This week I was involved in two different work experiences on Friday the 8th November. My first placement was from 9am until 1pm and it was a Boccia festival at The Peak in Stirling which was for primary and high school students who had additional support needs. My second placement was in Wallace High School which is also in Stirling and it was from 12 till 1 with pupils from the high school plus students from the support base who came together to form a multi sport lunch group to help them make new friends and have something to do.

I had forgotten to mail our seminar tutor about my placement so I was in university from 9-9.45 and I started placement at 10.00. I didn’t miss anything at all as the school pupils started to arrive around 10.00 so Craig put me in a group with Rebecca and Chloe and we were to referee Boccia and keep note of scores and organise all the children into their groups. With this particular role of refereeing I found it a little difficult as it was working with children with many kinds of disabilities and some found it hard to concentrate on the game and would walk off the court leaving their partner without a competitor. I have also been given the opportunity to do my boccia coaching which is another great qualification to put on my CV for future.

With this role I had to be very patient as some children found it hard to communicate or they were non verbal so it took them a little while to process what we were saying and progress within the game however this wasn’t a problem at all as all children learn at their own pace. We also had to think fast during this role as some children would walk off the court and not participate meaning we had to find someone to fill in their space or we would participate with them.

As the Boccia festival finished a little earlier it meant we had another opportunity to volunteer at Wallace high school. This was in their main sports hall and it was a mixture or mainstream and ASN students. This session was very laid back and I participated in many activities such as being a goalie for penalty shoot out, playing doubles in badminton, playing boccia and also playing around with volleyballs. This was an amazing experience as it was good to see both of the schools mixing together and having great fun.

When reflecting back on placement I feel I have widened my knowledge on disability sport due to working closely with the children who all had a variety of disabilities and how they all process at different paces. One thing I feel I could have changed was that I was quite easy going with some of the children when they would walk off the court, however next time I feel I should try and communicate with them more, try my best to keep them involved and see how I can support them and be able to ensure that they enjoy our sessions. I am looking forward to all my sessions I have planned next week and I will take note of areas I need to work on so that each week my sessions improve.