Skipping helps develop co-ordination, co-operation and communications skills, and is an activity that boys and girls can do together! We believe skipping to be the best activity for today's children.
Skipping Workshops offer free skipping demonstrations for Primary Schools throughout the UK. For more details please click on 'Skipping Workshops' above and/or contact Harold Galley on 0208 786 7707 or h.galley@btinternet.com
National Skipping Day 2010
National Skipping Day 2010 will be held on March 26th. For more information (including a registration form) please click here.
National Skipping Challenge 2009-2010
Skipping Workshops was set up be former headteacher, Harold Galley in 1997, since when it has visited over 8,000 different schools throughout England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland.
In order to encourage a sustained interest in skipping, Harold introduced the ‘National Skipping Challenge’ in 2003. Since then over 1,000 schools throughout the British Isles have entered scores. ( details on our website, just click on ‘skipping challenge’)
From September 2009 we are introducing some changes: until now, the website challenge has been a termly event, with a fresh start at the beginning of each term. The Challenge will now become an annual event, starting in September and finishing in mid-July 2010. The six categories ( crossovers, pretzels, double unders, face-to-face, double dutch and Keep the Pot Boiling) will remain the same, but we are doing away with the minimum qualifying scores. Many children complained that these discouraged participation as it was so hard to get started; from now on, any scores can be submitted.
In addition, we are introducing a competitive element for schools. At the end of each term, schools will be awarded points in each category: 10 points for first place, 9 points for second place, and so on, down to 1 point for 10th place. Given that there are 6 categories and 55 points at stake in each, there will be a total of 330 points awarded to schools at the end of each term. At the end of the summer term, the termly scores will be added up and the school with the highest number of points will be declared the ‘champion skipping school of the UK, 2010’ and awarded a trophy to celebrate their success. In addition, we intend to make several regional awards to the local ‘top school’; schools that may have won such an award in recent years include:
South-west: Langley Junior School, Plymouth North-east: Wybers Wood Junior, Grimsby North-west: Trefonen Primary, Oswestry Isle of Man: Rushen Primary, Port Erin
Ireland: Rathpeacon, Cork
Using the above points system for schools, the top three schools in the summer term 2009 were:
Highcroft Junior, Bristol…….. ………95 points
Seer Green Primary, Bucks…………..85 points
Earley St Peters Primary, Reading…….29 points
In the last academic year, over 100 schools participated and over 30
managed at least one ‘top ten’ finish.
We are inviting all schools to take part in out website, ‘National Skipping Challenge’ throughout the 2009/2010 school year.
To submit scores, you can either:
Email: h.galley@btinternet.com
Fax: 0208 786 7707
Use the ‘contact us’ page on our website: www.skipping-workshops.co.uk
Update at end of November 2009: we are delighted to have just over 250 entries fro 25 different schools this term and we are still hoping to have over 1000 entries from 100 schools by the end of the school year..... entries from 'new' schools are always welcome!!
We sell the following:
Infant Ropes (age 5-7): £4Junior Ropes (age 8+): £4Adult Ropes: £5.50Family (4m) Ropes: £6
We also sell two excellent 'teach-yourself-to-skip' books, both £9 each; 'Skip to it' is a 125-page beginners' guide with lots of ideas for those wanting to get started and improve; we also sell the 'Double Dutch Handbook', a comprehensive 120-page guide to double dutch skipping
+10% for P & P
To order, please go to our contact page and enter your details, including which rope(s), books or DVD you require. These will be posted promptly to your address, with an invoice enclosed.
National Skipping Day 2009
The seventh annual National Skipping Day was held on Friday March 27. The theme this year was 'playground skipping rhymes'. Once again National Skipping Day was blessed with good weather and over 17,000 children took part. Skipping Workshops would like to thank all the staff ( and children, of course) who supported this year's event. Any suggestions of a theme for National Skipping day 2010 are very welcome!
Date for the diary: National Skipping Day 2010 is on Friday, March 26th.... details to follow...
Saturday 6th June 2009
At Highcroft Junior School, Lower Stone Close, Frampton Cotterell, Bristol BS36 2LE
Congratulations to the skipping team from Seer Green Primary School in Buckinghamshire, who confirmed their place as the country's top skipping school by winning the top three places in this year's championship. Previous winners have, understandably, been from Year 6, but this year's winner was Lara Liebenberg, a Year 3 pupil from Seer Green. In second place was Charlotte Yazdi, with Georgia Toay in third place. A special word of praise to the pupils from Highcroft Junior who competed in the championship for the first time. Emily Clark-Crangle was their top placed skipper, coming a creditable 6th overall. Skipping Workshops would like to thank everyone at Highcroft for hosting this year's event. For details of all the scores, please click here.
Skipping Workshops has vacancies for part-time coaches in the Midlands and throughout Ireland. Although several of our coaches are teachers, a teaching qualification is not essential. Some experience of working with children and an interest in keeping fit are required. Prior knowledge of skipping is not required as full training is provided by the company. Pay rates are similar to supply-teaching rates. For more information, please contact our Managing Director, Harold Galley on 0208 786 7707 or h.galley@btinternet.com or simply use the 'contact us' facility on the website.
Skipping Workshops in High Schools
Skipping Workshops is run by experienced primary school teachers. Inevitably, most of our work has been in primary schools. However, there has recently been a significant increase in interest from High Schools. To find out more about our services for high schools, please click here.
Training for Playground Skipping Mentors
If your school is interested in training older pupils to promote skipping on the playground, please click here.
Skipping Festivals
In 2007/8 Skipping Workshops ran several successful festivals, and we are keen to make contact with schools who might host a festival in 2009/2010. For more information, please click here.
The Irish Skipping Challenge
was held on May 30th at Rathpeacon, Cork. Congratulations to the overall winner, Tom Monahan.
For more information please click here. For New Irish National Records, click here.
In May 2006 Guinness World Records confirmed that we have set a new World Record for a mass participation skipping event. They say: 'The most people skipping simultaneously was 7,632 at 85 different venues throughout the UK and Ireland for an annual National Skipping Day event organised by Skipping Workshops on 24 March 2006.' Well Done Everyone!
For guidance on how to enter, please click here.
For more information about the National Skipping Challenge click here.
Not Just for Kids!
Please look through our site for more information, or Contact Us to discuss your requirements.
The World Skipping Championship is coming to the UK in 2010..... watch this space for more details
For schools interested in promoting healthy lifestyles, Skipping Workshops could help by establishing a weekly after-school skipping club. For more details, please contact Harold Galley on 0208 786 7707.
