Crime does pay for rugby at Ayrshire school

AN AYRSHIRE school has launched a new scheme to expose more children to rugby using funds from criminal activity.

With councils and education departments across Scotland planning unprecedented levels of savings - some upwards of 25 per cent - sport across communities is under severe strain.

There are also growing concerns, highlighted in our report on the Brewin Dolphin Scottish Schools Cup yesterday, that competition changes could widen the gulf in rugby between the state school sector and the large independent schools.

However, East Ayrshire Council has worked with the SRU and local rugby clubs to launch Scotland's first "School of Rugby", using money from the Scottish Government's 'Cashback for Communities' scheme made up of monies seized from criminal activity.

Supported by Kilmarnock and Cumnock rugby clubs, the scheme has offered the new intake of S1 pupils to Cumnock and Grange Academies a choice to take part in what the council is terming "an enhanced curriculum timetable" which combines daily rugby coaching with in-class activity to develop "the social, academic and sporting abilities" of the pupils involved.

The former Wales and British and Irish Lions centre Rob Ackerman was a PE teacher at Grange Academy and a leading light in introducing rugby to the curriculum; however, after he returned to his native New Zealand interest in rugby fell. Fred Wildridge is the current headteacher at Grange Academy and he explained the thinking behind the new 'school of rugby'.

"The new Curriculum for Excellence (ACE) allows schools a bit more imagination and creativity in how we develop the curriculum," he said. "Children used to arrive and be given a set timetable someone else had chosen for them, but one of the advantages of ACE is that we prescribe 26 periods, but they get to choose the remaining four from 12 or 16 subjects.

"So, we've been able to do some imaginative things in terms of sport in this elective choice. Some pupils might choose four periods of art, enterprise education, music or Chinese, but now they can choose four periods of rugby coached by staff and qualified coaches. I see that as benefiting them physically, and in rugby, but also in terms of their general attitude, attitude to their bodies, diets, and general health and wellbeing.

"If we extend the argument of healthy body healthy mind I can see it impacting positively on other areas of the curriculum."

Wildridge, who hails from Liverpool, also believes this kind of approach can help to fill in gaps in sports teaching that can ultimately improve the skills and quality of the next generation of Scotland's sporting talent.

"There is a carrot and stick approach here," he added.

"The children have been through trials and been selected, but if they want to remain in this programme we expect them to attend and comply with the rules."