"As a School Sport Partnership we are continually trying to engage ALL young people. Below are examples of how the 'Quad Bod' has helped us achieve our targets.

Transfer from Y6 to 7
We have used the 'Quad Bod' to engage a variety of groups of pupils transferring from Y6 to 7. In Y6 young people are engaged at break times in activity and with equipment that is bright and vibrant in their playgrounds. In Y7 playgrounds have a completely different look to them. It was our intention to try and make the Y7 Social areas a little bit more 'friendly' as in their Primary Schools but with a more 'grown up' feel to them. The Quad Bod was put in an area of the playground away from the football area (a quiter area). Young people could come and get a ball and play with the equipment. Some were on their own at lunchtime and others were in small groups. At first those keen on playing football at lunchtimes were interested and eventually those who enjoyed individual activities took part when the footballers went back to their game.

Lessons
The Quad Bounder has allowed us to set challenges around decision making. The students have created games and practices to develop strategies and skills.

A variety of balls have been used according to the sport.

Clubs
Our G+T group have been challenged by taking them out of their comfort zone and challenging their creative abilities.

Target Groups
We have used it with those young people who have had behaviour problems and challenged them to a different sport captivitating them and engaging them in productive activity.

The Quad Bod has added a new dimension to the school.

Many thanks for giving us the opportunity to incorporate into our activities. We hope to take it to a large Priamry School next and evaluate its impact before purchasing more for other schools."

Carolyn Murphy, Partnership Development Manager, King Alfreds: A Specialist Sports College.
Wantage, Oxfordshire OX12 9ET.

TTS - What did you want to do?
DN - As part of our Playground Development Programme, we wanted to give our children more activities to take part in during break and lunch times. The Quad Bounder formed an essential part of this plan so it was a great focal point for the children in the playground. It was also a brilliant resource to use within a PE lessons, in particular games activities and striking and fielding (catching) exercises.

TTS - What did you do?
DN - By using the Quad Bounder, we trained a group of mini leaders on how to use the equipment and what types of games and activities can be played using the equipment. The mini leaders then encouraged children to have a go at the games and coached them on how to get better.
The rebounder was used in PE lessons to improve throwing and catching skills and also to improve reaction time. We used a whole range of balls from tennis or cricket balls to basketballs, netballs and footballs. The Quad Bounder could even be broken down to a single sided rebounder to be use as a goal for sports like Tchoukball.

TTS - What difference did it make?
DN - Break and lunchtimes are now more active and children are actively engaged in using the Quad Bounder. As soon as the break time bell rings the Quad Bounder is immediately busy with children using it. It has added a new busy section to the playground. As well as using it for leadership programmes the Quad Bounder has also been used in its 3 different configurations for children to develop their own games.  The equipment has also made PE lessons easier as children can have success with hand eye coordination activities at a much earlier stage in their development when using this equipment as it is much bigger than other rebounders that are available and is a lot sturdier.

TTS - Why do you think it was a success?
DN - The Quad Bounder is a good sturdy piece of equipment which is very easy to use with minimal training. It provided a fantastic focal point to the playground and improved throwing, catching, coordination and reaction skills of all the students who used it, no matter what their ability. It is very quick and easy to assemble and change configurations. All teachers and students found it very easy to use and assemble and felt comfortable using it. It also breaks down to store using minimal space.