Project Touchline recently delivered a six-week programme of sport, collective worship, Bible teaching and prayer for the children and teachers at Broadwas CE Primary.
The Project Touchline programme, led and founded by Chris Andrew, brings sport and faith together helping to engage children in collective worship, understand their school and biblical values, and how to live these values through sport. The project aims to leave a lasting legacy for the children and teachers where older pupils can mentor younger ones and teachers can continue incorporating the values and Biblical teaching into everyday classroom activities.
For one day a week, during March/April, the children at Broadwas Primary School took part in whole school collective worship led by Chris, focusing on their school values of Love, Respect, Friendship, Forgiveness, Truthfulness and Creativity and linked with Biblical scripture. The children then took part in a series of sports sessions where the values and Bible teachings learned were applied to the game and the children are encouraged to live these through their play.
Each session began and ended with a time for prayerful reflection to help the children to connect faith with sport. Chris, who is a professional sports coach as well as an Archbishops’ Evangelist in the Church of England, also started a lunchtime prayer group giving the children the option to play or pray and many children chose to come along to the group. This provided a space for them to explore their faith and spirituality beyond formal collective worship and take ownership of their own prayer life. The prayer clubs can and do link with the local church and promotes growing faith between home, school and church.
Other schools in our diocese which have been involved with Project Touchline include Lindridge St Lawrence CE Primary School, Grimley and Holt CE Primary School and Sedgeberrow CE Primary School. For more information visit www.touchline.org.uk
Watch a film of Project Touchline's work with Broadwas School:
