Melton and Belvoir pupils win title treble at new county SEND champs

Ab Kettleby Primary School's new age kurling winners with Leicestershire County Council chairman Ozzy O'Shea EMN-190304-105623002

Melton and Belvoir School pupils took a hat-trick of titles at the inaugural Leicester-Shire and Rutland School Games SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) Championships.

Melton’s Birch Wood Area Special School won two of the six categories, while Ab Kettleby School’s took a win and a runners-up place at the Games, held at Loughborough University.

Ab Kettleby, representing Melton and Belvoir, beat nine other area champions to win the new age kurling competition, and then finished second behind Humberstone Junior Academy in the boccia (Key Stage 2 Pan Disability).

Birch Wood were two-time boccia winners at Key Stage 3 Moderate Learning Disabilities (MLD) and Key Stage 3 and 4 Severe Learning Disabilities (SLD) categories.

Pupils compete in boccia EMN-190304-105633002

More than 300 of Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland’s most talented young disabled athletes competed at the Games which are a new addition to the LRS Schools’ County Finals 2019 Calendar.

The multi-sport inclusive event was tailored specifically for MLD and SLD students from special and mainstream schools.

The Opening Ceremony featured guest appearances from five-time Paralympic champion wheelchair racer Hannah Cockroft, European wheelchair racing champion Nathan Maguire, and Paralympic javelin champion and world record holder, Hollie Arnold.

The next LRS event will be the School Games Summer Championships on Friday, June 28.

Special guests Nathan Maguire, Hannah Cockcroft and Hollie Arnold with compere Gaynor Nash at the opening ceremony EMN-190304-105643002

The Leicester-Shire and Rutland School Games, now in its eighth year, is part of the national School Games Programme which aims to promote competitive sport in schools.

Leicester-Shire and Rutland Sport sports development officer, Matty Crackell, said: “The Leicester-Shire and Rutland Sport Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Championships was designed to provide a positive, memorable sporting experience for young people with disabilities in Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland and inspire our schools to continue developing their internal disability sport/physical activity offers.”