Netball France is delighted to announce the 2021/2022 Netball France Schools Program.
This program, crucial to the longevity and sustainability of Netball in France, is the first step towards Netball being added to the French curriculum. The 5-week, 10 hour (5 x 2hr sessions) program has been written by coaches and educators at Netball France, in conjunction with educators in the French education system. Designed for lycée and college aged students, the program aims to introduce students to the sport of netball, and all the physical and mental benefits it offers. Open to all genders, the program encourages students to develop skills in communication, collaboration, and cognition through Content Learning by Integrating Language, with the ability to be taught in French & English. Session plans are provided to teachers to be run during PE sessions, with supplemental worksheets to help teachers teach the rules and language to students during English classes.
5 schools in Île de France are set to participate in the inaugural program, with approximately 125 students between the ages of 14-16 taking part. The program commenced in November 2021, with teacher trainer Sandrine Vu-Hoang introducing 22 teachers to netball and how it can be adapted to French State school facilities. After learning the basic rules and some drills that could be taught to students, the teachers took to the court to test out their new skills. The response was positive, and a number of teachers registered their interest to participate in the inaugural year of the program and/or subsequent iterations.
Schools participating in the 2021/2022 school year will undertake the program in class between February and April, concluding with an interschool tournament on Thursday 12th May, in collaboration with Académie de Versailles, LMML Netball, and the Mairie du Mesnil-Le-Roi.
Bethany Lord, Netball France President, had this to say about the program: “We are delighted to launch the 2021/2022 Netball France Schools Program. This is a crucial step in ensuring the sustainability of our sport and encourages young people to stay healthy and active in a fun, engaging environment. I look forward to seeing the students show off their new netball skills at the 2022 Netball France Interschool Tournament in May!”
Netball France would like to thank Bethany Lord, Jayne Stone, and Jessica Leach for writing the program, Sandrine Vu-Hoang for her aid with training the teachers and communications between schools, to the Académie de Versailles for their support of the program, and to LMML Netball and Mairie du Mesnil Le Roi for hosting the 2022 Netball France Interschool Tournament.
For more information on the program, or if you or your school would like to get involved, please email contact@netballfrance.com