Hamstead Hall Academy is an inclusive and friendly comprehensive school located in Handsworth Wood which serves 1100 children and young people from diverse backgrounds in the North West of Birmingham. The school includes a resource base for students with cognition and learning difficulties which helps its SEND pupils to achieve similar levels of progress to their peers. At Hamstead Hall Academy, Fit for All activities ran for 4 hours a day, 4 days a week for 4 weeks in late July and August 2021.
A fabulous Summer
Julie Gibson, Inclusion Manager at Hamstead Hall Academy told Fit for All:
“We had a fabulous summer – 358 children attended on one of the days! There were loads of fun activities, committed staff and we spent a lot of quality time together. We had families engaging, children smiling and – more or less – avoided any COVID symptoms.
“We had gazebos up, bouncy castles in action, a great variety of activities for the children including rock climbing, archery, golf, woods sessions, forest schools, laser quest, clay making, arts and crafts, theatre, dance, bhangra, drumming, sports , free play, orienteering, cooking, ice cream making…
“All of this activity was shared by children with different circumstances; all together having fun. We are an inclusive school; we ran an inclusive summer programme; we welcomed all children – mainstream and children with disabilities. We found that the children supported each other to have a great time.”
Staff and volunteers at Hamstead Hall Academy made this video which gives a flavour of the Summer 21 programme:
Children, regardless of Postcodes or parental circumstances…
Julie gave us some examples of the challenges faced by children who were part of Fit for All at Hamstead Hall:
“Many families weren’t able to afford to feed their children…
We had children who live with alcoholic parents and they had no food in the house… the programme was able to send dinner home and provide breakfast when they arrived…
“We had children from the refuge who have seen more trauma than anyone should in their short lives. They were smiling, running down the path to the playscheme, excited for the day ahead – making friends, engaging with staff and peers.”
Maybe the best thing about Fit for All at Hamstead Hall, however, was the way the programme got children together from different postcodes: enjoying being children and not worrying about going hungry or who saw them?