Learning Inclusive Practice with the England Wheelchair Rugby League Squad

One of the best things about my Physical Education with Outdoor Education course so far has been the range of opportunities I’ve been given to develop my skills and expertise. One of the modules I chose to take was ‘Inclusive Practice’ and as part of this module I was lucky enough to take part in a wheelchair rugby day, with the England Wheelchair Rugby League team. 

Inclusive Practice is a module that has provided the perfect opportunity to gain more experience of delivering safe and enjoyable activities with individuals of different abilities.

On the wheelchair rugby day, we worked with an instructor who showed us how to lead an inclusive practice session, including providing guidance on the use of equipment. It was great to see how the instructors facilitated the session, ensuring that everyone was involved. The experience gave me a real insight into various aspects of the role of an instructor, including learning how to assess the risks of the activities during the planning and preparation stages, delivering a session with athletes, and then leading the debriefing and review of the session at the end. This really helped develop my confidence in areas I was previously unfamiliar with. 

The second part of the day was the chance to play a game of wheelchair rugby with the England squad! We started by playing Bulldog which got very difficult when Nathan Collins became the Bulldog, he was a lot more skilled and quicker than us! We then went on and developed an understanding of the game which was both challenging but also very rewarding. The whole day was a brilliant experience. It was great to meet the players and be involved so close to their World Cup preparations. The event gave all of us students further confidence in our abilities to succeed as future professionals in the education industry.

Leeds Beckett University has a long-established partnership with the Rugby Football League, and Headingley campus is home to Leeds Rhinos’ Wheelchair Rugby League team. Andrea Murray, Secondary Schools Manager from Rugby Football League, had this to say about working with Leeds Beckett students:

“We are very privileged to be continually supported in the delivery of these sessions by our leading wheelchair rugby league players, on this occasion two established internationals who are just a few weeks away from going into camp with England Wheelchair Rugby League to compete in the Rugby League World Cup. The delivery of Rugby League courses to the students is just one aspect of the work we do together. The University are a great supporter of our England Performance squads, with a number of the teaching staff and PhD students working on the programme providing expertise in areas such as strength and conditioning, nutrition and psychology.”