RUGBY League World Cup 2013 is challenging schools across England, Wales, Ireland and France to harness the power of this autumn’s tournament and engage, educate and inspire young people.
The RLWC2013 Education Programme, which was officially launched today, is available completely free of charge to all schools and is simple to implement.
Programmes have been created for students at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 levels and cater for all abilities within those age groups.
The resources are cross-curricular, meaning teachers and educators do not need to deviate from existing lesson plans, and are spread across a diverse range of subjects, including literacy, maths, music, creative, dance and art.
Each resource is aligned with an individual RLWC2013 celebration day and there is scope for school visits from international star players and official mascots ‘Grubber and Steed’, as well as opportunities for students and teachers to catch a glimpse of the prestigious Rugby League World Cup trophy.
Celebration Days will be held at all 26 RLWC2013 match day events following the conclusion of the Education Programme, and every young person who has taken part will be invited to showcase their achievements at a RLWC2013 match.
Students will receive a certificate from an international player and all participating schools will be invited to take part in a parade around the pitch at half time.
The Celebration Days will honour students who have performed to an excellent standard or shown significant improvement.
Incentives and prizes include the opportunity to report on matches as an official member of RLWC2013 media staff, design the front cover for the match day programme and see their work displayed around the stadium on match day.
The programme represents true ‘once in a life-time’ chances chance for schools in England and Wales to inspire a generation of young people through the power and prestige of international sport, and affords children the chance to form relationships with their peers and develop their own skills, through individual and collaborative exercises.
Over 600 teachers and schools have already opted into the programme, including St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School in Wigan.
Deputy head teacher Linda Tighe said:
“We’re a very strong rugby community here at St Patrick’s and this was a great opportunity for our children to learn about the wider world.
“We focused on the Key Stage 2 modules, which are linked to the national curriculum, and we were able to differentiate between the exercises for higher and lower ability children.
“It engages the children, raises their level of enthusiasm, and encourages their social mixing skills. We even had one child tell us that it was the best afternoon in school they’d ever had. We are all really enjoying it.”
To enrol your school, simply sign up through the RLWC2013 Education Resource website to gain full access to lesson plans and downloads.
The RLWC2013 Education Resource forms just a small part of a wider programme of community-driven initiatives designed to engage, educate and inspire adults and young people through the power of Rugby League.
From the almost non-stop trophy tour to our ‘Day to Remember’ business-led community reward scheme, there are many ways for people of all background and sporting allegiances to get involved.
