Brighton Buccaneers Wheelchair Rugby club workshop

A group of over 55 second year Sport Coaching and final year Physical Education with QTS students took part in a Wheelchair Rugby workshop with Brighton Buccaneers Wheelchair Rugby Club.

The workshop involved a keynote lecture from the club about wheelchair rugby, as well as guidance and advice about working with wheelchair users and being inclusive as coaches and PE teachers.

The lecture was followed by practical sessions in smaller groups where the students got to experience playing wheelchair rugby.  The students thoroughly enjoyed working with the coaches Omar, Mary, Archie and James from the club.

Simon Green, one of the event organisers said: “For both courses the workshop linked to their modules about inclusion and working with special populations. It’s crucial that we engage our future PE teachers and coaches to explore different activities and that they know how to adapt activities to meet the needs of participants.

“The students really appreciated Brighton Buccaneers coaches coming in and spending time with them. It enabled them to understand and experience the challenges faced by wheelchair users and the role sport can play in breaking down barriers.”

Brighton Buccaneers are based at the University’s Falmer Sports Centre and already work with  with strength and conditioning students who support their training sessions on a Sunday – volunteer support is vital for the club.

The student PE teachers are hoping to make links with the club for when they go onto their final placement next year as they would like to give the pupils they teach this opportunity too. Just one of the many positive outcomes from the day.

You can watch the students in action in this short film (film has no legible audio):