Tendring Academy – Report on Progress Sept 2008

The Rationale

The academy started in Sept 2007 allowing the college to introduce a unique curricular programme that aimed to create a platform for players to develop a high level of technical competence. The rationale behind Tendring managing a Regional Academy is based upon sound educational practice supplemented by an in depth knowledge of developing volleyball expertise over a 20 year period.

We believe that a Regional Academy will work alongside a National Academy with either programme having the potential to produce athletes of a much higher standard than if left to club or school programmes.

The Regional Academy utilises local links and will have a responsibility of being a facilitator in terms of outreach development. There will already be existing centres of development within the region and these areas must be supported both in terms of coaching and player development. We want to avoid the Regional Academy simply being seen as a vehicle for ‘poaching’ players that hard working coaches have produced. The academy should be seen as HUB centre for volleyball development offering not only player improvement but also CPD for coaches and umpires.

The Regional Academy will have a two tiered system aim at very different cohorts of players for both Girls and Boys.

Regional Academy

Developing existing players within the region who have achieved a set of performance indicators

Development Academy

Identifying players who have no previous experience in Volleyball and are in the 75^th percentile for height.

The Regional Academy will need to have to be able to access the players within the region as a whole as the sustainability of the project will depend upon attracting new students to the Tendring Technology College and candidates for the NVQ ‘Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence’. If the Regional Academy is successful then the financial implications are significant and this will allow the appointment of coaches to support the programme still further. These coaches will also be involved with ‘Outreach Programmes’

The first year has been run as a pilot scheme with existing players from TTC. This year will see the introduction of the AASE NVQ which is a vocational based qualification. The award will be jointly delivered by Tendring Technology College and Loughborough College.