Back in the day, physical education was about “building character”: usually involving some combination of running, endurance and inclement weather. Thankfully, these days, we have a much better understanding of how physical wellbeing can support general wellbeing; this is one of the reasons at LPS we offer more outdoor activities such as Enrichment, after-school clubs, or CCF. All of these activities have similar goals: to help our students exert some energy, to learn some physical and emotional resilience, and to learn new skills.
So, when I was asked to lead a weekly Enrichment activity at LPS Mayfair, a colleague and I had a brainwave; as keen cyclists, we headed straight to the Stratford VeloPark – a venue originally built for the 2012 Olympics, and leaving a legacy of world-class sporting provision.
There were a few red flags: cycling is a high-risk activity; the venue is 10 miles away by public transport; the available pool of students is small. All of these issues required a lot of initial effort to mitigate, but we knew the power of VeloPark, and we wanted to promote our sport, its social and personal aspects, and its relevance to ecology and urbanism. Best of all, for variety, the VeloPark offers four different disciplines of cycling on safe, separated, purpose-built courses (road, BMX and mountain biking) and of course, track cycling on the indoor velodrome itself.
Between us, having (touch wood) completed almost three years of this activity without a serious issue, my colleague and I were well placed to approach the challenge safely and with excitement. The enthusiastic response from our students was so rewarding, we had to ensure it be a regular activity. Staff have come to love it too! I’ll never forget a Tuesday afternoon last term when we were joined by a colleague new to VeloPark who simply said: ‘I can’t believe you get paid to do this!’ The truth is, it is providing just as much of a mental boost to us, as it does for our students.
Not every day on the road is in beautiful sunshine – but there’ll be times in the winter when we’re knee deep in the mud on the mountain course, and the same smiles are seen on the faces of the students. That’s the power of Enrichment.
Toni Tasic – Head of Year 9 – Teacher of English and Media Studies
