Tag Rugby Festival with partner schools

Our Tag Rugby Festival gives local state primary schools the opportunity to play entry level rugby in a fun and friendly atmosphere. 

Aims

The need was to provide an entry-level opportunity to enjoy rugby, as many primary schools do not include rugby in their PE curriculum. Our teaching staff also provided coaching throughout the tournament.  
 
For the event to be a success, we needed a full roster of teams, from a range of schools across the Nottingham area.  
 
Seven schools attended the event, and both students and staff were exposed to a large-scale competitive sporting event.  

Background

Nottingham High Infant and Junior School hosts an annual programme of sports competitions for local primary schools, which include netball, football, Kwik Cricket, tag rugby and cross country. Part of the schools’ ethos is to share its sporting facilities and sporting opportunities with other schools in the local community. The school’s Tag Rugby Festivals have been running for five years.

Resources

For this project to succeed, we needed free access to the school’s Valley Road Playing fields, and two members of teaching staff from our Infant and Junior School to manage the festival itself.  
 
The schools’ Head of Admissions and Partnership oversaw the invitation and booking process. The grounds staff at Valley Road prepared and maintained the playing fields, to be in tip-top condition for the tournaments. Our catering staff provided refreshments free of charge for visiting children and school staff.  
 
The event itself ran for two hours, with approximately two days of preparation time. All children who took part were given a certificate to recognise their achievements.

Impact

"We love coming to this event. The referees helped coach through the game which helped with the progress of our players. We felt well looked after, as always." 
Teacher, Edwalton Primary School  
   
"It was very fun to have a go at a new sport in a non competitive way."
Pupil, Edwalton Primary School  
  
“The children thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and it was great to see so many children getting an experience of tag rugby. Recognising the achievements of players within the team was a lovely touch too.”
Teacher, Beardall Fields Primary School  
  
After each event, visiting teachers complete a survey to summarise what their pupils learned and enjoyed about the activity, along with any suggestions for improvement. The intended outcomes are to give children a positive experience of rugby, in addition to some basic rugby skills. The tournament is a gateway for those that enjoy rugby to seek opportunities to continue playing. 

Pupil Involvement

70 girls and boys aged 8-11 from seven local state primary schools, and nine members of staff. 

Frequency

The Tag Rugby Festival runs annually.