visit

Once you’ve successfully submitted your project plan you will be able to book in a return visit. What will the visit look like?

3. Get active

Design a series of weekly sports activities that you feel will help your students develop. You can choose any sport or game: breakfast club basketball, weekly boxing, lunch time dance or after-school orienteering. Learning the strangest of sports can be as effective as the old favourites. Remember, it’s not necessarily about becoming good at sport, rather it’s about using sport to help in other areas of youngsters' lives.

We recommend at least six sessions of activities to give students a chance to develop. But many teachers may prefer to work over a longer period. There’s no restriction on how long or how often your activities should last - it’s up to you to create a project that meets your students’ needs.

You will see your students develop the skills they need to organise the next part of the project - the sports event.

4. Create an event

The student sports event gives your group the opportunity to use their new skills to plan, organise and deliver a sports event for the school. It’s a great way for your group to take on responsibility and manage its own project.

Be as creative as possible - the event can be anything you like. What about a school sports lesson for a younger age group or a tournament for the feeder primary school? Perhaps making and showing a film of their project, or making a book and presenting it at assembly?

5. Celebrate success

The celebration is a great way for participants, staff, other pupils and even parents to recognise the achievements of the group. It’s good to plan what kind of celebration your group wants right from the beginning to give your students something to aim for.

The choice is yours when it comes to organising the celebration. Some schools have taken the group for a meal or for a trip.  But cost-free alternatives can be just as effective: a presentation at assembly or giving certificates to participants. Some schools have used the celebration date to tie in with their Athlete Mentor visit.