Sporting Schools is a $200 million Australian Government initiative through SportAUS, designed to help schools to increase children’s participation in sport, and to connect them with community sporting opportunities.

Sporting Schools provides a program for all primary schools and a targeted program for Year 7 and 8 students in secondary schools which aims to:

• Improve children’s fundamental movement skills to encourage lifelong participation in physical activity
• Increase the awareness of the value of sport in schools
• Engage children in high quality sporting programs
• Connect children with sport in their local communities
• Develop the capability and capacity of sport to drive nationwide participation growth

Why Gymnastics?
Gymnastics promotes all-round physical development, muscular strength and endurance, joint flexibility, balance, coordination and core strength required for everyday living.

Gymnastics focuses on the fundamental movement patterns that help children progress into more advanced skills or sports. Our Sporting Schools programs give children who don’t normally have the opportunity to access gymnastics classes an opportunity to experience a range of basic to advanced gymnastics movements. Every class follows a written program based on a specific set of skill competencies; ensuring gymnasts are developing strong foundations from the ground up. Just like all learning, mastering the basic skills is essential to developing a more advanced ability.

How does Gymnastics relate to the Australian Curriculum?
In September 2015, the Education Council endorsed the Australian Curriculum in which fundamental movement skills development is a key component. The Australian Curriculum advises that movement and physical activity should be taught through a range of contexts and highlights six specific areas including fundamental movement skills and ‘rhythmic and expressive’ skills.