2 headline stats 3 executive summary 5 commonwealth games 7 t1 rugby 9 celebration of dance 11 cluster events 13 cricket 14 joy of moving 15 city sports 15 ECT Introduction to PE 16 y6 transition programme
190
18,400
events held
participants
56%
15%
female participants
send participants
25%
45%
free school meals participants Ethnically Diverse Communities
681
357
sports leaders trained
teachers trained
Derby County Community Trust’s 2025–26 Schools Events Calendar delivered a wide-reaching year of inclusive sport and physical activity across Derby City. In total, the programme delivered 190 events and recorded 18,400 attendances, engaging pupils through festivals, competitions, leadership opportunities, teacher training and targeted interventions.
Our targeted projects such as cluster events, ECT Introduction to PE programme & year 6 transition programme, have tackled specific issues across the city such as a lack of transport for schools, low teacher confidence and pupils with SEMH (social, emotional, and mental mealth) additional learning needs. Providing impactful solutions to local needs. Overall, 2025–26 has been a strong year of partnership, participation and inclusive impact. Priorities for next year should include maintaining current delivery levels whilst transitioning into the new national school sport partnership model. As well as, supporting schools to prepare to deliver the new PE curriculum in 2028, and aligning delivery against the new Enrichment Framework.
Participation data demonstrates strong reach across target demographics, with 56% of participants female, 15% pupils with SEND, 24% eligible for free school meals and 45% from ethnically diverse communities. The programme also strengthened school capacity by training 681 sports leaders and 357 teachers, supporting more sustainable delivery within schools. Case studies throughout the report show the breadth of impact, from sports events such as the Commonwealth Games MegaFest, City Sports and Celebration of Dance, to sportspecific programmes including T1 Rugby Programme and cricket competitions.
Jack Southwart - PE and Schools Lead, Derby County Community Trust
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The Commonwealth Games MegaFest provided an exciting opportunity for primary school pupils across Derby City to experience a wide range of sports while celebrating the values that underpin the School Games.
A carousel of Commonwealth Games-inspired activities allowed participants to experience a range of sports, including athletics, T1 Rugby, netball, boccia, and rounders. A unique feature of the event was the emphasis placed on the School Games Values. Prior to taking part in activities, each school prepared and delivered an opening speech inspired by their allocated value. Pupils spoke confidently about concepts such as determination, honesty, teamwork, passion, self-belief, and respect, demonstrating a clear understanding of how these values contribute to both sporting success and everyday life.
Held at Moorways Athletics Stadium, the event brought together pupils from across the city for a large-scale multi-sport festival designed to promote participation, teamwork, and enjoyment through sport. MegaFests are designed to give young people the opportunity to experience a variety of sports and engage in friendly competition with pupils from other schools in a fun and inclusive environment. This year's festival adopted a Commonwealth Games theme, with schools representing different countries and proudly wearing their assigned colours throughout the day. Each school was also allocated a School Games Value to champion, helping pupils understand and demonstrate the qualities that make sport such a powerful tool for personal development.
“I'm going to show respect by treating people the way other people would treat me.” - Year 4 Student, St Peter's CofE Aided Junior School “I will show teamwork by being thoughtful of other’s ideas” - Year 6 Student, Bishop Lonsdale CofE Primary School
The event was delivered across two separate festivals; a Year 3 & 4 Festival and the Year 5 & 6 Festival. In total, 414 pupils from 14 primary schools took part in the event.
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The day concluded with a closing awards ceremony where achievements, effort, sportsmanship, and teamwork were recognised and celebrated.
Young Leaders from four secondary schools, who planned, organised, and delivered the activities. The young leaders demonstrated excellent leadership, communication, and organisational skills, serving as positive role models for the younger participants.
The success of the event was made possible through the outstanding contribution of 60
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The T1 Rugby programme has been a significant success, engaging young people across primary and secondary schools while strengthening community links between rugby clubs. Through a series of festivals, competitions, leadership opportunities, and school-club partnerships, the programme has increased participation, developed key rugby skills, and created sustainable pathways into community sport.
A competitive three-part T1 Rugby Series was delivered involving four secondary schools. The series provided regular competitive opportunities and allowed teams to demonstrate progression throughout the series. The overall winners, Chellaston Academy, earned qualification to represent the area at the Midlands T1 Rugby Finals hosted at Moseley Rugby Club. One of the standout events of the year was the Key Stage 2 T1 Rugby MegaFest held at Rolls Royce Rugby Football Club, involving 218 primary-aged participants. The event was organised and delivered by 38 Young Leaders from three secondary schools. Activities were specifically designed to develop T1 Rugby skills while building confidence and strengthening important personal and social skills, including teamwork, communication, resilience, and leadership.
A total of nine major T1 Rugby events were delivered throughout the academic year, alongside ten introductory T1 Rugby festivals. These provided opportunities for pupils of all abilities to experience the sport in a fun, inclusive, and engaging environment. The Year 7 Girls T1 Rugby MegaFest brought together 40 female participants from across the district in a celebration of participation and skill development. The event was organised and delivered by 10 Young Leaders from Lees Brook Academy, who took responsibility for officiating games, leading activities, and supporting participants throughout the afternoon.
The event also generated a significant legacy impact through strengthened school-club relationships. Several pupils subsequently signed up to participate in sessions at Rolls Royce RFC, as well as two primary schools requested additional after-school T1 Rugby provision delivered by Rolls Royce RFC coaches.
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1329
T1 participants
573
Male participants
756
102
Female participants
Staff T1 trained
A Key Stage 3 Girls T1 Rugby round-robin festival was hosted at Rolls Royce RFC and supported by club volunteers who officiated throughout the event. The competition involved six secondary schools and 60 players, providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for girls to develop their skills, compete against peers, and build confidence within the sport.
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Rugby Young Leaders T1 Trained
Building on this year's success, the focus for the next academic year, will be to continue expanding participation opportunities, support the curriculum rollout of T1 Rugby, further develop the young leader workforce, and strengthen community club pathways to ensure more young people remain active through rugby beyond school.
“We have been doing T1 in girls PE lessons and it has been a great success!” - PE Teacher at The Bemrose School
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The Celebration of Dance 2026 was a vibrant showcase of young dancers from across Derby City, offering hundreds of children the chance to perform on a professional stage while embracing the creativity, confidence, and joy that dance brings.
The event was made even more memorable by special guest mascots Rammie and Ewie, who delighted performers and audience members alike. Participants were also supported by Cara from The One School of Dance, who led an engaging mass warm-up for all dancers before the performances began. She also joined the performers on stage, further enhancing the experience and helping to create lasting memories for the children.
Held at Derby Theatre, the event brought together 43 schools, with an incredible 776 dancers aged 5–14 years taking part. Participants performed in front of packed audiences of family members, friends, teachers, and fellow schools, creating an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.
The continued success of the Celebration of Dance demonstrates the power of performance opportunities to inspire young people, build confidence, and encourage lifelong engagement in physical activity and the performing arts.
This year's theme, "Once Upon a Time", inspired a wide range of imaginative and creative performances. Schools interpreted the theme in unique ways, bringing beloved fairy tales, magical adventures, classic stories, and fantasy worlds to life through movement and music.
A special thank you goes to L.E.A.D. IT Services for their generous sponsorship and support, which helped make this year's event possible.
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Across the academic year, a series of cluster events were delivered to schools within targeted local areas. Each event was hosted by a participating school, helping to reduce travel barriers and provide accessible opportunities for pupils to take part in sport. The overall aim of the programme was to increase participation in physical activity, particularly among Year 5 and 6 pupils, with a strong focus on groups who are often less engaged in school sport. This included less active pupils, girls, and children who may not usually represent their school. The events were designed to offer a semi‑competitive but supportive environment, allowing pupils to build confidence, develop new skills, and experience sports they may not have played before.
During the autumn term, the focus was on girls’ football, aiming to engage more girls in football through friendly matches and small‑sided games. These events created a positive and encouraging atmosphere where girls could enjoy competitive play in a fun and supportive setting. Many participants left feeling inspired, with many wanting to play outside of school. Four schools hosted the autumn cluster events within their local areas: • Lawn Primary School (Allestree) • Silverhill Primary School (Mickleover/ Littleover) • Redwood Primary School (Normanton/ Sinfin) • Wyndham Primary School (Alvaston/ Chellaston)
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In the spring term, the programme continued with year 5 and 6 netball, offering opportunities for both boys and girls to experience a sport that many had never played before. The sessions promoted teamwork, skill development and enjoyment, helping pupils build confidence in a new sporting environment. Three schools hosted the netball events: • Allestree Woodlands School (Allestree) • Derby High School (Mickleover/Littleover) • Oakwood Junior School (Alvaston/ Chellaston)
As the programme moves forward, we will involve reviewing school areas, reflecting on which schools participated and reorganising clusters so more schools are able to participate at a local level. Future planning will focus on what went well, including: • Motivation to progress into club-level sport • Increased participation due to local hosts • Enjoyment from participation In addition, we will address areas where further progress is needed: • Reducing travel related barriers • Supporting children who lack confidence in sport • Engaging target groups who are less likely to participate
The summer term focused on girls’ tag rugby, targeting year 5 and 6 girls to encourage female participation in rugby. These events were designed to provide a safe, fun and supportive introduction to the sport, helping girls feel confident and motivated to take part. Five schools were keen to participate in the summer rugby cluster.
14 schools
We also recognise the need to adapt the cluster model to ensure that each event has enough schools participating, so that all children are guaranteed meaningful opportunities to take part in sport.
10 schools
Girls' Football
5 SCHOOLS
Y5/6 Netball
29 schools
Girls' Tag Rugby
207
Involved
Participants
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Over the summer term, we held eight cricket events at four different venues, giving children opportunities to learn new skills and compete against other schools. We have had five ACHIEVE competitions to challenge both experienced players and those who are new to the game, encouraging teamwork, resilience and sportsmanship throughout. All teams represented their schools very well, showing different School Games values throughout each competition. We also had three INSPIRE events for children to build confidence, improve their abilities and develop a greater enjoyment of cricket. We were also fortunate to work alongside the Derbyshire Cricket Foundation. The foundation helped to enhance the experience for all participants through the delivery of sessions in a festival format.
A standout feature of this year’s event was our Y5/6 Dynamo Cricket. Schools competed in a round robin format over two days to try and earn themselves a spot into the City Finals on Wednesday 11th June. A big shout to the four schools that made it to the city finals (St Peter’s, Derby High, Walter Evans and Zaytouna). Throughout the summer term, 424 pupils took part in our cricket competitions and festivals, including 236 boys and 188 girls. We were particularly pleased to see an increase in girls' participation, reflecting the growing interest and engagement in cricket among female pupils. "Very well organised, all the children enjoyed themselves." - Teacher, St Peter's
"It was really good to see all the children having a great time competing and representing their school" - Danny Sadler, Derby County Community Trust
"I had never played cricket before, but the festival was really fun and made me want to play again." - Pupil, Roe Farm
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Brookfield School in Mickleover, Derby, is a primary school for pupils aged 3–11. The school promotes respect, resilience, collaboration, and strong community links.
Over the six-week programme, participant 'A' demonstrated noticeable improvements in engagement, focus, and enthusiasm for school.
The Joy of moving programme, delivered by Derby County Community Trust coach Lauren, was implemented over a six-week period with Year 5 pupils (aged 9–10). The programme combined classroom-based learning with physical activity, providing education focus on healthy lifestyles. Key topics included physical activity, body-mind, hydration, meal planning, and balanced diets aligned with the NHS Eatwell Guide.
"It's different from normal school lessons… I love coming into school when Derby County are here." The class teacher highlighted the significant progress made and indicated that similar strategies would be incorporated into future teaching practice within lessons. In addition, another Joy of moving school highlighted the wider educational benefits of the programme:
Participant A - Case Focus Participant A experienced low engagement and difficulty concentrating during traditional classroom lessons. To support their learning, Lauren adapted delivery methods by incorporating movement-based activities, reducing screen time, and increasing practical, interactive learning opportunities.
“The programme strongly supports both the PE and science curriculum and provides valuable enrichment opportunities for our pupils, encouraging them to reflect on their health choices.''- Phil Watts, PE leadRavensdale Junior School
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On Wednesday 1st July, DCCT hosted Derby's largest Secondary Athletics Competition, ‘City Sports’ which saw 914 students from 14 schools competing over the day. This was the first year the event has been led by DCCT, in collaboration with secondary schools from across the city.
Top 3 Schools: 1st West Park School 2nd Littleover community school 3rd Allestree Woodlands School Schools competed in a range of track and field
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events, including track races such as 100m, 200m, 800m & 4 x 100m. And field events including long jump, triple jump, high jump, shot put, javelin & discus.
“City Sports is the highlight of the secondary school sporting calendar each year, and allows students to experience high level athletics competitions, with top performing athletes being selected to attend UK Schools Athletics competitions following the event. The event allows pupils to represent their schools, experience an elite sports setting and attempt to break historic records” - Jack Southwart, PE & Schools Lead (DCCT)
Schools were awarded points based on each athlete’s performance in each event category, with multiple records also being broken this year.
Our ECT Introduction to PE Programme is now in its 10th year, and this year’s cohort included 30 early career teachers from 18 of our network of schools.
“Since completing the ECT Introduction to PE training, my confidence and knowledge in teaching PE have increased significantly. PE has become one of my favourite subjects to teach, and I now feel much more confident delivering lessons effectively. The training has helped me develop a better understanding of how to explain skills and concepts clearly, as well as how to adapt lessons and instructions to meet the needs of all pupils. As a result, I feel more confident in providing engaging, inclusive, and successful PE lessons and how to build on the skills needed from FS through to KS2.
Over the academic year teachers learnt how to deliver high-quality PE, including differentiation & assessment. The programme covered key curriculum delivery areas, including gymnastics, dance, games, fundamental movement skills, OAA & striking & fielding. The programme has been created to support new teachers, as currently Primary School Teacher ITT usually features one to two days of PE training. Therefore, new teachers often lack confidence in the first years of their career.
I found the training to be highly beneficial and it has had a positive impact on my teaching practice. Overall, I feel significantly more confident in delivering PE and have developed a range of strategies for adapting activities across different units” - Ms Roberts, Cherry Tree Primary School
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The year 6 transition programme gives primary schools the opportunity to support year 6 pupils through a structured transition journey. It includes two team-building events, followed by a final transition festival designed to help pupils feel more confident as they move into secondary school. This enables children from different schools to work together and begin forming friendships ahead of their transition to year 7 the following year.
This targeted initiative is designed for year 6 pupils who may lack confidence or find it challenging to interact with others. The programme focuses on developing teamwork, collaboration, and positive communication skills. Activities are designed to strengthen these skills by encouraging pupils to work together to achieve shared goals. The sessions are fun and engaging, with a strong emphasis on building friendships and enjoying positive experiences.
"I was really nervous about going to secondary school because I didn't know many people. The activities helped me make new friends from other schools, and now I feel much more confident about starting Year 7." - Phoebe, Chellaston Junior School student
"The programme provided a valuable opportunity for our pupils to build confidence and develop relationships before moving on to secondary school. We saw noticeable improvements in teamwork, communication, and willingness to engage with new peers." - Sandra, Homefields Primary School teacher
DCCT staff trained young leaders from Noel-Baker Academy, Allestree Woodlands School, and Chellaston Academy, and supported the delivery of activities throughout the programme. This ensured the young leaders had the guidance and confidence needed to support pupils effectively during each event. They planned and delivered activities each term to provide the best possible experience for participants from primary schools within their local areas. The programme also gives Year 6 pupils the opportunity to meet older students who already attend their future secondary schools and can offer advice and guidance about the transition to year 7. "It was rewarding to see the pupils grow in confidence throughout the programme. Leading the activities helped me develop my own leadership and communication skills, while giving younger students someone they could talk to about moving up to secondary school." - Jack, Noel Baker Academy young leader
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