Holgate Sports College, Barnsley

When the staff at Holgate first heard about the Essentially Dance course, we knew it would be an opportunity not to be missed. After a fantastic first training day, we went away feeling really inspired and confident to deliver the basic Ballroom and Latin steps to our pupils and couldn't wait to get started. We made lots of posters and promoted the scheme all around the school. On the first Thursday lunchtime after the Easter holidays, myself and Paul waited nervously in the gym to see if all the planning would pay off. We were absolutely astounded with the amount of people that walked through the door. Over 80 pupils and staff attended and we have regularly had between 60 and 80 attend each week. We started off teaching the Cha Cha Cha and after a few feet had been trodden on (mainly by staff) everyone started to make good progress. We have also been teaching the Waltz and will be moving onto the Jive shortly. I even get staff and pupils stopping me in the corridor to teach them the next dance!

I would definitely like to offer more sessions because I feel it has made a massive difference to the self confidence of a number of our pupils. I also believe it has helped improve the relationships between staff and pupils as well as boosting staff morale for Thursday afternoons. I feel it has really helped having a male and female member of staff teaching the sessions but my challenge for September is to get more boys involved.

"The only bad thing is that I'm not sure I can wait any longer for the intermediate session!"

Miss Hannah Davies - Teacher of P.E and Dance
Holgate Sports College, Barnsley

"Ballroom dancing has made my confidence overload! I'm talking to more people,
people who I don't usually talk to. It has made me a better dancer and I'm willing to give anything a go now."

Laura Parsons (Year 7)

"I enjoy Ballroom dancing because it is different from all the other activities in school. It has improved my confidence. I now feel more confident in front of people. I really love Ballroom dancing."

Eleanor Senior (Year 9)

"I enjoy Ballroom dancing because it's fun and if you do something wrong, people don't laugh at you or judge you. It has also improved my relationships with some teachers."

Emily Parr (Year 9)

"I enjoy doing Ballroom dancing because it's a chance to meet new people and enjoy yourself at the same time."

Craig Gurney (Year 9)

"The thing I enjoyed the most in Ballroom dancing was learning some different types of dance. Also, it was funny watching the teachers learning to dance!"

Chloe Asquith (Year 7)