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Pogo Pulse is an activity that we have in-cooperated into our timetables for the Primary children since September 2018.

Pogo Pulse is a mental and physical challenge and it has had a great impact on our students. We teach our students the importance of eating the right foods and being healthy in what we eat and drink as well as involving exercise. Therefore, as well as our P.E lessons Pogo is a great addition for our pupils to be keeping fit whilst having fun and without realising it!

As mentioned, Pogo is a great physical as well as mental challenge. It teaches our pupils resilience, determination and perseverance. Pogo is not easy and the pupils have had to learn this. They have had to be patient and take the ups with the downs. From the first session where they have become accustomed to the helmets and even just holding on to a Pogo – The pupils have had to learn that you can’t just jump on a Pogo and start bouncing! The first session saw a lot of falling off, a lot of huffs and certainly a lot of frustration but progress could be seen by the end of that session. From not being able to stand upright on the Pogo to managing between 1 and 5 jumps was a real success. They were taught how to use their body to manipulate the Pogo and since then they have learned a variety of different skills.

One of Pogo’s most successful qualities is that it has engaged the most difficult of students.  Pupils who, even though they have the ability to do well, don’t necessarily want to engage in the academic side. Pogo has brought out a side where the feel that they are achieving and are progressing in something which in all honesty, is very difficult. These students have managed to go for only a few seconds on a Pogo to being able to jump consistently for a couple of minutes and completing over 100 jumps. Pogo Pulse has become an intervention which has developed our pupils’ self-confidence, motivation and self-esteem.

St Giles Trust is a charity helping people facing severe disadvantage to find jobs, homes and the right support they need. BRC participated in a St Giles workshop whereby KS4 students were able to discuss the day to day struggles of society for young people. The workshop encompassed discussions around gangs work, vulnerability and young people at risk of violence.

Thursday 4^th April, a group of staff and students set off to The Arch in Burnt Oak for a bouldering lesson. They learnt the three key pieces of advice for bouldering and went through the health and safety guidelines, and then they were off! Everyone showed great resilience and determination in climbing up difficult walls that tested both their physical and mental abilities!

The Life Course consist of students working alongside other students within the borough over a week at Wembley Fire Station. This gives students the chance to experience first-hand what it would be like to be a fire fighter and the relevant tools and mind-set needed to succeed in this career. The majority of this course is hands on and all students get to showcase what they have learned on the last day. At the end of the course, pupils are given accredited certificates that they take with them wherever they go.

At BRC, one of the school values that we seek to promote is “COURAGE”. For this particular value at KS3 we take our students to the highest climbing wall in London, Westway in Hammersmith. These sessions help build confidence and resilience. This is an unique experience for most as this isn’t an opportunity that comes across often.

Students were able to work as a team and encourage one another to face the giant walls ahead. This was easier for some, but that didn’t stop them from pushing themselves to their limits. Students displayed courage in overcoming their own personal mental obstacles and they felt so pleased with their achievements.