The aim of the schools programme is to support coaches and teachers in providing young children with opportunities to develop communication, motor-generic sports skills and healthy lifestyle knowledge through taking part in a structured programme of rugby-related activity.

This is achieved by Worcester Warriors Community coaches and players working with Primary, Middle and Secondary schools throughout Herefordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire in delivering a structured programme of TAG and contact rugby to:

- Increase the number of children actively involved in rugby
- Improve teachers' understanding of coaching rugby
- Help promote school / club links
- Provide young players with the opportunity to compete to the best of their ability

Last season the Warriors delivered to over 10,000 boys and girls aged from six to 16. Schools are provided with a scheme of work lasting between 6 and 12 weeks and designed to meet the specific needs of the age group or rugby experience. Key to the sustainability of this programme are the 'Teach the Teacher' sessions we provide to help teachers to continue to deliver TAG rugby and, hopefully, establish an after-school club. The community team also promotes each of its partner clubs to the schools in the locality, thereby highlighting exit routes and increasing the numbers participating at club level.

The Warriors deliver the 'EDF National TAG Rugby Programme' and the 'Wooden Spoon Programme' to Primary schools. Whilst in the Secondary schools we deliver a programme to girls and boys within schools where rugby is an emerging sport. The secconday schools delivery is supported through partnership working by the RFU, Hereford and Worcestershire Sports Partnership and the Worcester Warriors.

	For more information on the EDF Energy National TAG Rugby Programme please click here
	The EDF Energy NSRP run in association with the National Sports Foundation

TRY RUGBY - WARRIORS INTRODUCE CHILDREN TO OUR FAVOURITE SPORT

Worcester Warriors will be running Try Rugby, a new initiative to introduce young children in the area to rugby. We are doing this with our partners Wooden Spoon and Sport England through the National Sports Foundation.

One of the things we are hoping to do, as well as getting more young people to play the game, is help tackle the growing issue of childhood obesity. Today nearly a third (31.1 percent) pf 11-year-olds (Dept of Health 1996) are now overweight or obese and the statistic is rising. Exercise is a great way of dealing with this and rugby is the perfect sport to do it - all shapes and sizes have their place in rugby - just look at the hugely athletic frame of Graham Kitchener!

Children in Worcestershire are just some of the 23,000 children throughout England who will benefit from the initiative. Pat Sanderson is a huge supporter of Try Rugby and he said: "In any rugby team you will see a vast difference in the heights, weights and overall sizes of players. Just look at the Warriors squad; Craig Gillies and Greg Rawlinson are both about 6ft 7in and 18 stone, Jonny Arr is 5ft 9in and 12 stone 6lbs and Ben Jones is 5ft 6in and wights 12 stone and 8lb. They are all fit and very health conscious but there is nearly a 1ft difference in their heights and six stone difference in their weights! Consequently rugby is the ideal vehicle to engage and motivate youngsters - they don't need to feel self-conscious about their size as rugby needs every shape and size in a team. What's more, playing rugby can engender a great many positive values such as respect, team work and having fun while exercising."

The Wooden Spoon along with Sport England, through the National Sports Foundation, have each contributed £130,000 to Try Rugby; the scheme will see all 12 Premiership clubs, including Leeds Carnegie, offering 23,000 pupils aged between 8 and 10 across England the chance to try out rugby, many of whom will be trying rugby for the first time.

Steve Joslin, Community Coach at Warriors, said: "Try Rugby gives local schools a course in tag rugby that will benefit children and teachers and will enable rugby to still be played long after we have completed the coaching series. Tag rugby is a pretty straightforward sport and it is lots of fun. Recent research has shown that rugby players are seen as very positive role models which we hope will also inspire the participating children."

Try Rugby kicks off in October all thanks to Sport England, Premier Rugby and Wooden Spoon.