Compromising of a boxing gym area, gym, classroom space and extensive acres of land, the Thurmaston base is informally regarded as the ‘sports base’. This base aims to highlight to learners the correlation between good mental health and frequent exercise engagement. All learners regardless of their chosen awards will be partaking in some form of sport of their choice, ranging from walking, yoga, dance, field and court sports, and indoor sport. This is vital, after the recent statistic issued by the government which highlighted that only 45% of young people are getting an hour of exercise a day. This base will ensure our young people have strong bodies and strong minds.

Learners whose packages have a sports-based focus will undergo the majority of their learning here, optimising use of the extensive sports facilities it offers. Students will continue to develop their skills in their chosen sport, as well as trying out new sports weekly, broadening their interests. We foster the thought that “coachable young people, become employable adults” meaning learners will then be alerted to the parallels between skills learnt through sports and their prevalence in day-to-day life. For instance, learners will grasp a thorough understanding of communication skills through football and other team field sports, alertness and attentiveness in racket sports, creativity in solo sports and self-discipline in boxing and ring sports (just to name a few). All sports will teach our children the importance of resilience, motivation and determination, helping them succeed both at our provision and in their late steps in life.