Sarries In My School

ABOUT SARRIES IN MY SCHOOL (SIMS)

SIMS offers bespoke physical activity sessions for schools that are tailored to suit each school’s needs. We offer breakfast clubs, lunch clubs, afterschool clubs as well as curriculum sessions and PPA cover. We cater for primary schools, secondary schools, sixth forms and colleges.

THE AIM

Our aim is to increase physical activity levels, develop physical literacy, improve mental health and inspire lifelong participation in sport by providing a safe, innovative and inclusive environment for young people to develop and widen their skills.

THE NEED

57% of Year 3/4 students and 51% of year 5/6 students are not meeting the chief medical officers’ guidelines of physical activity.

1 in 5 children are overweight or obese when they begin school, with that rising to 1 in 3 children by the time they leave primary school

22% of young people suffering from some form of mental health, have expressed that activities at school (sports, arts, music clubs) have had a positive effect on young people’s mental health.

(Sport England Active Lives Survey Academic Year 19-20 & Public Health England – What Works in Schools and Colleges to Increase Physical Activity)

OUR STAFF

All of our coaches have:

• A Level 2 qualification
• Saracens DBS
• Emergency First Aid Qualification
• Premiership Rugby Minimum Standards Level 2 & Safeguarding Level 3

WHAT WE OFFER:

Rugby – Tag rugby and Contact rugby up to and including 15-a-side. Sessions include fun based introduction to rugby skills and adaptive games focused around the principles of play and core rugby values.

Cheer – Cheerleading is a team activity in which elements of dance and gymnastics are combined. Students will learn stunts, tumbles and cheer jumps and motions.

Street Dance – Street Dance is an energetic form of dancing to popular, current music. It also allows dancers to perform with freedom of movement and adding in own personalities.

Musical Theatre – Musical Theatre combines singing, acting and dance together. Students will learn current and classic musicals!

Acro Dance – Acro dance is a style that combines gymnastics and dance together with its unique choreography. Students will focus on tricks and tumbles with dance elements.

Dance Fitness – Dance fitness is a class that incorporates many forms of dance and exercise. It is a whole-body workout that provides different forms of intensity to fun upbeat songs!

Gymnastics – Gymnastics is a sport that includes physical exercise, requiring balance, strength, flexibility and coordination. Students will learn tumbles and gymnastic skills!

Stretch & Relax – Stretch and relax classes focus on children’s mindfulness. Sessions include a series of movements, poses, breathing and meditation to improve mental health and well-being.

OPPORTUNITES TO TAKE PART IN

Saracens Cheer and Dance Festival

Through attending SIMS classes and clubs, a variety of opportunities lead to events such as termly cheer and dance festivals and performance events. Our cheer and dance festivals consist of all SIMS schools coming together to showcase their hard work at the end of each school term. The festival is also judge by community advocates, in which the winners and runners up will receive a medal for their school to keep and every participant involved in the festival will receive a certificate. The festival brings schools in the community together to see spectacular performances from the students and offers parents and families the chance to see their children’s hard work. It’s also a fun day out for everyone!

Performance Events

Throughout the year, SIMS Cheer and Street Dance students also receive the opportunity to perform at a Saracens game that is dedicated to the Foundation, which is named ‘Foundation Matchday’. The day consist of projects that run within the Foundation, showcasing their work to supporters and fans. All funds raised from the day goes towards the Saracens Foundation and our SIMS students are proudly the face of our SIMS project. During half-time, the children perform on the pitch to the Saracens crowd for a duration of 2-3 minutes, alongside their teachers and other students. Parents and guardians also get the opportunity to volunteer on the day or purchase a ticket to watch the performance. We have been luckily enough to have previously performed at Wembley Stadium, London Stadium, and at our home ground StoneX Stadium. These opportunities come at a small cost for our participants, which all funds raised goes towards the Saracens Foundations to continue to deliver our impactful projects across the community.

Rugby 4 Life Festivals

Schools are offered the opportunity to take part in our non-competitive Rugby 4 Life tag festivals held at their local grassroots rugby clubs.

For more information about Rugby 4 Life, click here  

TO BOOK YOUR SIMS SESSIONS TODAY CLICK HERE OR EMAIL SIMS@SARACENS.NET FOR MORE INFORMATION.

COVID-19 UPDATE:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools attendance was restricted to a small percentage of students. This affected our ability to deliver the SIMS project. Whilst schools were shut, we offered #TogetherActive Live online P.E. sessions during the day as an alternative to curriculum delivery where we engaged with 635 students from Year 1 – 6 across 8 schools. We also offered Cheer & TikTok classes afterschool to continue to impact young people’s lives whilst at home. This helped to increase physical activity and social interactions with 149 students.

Continuing to follow government and DfE guidelines, we are gradually returning to schools across Hertfordshire and North London to deliver our SIMS project. If your school would like to book SIMS sessions, please contact sarriesinmyschool@saracens.net.