"I would like to thank all the coaches for their dedication, hard work and making my son's week fun and enjoyable! Thank you very much...10/10"
"It's such a relief to leave my son knowing that he is in a safe, fun environment. Thank you Sportstars!"
"The staff were extremely friendly and had a great rapport with the children."
"A really good week - excellent value, the girls were really happy, we knew they were safe and the performance was great! This is our second time and we'd definitely come again."
"I brought four children to the scheme, ranging from 5 to 10. They all loved coming and ran in every morning. Excellent...10/10"
"I was a bit concerned about leaving my son as he's only just four, but the coaches were so friendly and confident it put my mind at ease straight away. Thanks all. 10/10"
"The coaches have all been fantastic with the children - an excellent balance of fun, learning and discipline. They really manage to communicate with all the children regardless of their age or ability - very impressed indeed!"
"(Sportstars) supply extremely high quality planning, preparation and assessment cover and after school activities, all at a reasonable cost to already stretched school budgets".
"As a Headteacher I have been challenged by the latest educational reforms of providing good quality cover for staff while they have their 10% Planning Preparation and Assessment Time. I tried a range of providers before and themes for the pupils before employing the services of Sportstars... I have now decided to use Sportstars to cover all the schools PPA requirements for next year and have been very impressed with the company...the services they provide have been a real godsend to Headteachers and the quality of staff are of a high standard".
"Sportstars has been working in Kitchener Primary school for the past year. The enthusiastic and energetic coaches are well trained and motivate the children in a wide variety of sports during the year. Sportstars also provide end of year reports for the teachers with whom they have been working."
"Sportstars is very well organised, has excellent coaching personnel, offers a diversity of sports and is excellent value for money! Sportstars has addressed the Health and Safety issues and the coaches have a code of conduct - both of which are so important where the safety and security are concerned'.'The work being done by Sportstars in schools and in holiday clubs, will play a major role in the fight against obesity and also encourage children to take a more active role in sport".
"We are a small school and it's been fantastic to receive fresh new faces bringing in their expertise. Sportstars is a very dependable company and we have never been let down. We had been having great difficulty covering PPA in the past but now we have no worries."
"I have been extremely impressed by the professionalism and enthusiasm of the staff of Sportstars. They enthuse and engage the pupils which will lead to them continuing to enjoy the benefits of sporting activities throughout their lives."
"We have been working with Sportstars since September 2006, when financial pressures meant we were unable to fund a qualified teacher to provide PPA cover. Coaches work closely within existing school policies and frameworks. They have proved extremely popular with our pupils and are highly respected by staff as they bring extra specialities into our school routines."
"The qualified coaches of Sportstars are making a significant contribution in our school, both through covering classes for PPA and also by raising standards of achievement across all year groups. With their detailed planning, accurate assessments and good class management, they have quickly won the respect of teachers and the trust of pupils. I recommend them highly."
"Sportstars is a well organised and very efficient service. They have excellent coaches who cover the full range of the PE curriculum. Detailed lesson planning is provided and is tailored to suit our school's individual needs."
SportStars expand across England and Wales!
20/02/07
A sports coaching service set up by young college graduates in Cardiff to relieve pressure on local schools is to be expanded across England and Wales following a surge in demand from teachers.
Sportstars, who provide structured activity sessions to allow teachers time for planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) work, was launched a year ago with five schools on their books. Today, they have contracts with more than 30 schools, employ 10 full-time staff, 60 on-call coaches and have run in-school and holiday courses for more than 5,000 children. They are in talks with a further 20 schools and will open branches covering West Wales, Gloucestershire and Hereford and the Bristol, Bath and Somerset regions early next year, in advance of a full national roll-out.
Sportstars was launched by James Taylor, a Cardiff University child psychology graduate and qualified teacher and sports coach, who spent time teaching children in America and Africa. When the Government introduced new rules last year allowing teachers to spend 10% of their working week on PPA, Mr Taylor realised this would create gaps in the availability of staff on school timetables.
He persuaded head teachers to hand over responsibility for running some PE sessions to him and his team of sports-mad graduates from Cardiff University. They arrive fully-equipped to run up to 15 chosen activities - ranging from football to cheerleading. Schools which have used the service say it not only releases staff for PPA demands but has helped fire up the enthusiasm of pupils and helps raise the standard of school sports teams.
The success of Sportstars was recognised when James Taylor was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Wales in this year's Shell Livewire Awards. He said: "The introduction of PPA last September presented heads with a timetable challenge and we knew we could help.
"We began by running lessons for five schools for a few hours a week. The pupils loved it, the word spread and we are now working at some schools for more than 25 hours a week. The demand has been phenomenal."
The company's staff, all PE specialists aged 18 to 25, provide structured lesson plans linked to the curriculum, together with progression and assessment reports. They also run highly popular holiday and half-term courses. Events this summer attracted 1,500 children at 21 venues across South Wales. They are now expanding into after-school and Saturday clubs and school fund-raising events.
Mr Taylor added: "Sport is well known for developing teamwork, confidence, self-esteem and discipline. We are delighted to be playing a part in encouraging positive attitudes. It's been such a success that we are preparing plans to extend our service across the UK, providing activities for special needs schools as well."
Steven Downes, head of a primary school in Cardiff, said "Sportstars are providing a fantastic service in our school, delivering an invaluable learning experience and a positive influence for our pupils."
Because of its growth potential, Sportstars is receiving advice from business specialists Entrepreneur Action under the Welsh Assembly Government's General Support for Business Programme.