Testimonials

Over a third of British children are either overweight or clinically obese and part of this problem is due to the dramatic decline in the quality and quantity of physical activity levels.

Obesity is now the second most preventable killer after smoking and the UK Audit Office predicts that it will cost the nation more than £3.6 billion by 2010. But it is a problem that can, and must be addressed now.

Being more active and enjoying more sporting opportunities helps greatly with children’s long-term health but it also helps with social integration, discipline and even academic results. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has reported that pupils who are more active in sport achieve better grades and are better behaved.

Fundamentally, sport should be about fun. Most children are unlikely to be Olympic medallists, but they can enjoy sport and should be encouraged at every opportunity.

In today’s high tech, instant gratification society, we all need to work hard to encourage children to get off the couch and enjoy sporting opportunities. For many this will begin at school and the Xoolon Academy is an excellent way to inspire children to explore the opportunities that are out there. Talent identification is not a new concept by any means but sport identification for each individual is. What separates this project from all other sport search and talent programmes is the ability to provide every child with a narrow range of sports that they can participate in and enjoy. One of the main reasons for high drop out rates in sport is the perception that that they are not very good, so why bother. This fear can be taken away as children are guided towards those sports that best suit their attributes and to realise their potential whether it be in a high quality talent programme or participation programme.

Brad McStravick, former Head Coach England Athletics Team

‘Let’s face it: our consumer society encourages children to think of the body as a vehicle that provides transport to the PlatStation console, the DVD rack , television screen or fast food takeaway. By this turning away from exercise and sport I youth is a kind of early death. One part of life is shut down before it can contribute to physical or spiritual health. ‘Healthy body, healthy mind’ may sound like a scricture from Mary Poppins, but anyone who caught the sports bug at school knows it to be true.

The correlation between childhood sport and good health in adulthood has been proved so many times that it seems pointless even listening to the pro-sloth brigade who recoil at a sport of rain or mud.’

Paul Hayward, Chief Sports Writer Daily Telegraph

“Xoolon and StudyWiz forms a great teaching aid and allows PE to become part of the whole school curriculum.”

Wandsworth Pioneers ICT for Sport
Wandsworth CLC and its feeder primaries are at the forefront of a revolutionary sports, fitness and health initiative. The school is using Xoolon to form a virtual learning environment Sport and Fitness module.

The schools will collect data on years 6 to 11 and for the first stage of the programme is using the results in-depth with year 6/7 as an intrinsic part of the sport curriculum using mobile and desktop technologies.

"The Xoolon activity day at Wandsworth City Learning Centre engaged learners and tutors
alike, there was a really good buzz with fast paced activity and an eagerness from all
participants to upload results immediately with the mobile devices. Wandsworth CLC are
working closely with the SSCO to disseminate the activity across the borough and engage
more schools through their mobile learning forum and extended schools network."