By Matt Stott

PUPILS from Plumstead Manor School got their own unique taste of London 2012 with the clock ticking down to the start of the Olympic Games as they welcomed World Sport Day to Woolwich’s General Gordon Place on Monday.

The youngsters were among more than 50 children from five schools who took part in the first day of Lloyds TSB’s National School Sport Week, with youngsters from across Woolwich learning about the teams, athletes and culture of the 205 competing nations at this summer’s Games.

Events at General Gordon Place kicked off with an opening ceremony where children exchanged flags from some of the competing nations, and later they took part in a series of traditional games from across the globe.

Sandra Dale, PE teacher at Plumstead Manor School – which represented Nigeria on Monday – insists the children will reap the rewards of learning key Olympic values.

She said: “It is great for the children to take part in community events like these.

“We have been running schemes in school that reflect the Olympic values and they are learning key social skills that they can use for the rest of their lives.

“It was really important for the students to embrace and learn about all the different countries and their cultures, which they have been finding out about.

“They are learning to appreciate different cultures and developing their understanding, which is vital for them at this age.”

She added: “They can absolutely incorporate these skills into their future lives. They are learning to work as a team and learning important leadership skills.

“They are a captive audience and are taking everything on board, and we have already been instilling these Olympic values in their curriculum.

“It is a critical time for the development of the child and we are confident these events will help.”

National School Sport Week is an annual five-day celebration of PE and sport with thousands of schools and colleges across the UK taking part in the Get Set Education Programme.

Also present were 20 students from International Inspiration, a London 2012 legacy programme which uses the power of sport to enrich the lives of millions of children and young people of all abilities in schools and communities across the world.

It’s the final UK-wide Get Set event before the London 2012 Games begin on July 27 and Aisha Hamzat, a pupil at Plumstead Manor School, admits she’s learnt a lot.

“We wanted to get everyone to represent their culture through sport and we have done that,” said the 14-year-old.

“It has been a really great day for everyone and we have all learned a lot.

“My favourite part of the day was learning the mascot dance during the opening ceremony, which was a lot of fun.”

Olympic gold medallist and broadcaster Jonathan Edwards is one of a host of stars to thrown their weight behind National School Sport Week.

Triple jumper Edwards, who topped the podium at the Sydney Games in 2000, said: “The focus at the moment with 32 days to go is about getting ready to host the world's best athletes.

“But the other thing we have always talked about right alongside getting ready for the Games time is about inspiring young people, leaving a sporting legacy, so days like this are an absolutely crucial part of that.

“I think the momentum that has been built up through National School Sports Week the last four years, and the focus on World Sports Day, with just 32 days to go, has been perfect.”

Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week took place from June 25 to June 29 and is Britain’s biggest school sport event with more than four million pupils staging their own Games this year. Find out more at schoolsportweek.org

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