We have recently opened our newly fitted Performance Gym, which has created exciting opportunities for pupils to improve their health and fitness. We are pleased to welcome Kathryn Canham as Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach, who is working with all pupils to promote ‘sport for all’. Kathryn joins us from the University of Hertfordshire and Badminton England where she has worked as a Strength and Conditioning coach alongside studying.
The purpose of the facilities and coaches are to help athletes who aspire to progress on to sports related opportunities after Gresham’s and to make sure those in the Talented Athletes Programme reach their full potential. There is also equal focus on those who want to become more confident in the gym and further their understanding of using the equipment in a safe environment. The facilities are used during academic PE lessons to cover the academic curriculum and provide practical learning.
The ethos is being implemented during Games sessions, sports teams practices and during pupils spare time, when they are able to sign up to use the gym. A holistic approach is also being championed, which teaches pupils how to make healthy food choices as well as carry out regular exercise. By having our coaches working both in the gym and out on the pitches, our pupils are able to contextualise their work and understand how the skills learnt in the gym transfer to games on the pitch.
We are consistently improving the equipment and means of delivering programmes to pupils, making everything more personalised. Our Strength and Conditioning coaches work closely alongside the school physio to aid any pupils returning from injury to the sports pitch, or just back to moving pain free and leading a healthy lifestyle.
The gym includes lifting platforms which are installed into the flooring, half squat racks, a multi-use rig and all necessary accessory equipment to support a performance programme. In addition to our S&C facility Gresham’s school also offers an in-house physiotherapy service at no additional cost to the pupil. Sarah Atkinson has been physiotherapist at Gresham’s for the past 10 years. Having studied and graduated from St Georges Medical School in London in 2006. Sarah is based at the Senior school within the S&C suite and is available to see all pupils from the senior school. Sarah is a specialist in child and adolescent musculoskeletal conditions and has a particular interest in sports injuries. Having both the physiotherapy and S&C services under one roof ensures a gold standard service from point of injury through rehabilitation and return to full games and activity participation.