TESTIMONIALS
“I am delighted that Oathall is part of this initiative to open up cricket to young people from every background. We are already seeing fantastic student engagement with the specialist coaching in PE lessons and after school clubs.
I have no doubt that this will be of benefit to the school and across our wider community. With new nets and pitch facilities on the way, I am confident this project will be genuinely transformational for the sport.”
Toby Houghton, Headteacher
Oathall Community College
“The Breaking Boundaries project has elevated cricket at ICC, and we are excited about the lasting impact it will continue to have both within our school and across the wider Sussex community. We are incredibly proud to be a flagship school for cricket in Crawley and to work in partnership with Sussex Cricket to provide high-quality opportunities for our students.
Over the short period of time being a Sussex hub, approximately 1,000 students have benefited from specialist cricket coaching through a structured sequence of lessons, ensuring that every student in Years 7–10 has experienced cricket delivered by expert Sussex Cricket coaches. This has significantly increased engagement, participation, and enthusiasm for the sport across the school.
The project has become embedded within our PE curriculum and wider school culture, helping to create clear pathways for students to continue their involvement beyond curriculum time. We are continuing to strengthen our positive relationship with Sussex Cricket through an expanding programme of lunchtime and after-school clubs, alongside increased opportunities for both boys and girls to represent the school in competitive district fixtures.
We are particularly pleased with the growth of girls' cricket and the inclusive nature of the programme, which has enabled more young people than ever to access and enjoy the sport. As we look to the future, we see the Breaking Boundaries project continuing to inspire the next generation of cricketers, further increasing participation and helping to establish cricket as a key part of the sporting experience at ICC for many years to come.”
Kim Costin, Head of PE & Tyler Whale, Deputy PE Lead
Ifield Community College
"We're so pleased we have Chris as our cricket coach at Oathall. He has delivered inspiring and engaging sessions with our Year 7 and Year 8 students over the past three weeks, and they have made tremendous progress in that time with their core cricket skills.
He has already developed excellent relationships with the students, and I believe he will be starting an early morning cricket club for us after the Christmas break.
I have also developed my own understanding of how to coach cricket more effectively through observing him, and I know the rest of the PE team will find his sessions equally beneficial when he teaches their classes."
Kingsley Morris, Head of PE
Oathall Community College
“At Uckfield College, the project has strongly aligned with our core qualities of aspiration, confidence, self-regulation, resilience, kindness, and integrity. This has been further supported by the excellent work of Jo Towndrow, who has delivered hundreds of hours of curriculum lessons to over 1200 students as well as extra-curricular clubs and fixtures to enhance and strengthen our cricket provision across the school.
We have also been pleased to host Cricket CPD opportunities for the county, with our department benefitting greatly from Jo’s expertise through lesson observations and professional collaboration. With our new facilities continuing to take shape, we feel the programme is in a fantastic position to go from strength to strength over the coming years.
Most importantly, the project has helped to significantly enhance enthusiasm and participation in cricket amongst some of our key target groups, particularly girls, PP, and SEND students. It has complemented our super-curricular offer brilliantly and has created further opportunities for students to engage, develop confidence, and enjoy being active through cricket.
Alongside this, we have seen a clear increase in student participation through expanded entries into both indoor and outdoor boys’ and girls’ competitions. A part of Uckfield College history was recently made when the U15 girls team played the school’s first ever girls hardball game. The growth in opportunities and confidence amongst students has led to greater engagement across all year groups, culminating in our furthest progression yet in the inaugural Barclays Knight-Stokes Cup. This has been a fantastic reflection of the momentum building around cricket within the school and the positive culture developing across both participation and performance pathways.”
Luke Sidwell
Curriculum Leader of PE & Outdoor Education
Uckfield College
We feel very fortunate to be part of the Breaking Boundaries Project and to be able to introduce and engage more of our young people in the fantastic sport of cricket. The generous funding provided by the project has enabled us to enhance our cricket facilities, including through the installation of brand-new four-lane outdoor cricket nets. Likewise, with the project team’s support, our students – both boys and girls – are benefiting from more extra-curricular cricket club opportunities each week.
We are very pleased with the project’s momentum so far and are committed to continuing to provide opportunities for our young people, as well as the wider community, to experience cricket at The Regis School.”
Rhys Thompson
Head of PE
The Regis School