Neale-Wade Academy scores partnership with Cambridge Rugby Union Football Club

Students and staff at the Neale-Wade Academy are set to receive professional sport coaching thanks to a new partnership.

The March school has struck an agreement with Cambridge Rugby Union Club to provide six hours of coaching per week for both boys and girls at the academy.

The academy will also have a fully qualified member of the club based at the school who will coach the PE staff, developing their expertise and enhancing their knowledge.

The academy and club also have ambitions to work with other schools throughout Fenland. They want to create a hub for Fenland rugby, providing training and support for talented students across the region.

Executive principal, Jason Wing, said: “We are so excited to enter into this new partnership. The club has been fantastic and will provide our students with some amazing opportunities to develop their skills and sportsmanship, building up their confidence, improving their teamwork skills and supporting with their wellbeing.

“There is a wealth of rugby talent in the region that we believe isn’t currently being recognised or provided for. Our longer-term mission to create a Fenland hub for rugby is to celebrate and nurture this talent, providing students in the region with new and exciting opportunities.”

The rugby club is based at the Grantchester Road ground in Cambridge. They run three senior squads and one of the oldest mini clubs in the Eastern Countries region. They are currently competing in National League 1, making it the leading club in the region. Students from the academy have been offered free tickets to watch some of the club’s games.

Training sessions began on Monday September 9 and will continue throughout the school year.

Success has already been seen with students praising their experiences and teachers benefitting from the training sessions.

Simon Leader, Rugby Development Officer at Cambridge Rugby Union Football Club, said: “We are delighted to have launched our BTEC Rugby Academy here at the club. The first few days have flown by and Bryn and the team have impressed us all with their faultless attitude to both learning and

training. I can tell we have a good crop of students here who have already started to bond as a group. Exciting times ahead. Watch this space.”

Bryn Pughsley, a 16-year-old student on the course who also plays for Wisbech Rugby Union Club, said: “The induction week has been good, and I am really excited to start the course. I have really enjoyed my time so far and am looking forward to what’s ahead.”

Neale-Wade Academy is part of The Active Learning Trust which looks after twenty-one primary, secondary and special schools throughout Cambridgeshire and Suffolk.

For more information about Neale-Wade Academy, please visit: www.neale-wade.org