Engaging students in physical activity and sports

Tom Kershaw

Assistant Head of Physical Education

Stepping up to take on the responsibility of arranging inclusive sports tours for the students at Mosslands School, a school based in an area with significant deprivation and SEN students, was a bold move for Tom. Picking up from a predecessor who could no longer commit to the role of arranging the school sports tours, he knew one thing – there wasn’t a chance he was letting these experiences grind to a halt.  The students at Mosslands needed these tours.

With the support of his Head, he set the bar high.  He would run two trips every 2 years. One in Europe for the football team and a second one to New York with a focus on inclusivity, giving as many children as possible the opportunity to get involved. He had a plan on how he would achieve this and, my goodness, it’s a truly inspirational plan – and now he shares some of his top tips with you!

Welcome on board Tom…

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  Tom wears many hats in his school, with the role of tour organiser being one of his most rewarding.

  He is passionate about touring and the life changing effect they can have on children at his school. Due to the financial situation of many families in his area, his plan for the New York trip was very much focussed on budget and cramming in as many varied experiences into the itinerary as possible. He wanted as many children as possible to experience sporting experiences they would never get to engage with here in the UK and he wanted the tour base to be somewhere where most of the children would never have the opportunity to travel to with their family.

  He planned well in advance, set what he deemed to be an affordable monthly payment plan in place, and sourced funding options should they be required.

  In Tom’s words…

  “Some students will never get another opportunity like this, it’s a massive life skill to experience a different culture, to go abroad. Also for some children who are in care, they’ll never experience this is their lives. It’s huge for our students.”

  The school commits to an annual cycle of touring, nurturing the exceptional skills of the school football team on the European tour, and enrolling a huge number of pupils on the New York trip.

  “It’s a whole holistic experience that our students will gain from these tours.”

  Tom worked closely with his ‘go to’ at Rayburn, Gemma, spending months and months ensuring that together they were providing the right experience for the students.

  “With the pandemic, and its impact on the education and mental health of young people, it made it all the more important to get our students to New York. The main drive was the experience, if we were going to lose a few quid then so be it, but Rayburn helped us out a lot with that. Getting those kids out to New York, giving those students the experience we’d promised was always the main aim.”

  Tom talks proudly of his headteachers mantra when it comes to the educational provision that Mosslands School provides. “Our school is committed to supporting our children to become lifelong learners and good citizens ready to contribute positively to the wider, diverse community.  We strive to build ambition in each and every student by creating high quality learning opportunities – both inside and outside of the classroom – to develop knowledge, skills and good habits necessary to succeed; it’s a holistic education model and touring plays a big part in that.”

  The schools also allows Tom to arrange the trips in terms time so as to keep costs down. He challenges any thoughts that there is missed education, with the experience far outweighing this.

  “We want to encourage ALL students to continually participate in physical education and sport, for students to reach their potential, we don’t want their interest to drop off at aged 16. We want them to carry on in sport and lead healthy active lifestyles. Our strong focus on inclusive Physical Education and Sport and touring plays a big part in making this happen”

  “The personal rewards for me are enormous. I have developed very strong relationships with students we have taken on tour that lasts throughout their education journey and beyond. Staff on tour will be working 24/7, but that one “thank you” makes it all worth it.”

  The tours are quite simply one of the best things we do at Mosslands!

Graham Meskell

Insurance Expert

Graham is not employed by AVIVA but acts as a daily intermediary between our clients, Rayburn, and AVIVA. We are thrilled to have him join us on the webinar to answer any burning insurance questions people attending may have.  He acts as an extension to the Rayburn Tours team, and his role is focused on ensuring all our bespoke insurance needs and questions are answered. Where clients have a claim or may need advice, he and his team are the go-to for answers; they are skilled in supporting us all every step of the way. His team’s knowledge and support to our clients is valued and vital.