University Church of England Academy enjoyed a dream trip to Twickenham this weekend as they were honoured ahead of England playing Wales after graduating from the CBRE All Schools programme.

University Academy adopted the CBRE All Schools programme in 2013 and have since successfully engaged with girls and boys aged between 11-16 years old.

One hundred schools from across England were celebrated at Twickenham for helping to introduce over 130,000 new students to rugby, thanks to completing a three-year programme developed by England Rugby.

Each of the 100 graduating schools were awarded a personalised plaque presented by England Rugby Player Jonny May, to mark their individual achievements.

University Academy introduced children to the sport, by running rugby training sessions during curriculum time and after school, so that thousands more pupils can experience and enjoy rugby throughout England.

Assistant principal Jonathan King was at Twickenham with pupils from the school and he highlighted the positive influence of rugby on children’s grades.

“It is absolutely marvellous that the kids have the opportunity to come to Twickenham and it doesn’t get much bigger than England and Wales. We were all really excited,” he said.

“Rugby is a fast sport which everyone can play but the one thing in particular that I like about rugby is that it is all about respect. The kids have to respect the referee and each other and even after going at each other in the game, they come off and shake hands afterwards. It is fantastic.

“The kids involved with the scheme have absolutely thrived in it. I am a big believer that if kids are happy and motivated then they will do well academically as well.”

Ben Grinter, 13, was with Mr King and the passionate rugby player could not believe his luck at being taken to rugby headquarters.

“The CBRE scheme is a great chance to get kids down to a field,” he said.

“Rugby is my world, it means everything, I’d risk a lot of things for rugby. You risk a lot in rugby but you get a lot out of it too.”

With the help of University Academy, the programme, now in its fourth year, has seen over 130,000 state school students actively participate in rugby union across England, of which 35% are female, according to research by Sheffield Hallam University.

As well as increasing overall participation to rugby union, research also showed that 70% of young people taking part were more confident as a result, with England wing May delighted to be involved.

“Programmes like the CBRE All Schools programme would have been so beneficial at schools when I was younger,” May said.

“For the kids who don’t have parents who push them into rugby, or who don’t know as much about rugby, then a programme like this at your school can give you the opportunity to play something which you didn’t know was out there, and chances are you may end up enjoying it or being really good at it.

“That’s what’s been so great, hearing kids who said they wouldn’t have played had it not been for the CBRE All Schools programme, who are really enjoying it and say they want to keep going with it. “

Evidence also showed that the core values of rugby had also been adopted by staff and pupils alike, with nearly two thirds (63%) of schools reporting pupils showing signs of embodying Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship, demonstrating that CBRE All Schools can also have an impact on attitudes and behaviour in classrooms.

Steve Grainger, Rugby Development Director at the Rugby Football Union, hailed the efforts of Wimbledon School and outlined the significant benefit the CBRE All Schools programme had been making across the UK.

He said: “It is great to see so many more people playing and engaging in rugby thanks to CBRE All Schools. The 100 graduating schools should be immensely proud of what they have achieved over the past three years. We are determined to keep the momentum up as we expand the programme further and work towards meeting our target of introducing 750 schools to the programme by Rugby World Cup in Japan 2019.”

CBRE All Schools began in 2012 as a legacy programme to the Rugby World Cup with the aim of attracting one million students, across 750 schools to the sport by the Rugby World Cup in Japan in 2019.

Ciaran Bird, Managing Director at CBRE UK added: "CBRE are very proud of all the achievements that have been made by the students, schools, coaches and clubs across England in ensuring rugby and its values are accessible throughout schools at all levels. Thanks to the persistence and passion of the teachers and coaches, 100 CBRE All Schools are able to provide more children opportunities to learn and develop through the skills and ethos gained through rugby.”

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