Nine schools in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin attended an event last week, hosted by Energize STW, to share their experience and learning of using Opening Schools Facilities funding so far. 

What is Opening Schools Facilities?

The Opening Schools Facilities fund is part of a national programme to encourage schools in local communities facing the greatest inequalities, to open their facilities.  We, at Energize, are working to support 16 schools across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.  The funding is aimed at providing children, young people and the wider community with more opportunities to be physically active, before school, after school, during weekends, evenings and school holidays.

As well as supporting schools to provide more out of school opportunities for their school children and community users, priority is being given to:

• projects encouraging women and girls to be more active
• projects that help disadvantaged communities
• projects supporting culturally diverse communities
• projects supporting people with special educational needs, disabilities or long term health conditions.

You can find out more about the Opening Schools Facilities programme here.

The event 

The nine schools which attended the Sharing and Learning event have been involved in years one and two of the Opening Schools Facilities three-year programme which will end in March 2025.

Claire Mansfield, Active Schools Manager at Energize STW said:

"It was great to see so many of our schools taking part in the Opening Schools Facilities initiative at our sharing and learning this week. They shared best practice and ideas about their year 3 activities specifically focusing on engaging with their local community and sustaining their provision beyond the end of the programme and funding."

Schools' ideas to continue engaging with their local community and to sustain opening their facilities beyond the end of the three year programme include:

• using school parent evenings to gather parents and carers’ feedback about their needs
• upskilling staff, Year 11 and sixth form pupils now to become coaches rather than relying on external providers
• connecting with primary schools to offer 'stay and play' opportunities
• wellbeing activity sessions for school staff

We look forward to continue working with all schools in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin taking part in the Opening Schools Facilities programme to allow their local communities to continue to use and enjoy the activities being provided.