Notts TV interview: DCA wins national award for its pioneering approach to sport

Djanogly City Academy (DCA) has won a prestigious national award for helping its scholars to improve their wellbeing and achievement through the power of sport.

The Youth Sport Trust’s Outstanding Secondary Practice Award recognises a school which has harnessed the power of physical activity, PE, play and sport to improve young people’s mental health.

DCA, which is Ofsted graded ‘good’ and has sites on Gregory Boulevard and Sherwood Rise, has taken an ambitious approach to PE delivery across the school.

The Head of PE Kirsty Pinnington introduced resources to encourage a focus on youth voice after attending Youth Sport Trust training last year.

You can find out more by watching her interview with Notts TV on March 6th, 2023. Fast forward to the 15.18 mark.

Scholars were asked what they wanted in a bid to boost engagement and teach young people how sport can develop character traits across PE, sport and the wider curriculum.

The approach was well received. The school stood out to the judging panel for being committed to ongoing review and feedback, especially when it came to engaging girls.

The judges noted that the PE department is a shining example of how to test and learn and how to have the courage to do things differently.

Kirsty Pinnington, DCA’s Head of PE, said: “It’s exciting to win this award. It’s confirmation that we are on the right path. We have been pushing this idea of ambitious PE at our school, we want to be an ambitious department and it’s great to show what we have done to engage young people.

“Within PE lessons now there is more buy-in from students. They’re not only doing more but knowing more. We’re seeing more students turn up after school in enrichment clubs and extra-curricular, it’s not just the core group anymore, we have a total range taking part. We see girls taking part who we didn’t see before. That has been really rewarding.

“Working with the Youth Sport Trust has been positive for us, it’s helped us to ask what our students want, and I admit the data shocked me. One of the things students told us was that they wanted more leadership roles in PE lessons. I would have never thought of that. It’s really positive and given us the opportunity to be ambitious.”

The awards were announced at a Youth Sport Trust Annual Awards dinner at Telford International Centre on March 1st, 2023.

The event was themed around ‘A year of Changemakers’ following the success of the Lionesses and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games heroes who helped to inspire a generation and movement across grassroots sport.

A total of nine awards were presented by host, TV personality and author Radzi Chinyanganya during a ceremony

Ali Oliver MBE, Chief Executive, Youth Sport Trust, said: “The Youth Sport Trust would like to congratulate Djanogly City Academy, the winner of our Outstanding Secondary Practice Award. The school has demonstrated a huge commitment to the important role of PE, play and sport in improving young people’s mental health.

“This generation is moving less, spending more time online and has experienced major changes in their lives following the Covid-19 pandemic.

“On top of this, increased social inequality amplified by the cost-of-living crisis are creating a ripple effect on their school and home life. It is thanks to changemakers like the staff at Djanogly City Academy that children will grow up healthier and happier.”