School Games – Dodgeball Festival

Active Kent and Medway is prioritising resources to support partners to engage the least active children and young people including those most affected by inequalities. Our work looks to increase the opportunities available for young people not meeting the recommended guidelines of 60 minutes of activity a day, specifically those doing less than 30 minutes a day.  

During the 2021/2022 academic year, Active Kent and Medway and the Kent School Games Organisers (SGOs) network conducted surveys with secondary aged young people from across the county to understand their barriers and motivations to taking part in sport and physical activity. From the 2,000 responses, dodgeball was voted as the most popular activity that the least active young people wanted to try.  

Due to this demand, Active Kent and Medway organised dodgeball CPD (Continuing Professional Development) training for teachers across the county. The session equipped the teachers with the skills and knowledge to run dodgeball sessions in their own school.

In January 2023, schools who took part in the CPD training were invited to attend a dodgeball festival to showcase their newly learnt skills. 

• Give young people a chance to try the activity prior to the festival. As the young people had been attending dodgeball clubs at school they felt more confident going to the festival.
• Schools may need additional support. Whilst many schools went away and ran their own dodgeball clubs, some required further support. Check in and see how schools are doing, encourage them to chat with other schools to get ideas and support.
• Clarify the audience that the festival is targeting. Within the festival specification be clear as to the audience the event is targeting, for example, the least active young people. This will ensure the right young people are in attendance.

Co-creating activities with children and young people increases the likelihood of them engaging in sport and physical activity.

Active Kent and Medway and partners will continue to consult with children and young people around the activities they want to participate in and see where there are gaps for CPD opportunities for teachers and schools.

To further develop the skills and confidence of children and young people and continue to provide new opportunities, dodgeball festivals will become part of the Kent School Games Calendar.

If you would like to find out more about Kent School Games and how your school can get involved, please get in touch with Natalie Harris at Active Kent and Medway via email: natalie.harris@kent.gov.uk