Altrincham's The Alliance for Learning Teaching School recently arranged a specialist training session for PE teachers from across the North West with former badminton world champion and silver Olympic medallist, Gail Emms MBE.

The Alliance for Learning has been commissioned by Sport England to encourage PE as part of a £13.5m teacher training programme. As part of this initiative, Gail Emms, who is an Independent Coach Education elite coach, is working with PE staff to ensure they receive up-to-date coaching practices and techniques now being coached within modern badminton.

The training session was hosted by The Sutton Academy in St Helens where 25 teachers came together as part of the Sport England programme which aims to inspire students and help foster a more positive attitude towards Physical Education (PE) across the North West.

Head of PE at Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, Miss Danielle Bloomfield attended the session. She said: “It was an extremely motivating session and Gail’s passion for the sport really got us thinking about how we can introduce new ways to get students working together and pass that enthusiasm on when we get back to school.”

Sport England is investing £13.5 million into its Secondary Teacher Training programme, with funding available for every eligible secondary school. Any secondary schools that want to benefit from this major National Lottery investment can visit the Sport England website for more information on how to sign up.