AVIVA

North Tawton get their hands on Aviva Premiership crown

School children across the region are once again benefiting from the Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme which is being delivered for a second successive season by members of the Exeter Chiefs Community department.

After a successful first year, the Chiefs Community team are once again hard at work ensuring the programme, which is aimed at pupils aged 8-9 years-old, is spread far and wide.

With the programme set to be delivered across the country by all 12 Aviva Premiership clubs to over 30,000 youngsters, the Chiefs have just concluded their latest intake of the 2011/12 season to schools across the Westcountry.

Receiving five weeks of initial training, which comprises learning the rules of tag rugby, skill development and team skills, today we welcome youngsters from North Tawton Primary School for a special showpiece event here at Sandy Park.

North Tawton are one of many schools to have taken part in the programme and together with their teacher Sarah Marvin, the group got their chance to form a guard of honour ahead of our Aviva Premiership game against Harlequins, as well as get the chance to see behind the scenes here at the Chiefs on a match-day.

Shortly the Aviva Schools programme is set to head into both Plymouth and North Devon where a number of new schools are set to benefit, whilst at Easter the Chiefs will be staging special cluster festivals in Exeter, Plymouth and Barnstaple where the winners will have the chance to represent the club at Finals Day at Twickenham.

St Leonard's youngsters enjoy day at Sandy Park

Youngsters from Exeter's St Leonard's Church of England Primary School got to taste the big-match atmosphere of Sandy Park at first hand when they were invited to the home of Exeter Rugby Club for Saturday's Aviva Premiership clash with visiting Gloucester.

Having recently been one of a number of local schools to take part in the Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme, the St Leonard's pupils were selected to help form part of the club's match-day experience.

During a fun-filled afternoon for the children, who are aged between eight and nine year-olds, they not only got to meet members of the Chiefs first team, but they got the opportunity to run around on the Sandy Park turf, as well as form a guard of honour for both teams ahead of kick-off.

The programme is run by Premiership Rugby and all the 12 Aviva Premiership Rugby clubs up and down the country and involves in the region of 600 primary schools with 1,200 teachers also receiving training.

Newton St Cyres B team triumph at Crediton Festival

Youngsters from Newton St Cyres A and B teams

AVIVA Premiership Rugby National Schools Programme

The 2011/12 season sees the second year of the new Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme, an initiative that will introduce over 36,000 young people to the sport through tag rugby.

The scheme is run by Premiership Rugby and all the 12 Aviva Premiership Rugby clubs up and down the country and is expected to involve 600 primary schools with 1,200 teachers also receiving training.

Over 600 sets of equipment and resources will be distributed and 300,000 spectators are expected to watch demonstration events.

The Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme is aimed at pupils aged 8-9 years-old with each Premiership Rugby club working at 50 schools.

The Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme involves a six week introduction to rugby:

Week 1-3: Skill development and learning the rules

Week 3-5: Skill development and team skills

Week 6: Festival

The tag rugby festival in week six will be the first taste of competitive rugby for many children and will allow schools that are new to rugby to participate in a fun tag rugby festival with schools of a similar standard.

One school from each Premiership Rugby club region will qualify for the Finals at Twickenham on Aviva Premiership Rugby Final day in May where they will represent the Chiefs.

This term sees schools in the Mid-Devon Region benefit from the programme. Those taking part in the course, which is run by the Exeter Chiefs Community department, will be:

Copplestone
Landscore
Newton St Cyres
Spreyton
Yeoford
Bow

All the schools will receive a five-week tag rugby programme preparing them for a festival at Crediton RFC in October.

This year staff and parents at each school will also be put through their paces in a teacher education programme running alongside the delivery in their schools, whilst children will also be invited to attend a Transition day at their local club.

Community Coach Lewis Webb, who helps head up the programme for the Chiefs, said: "The Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme has a strong underlying message that it should leave behind a sustainable legacy, enabling staff at the school to continue a high level of coaching and directing children into local grass roots rugby at a young age."

Wayne Morris, Head of Community at Premiership Rugby, said, “The Aviva Premiership Rugby Schools Programme is a fantastic opportunity for children to get to know the sport of rugby, learn new skills and gain in confidence. I would like to thank Aviva for their commitment in helping us to provide this fabulous opportunity to help develop the grassroots of the game in new rugby playing schools.”