Lecateau Primary School has demonstrated how meaningful partnerships and children-centred approaches can help create inclusive, culturally responsive physical activity opportunities for refugee children and their families.
To achieve this, the project team worked closely with the school’s Head Teacher and class teacher, alongside representatives from the Refugee Council and local School Games Organiser, Lynsey Carruthers. These conversations provided invaluable insight into the children’s lived experiences, family circumstances and any factors that might prevent them from engaging in sport and physical activity.
Rather than making assumptions around possible interests, the project drew on physical literacy principles, focusing on enjoyment, confidence, motivation, belonging and wellbeing. Young people were encouraged to share their thoughts and experiences through dedicated youth voice activities designed to create a safe and supportive environment.
As part of this process, pupils took part in guided discussions and viewed a short video featuring children from a multicultural school enjoying fun, play-based physical activities. This helped spark conversations about what being active meant to them and enabled staff to better understand the types of opportunities that would be most meaningful and accessible.
Adapting to Meet the Needs of Young People
The original ambition was to connect pupils with a broad range of local community sports clubs. However, as the project progressed, challenges emerged in identifying opportunities that fully met the needs and circumstances of the children involved.
Working with trusted local providers, opportunities were carefully tailored to ensure children felt welcomed, supported and able to participate with confidence. The emphasis was not on competition or performance but on creating positive early experiences that would help the children develop confidence, enjoy being active and establish lasting connections within their local community.
The Importance of Partnership Working
A key factor in the success of the project was the strong collaboration between our team at North Yorkshire Sport, Lecateau Primary School and Lynsey Carruthers, the local School Games Organiser.
The strong partnership between Lynsey and our team at North Yorkshire Sport played a pivotal role in transforming the pupil voice we collected into meaningful action. We supported the school in identifying appropriate local providers, adapting delivery plans when challenges arose and ensured that all activities remained aligned with the needs and interests identified by the children themselves.
By working closely with school staff, the Refugee Council and community partners, our team helped create a flexible and responsive delivery model that prioritised inclusion, positive experiences and long-term engagement in physical activity.
This collaborative approach ensured that sport and physical activity became far more than recreational opportunities. For many of the children involved, participation helped to build confidence, develop friendships and strengthen their sense of belonging both within school and the wider community.
Creating Lasting Impact
The project provides a powerful example of what can be achieved when schools and partners take the time to listen to young people and co-design opportunities around their needs and aspirations.
By placing children at the centre of decision-making and working through known and trusted adults and community organisations, Lecateau Primary School developed an inclusive model that responded directly to the lived experiences of refugee families.
The result was a programme that not only increased participation in physical activity but also created opportunities for social connection, confidence-building and greater community integration.
“This project demonstrates the power of listening to young people and placing their voices at the heart of programme design. By taking the time to understand pupils’ experiences, interests and barriers, Lecateau Primary School and its partners were able to create opportunities that were not only culturally responsive but genuinely meaningful to the children involved.
Rather than asking young people to fit existing provision, we adapted provision to meet their needs and aspirations. The result was far more than participation in sport and physical activity; it helped build confidence, strengthen social connections and foster a greater sense of belonging within the school and wider community.”
Niall O’Brien, Education Manager
This project highlights the transformative impact of collaboration, demonstrating how schools, community organisations and the School Games network can work together to create inclusive environments where every child feels valued, connected and able to thrive through sport and physical activity.
