Excellence award for Halifax primary school for its free before and after school clubs

Parkinson Lane Community Primary School has earned the status from Yorkshire Sport Foundation for its approach to before and after school clubs, providing a wide variety of free opportunities for all pupils and their families.

Among the school’s projects is training more than 30 pupils as sports leaders and allowing them to lead inclusive, SEND-friendly sessions for their peers.

The school also delivers a weekly get fit club for parents.

And the school’s success and its approach to extracurricular opportunities has inspired the creation of the Kings Cross Cricket Club - aiming to boost children’s cricketing skills – and the school dance club has seen pupils perform locally and internationally as part of school residentials.

Headteacher Gugsy Ahmed said: "At Parkinson Lane, we place a huge importance on extra-curricular provision for all our learners.

"Our internal research shows that children who attend our before and after school clubs make accelerated academic progress. We have also noted their increased confidence and social skills which significantly contribute towards their holistic development.

"I am extremely grateful to the efforts of my hard-working staff who volunteer their time to run our before and after school clubs. It is pleasing to see their efforts, as well as our children’s commitment to our clubs, acknowledged through the Centre of Excellence Award."Alex Ogden, Education Manager at Yorkshire Sport Foundation, said: “The school is truly at the heart of its community, with the provision it provides outside of regular school hours truly deserving of the Centre of Excellence status.”