Who are we?
St Peter's Primary School Parent Support Group (PTA) is a registered charity (NIC108777) who want to advance and support the education of all pupils at St Peter's PS. We hope to achieve this by engaging in activities or providing facilities or equipment which support the school and advance the education and well being of all pupils.

Why are we crowdfunding?
Covid 19 and the associated restrictions has had a profound impact on children's physical, mental and social wellbeing. The pandemic has led to an increase in screen time, children losing active habits with an overall decrease in activity levels. We are also seeing among some children a change of attitude with fewer children enjoying taking part in sport and physical activity, decrease in confidence, competence, self esteem, motivation and resilience.
The impact of the cost of living crisis is also a serious concern. With the squeeze on family finances and school budgets some young people are at real risk of being priced out of participating in sports and physical activity that schools are unable to offer during regular PE lessons.

How we'll spend the money raised
With the additional funding available through SportsNI our aim is to offer a wide range of new extra-curricular sports that the school currently doesn't offer through a fully funded Afterschool's Programme to suit all children to ensure that there is a place in sport for every young person. A school where every child has access to the benefits of playing sport and living an active life. We want to build positive attitudes towards sport by providing positive experiences at an early age to help build up the foundations for an active life.
We hope to fund specialist coaches who will deliver fun and engaging physical activity and sports sessions within a safe, positive and trusted environment. With a new range of both contact and non-contact sports our goal is to introduce new sports into school for all ages, increase participation rates, re-engage pupils, develop a knowledge and understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle and importantly improve mental health through physical activity.
At St Peter's Primary School we listen to and value our pupils' voice. For this project we have provided opportunities for pupils to voice their opinions about which sports not only interests them but also which matters most to them and which they would like to see introduced as part of a new Afterschools' Programme. These included:
Dance Gymnastics Soccer Karate ~ Martial Arts Hurling Basketball
New equipment that we would need to introduce these new sports into school and we hope to also fund will include:
- Portable PS Speaker System with Bluetooth, MP3, 300w 12" Woofer & 2 Wireless Microphones (P120)
- 120 Junior Sports Balls
- 40 Soft Toughskin Dodgeballs
- 80 Junior Bibs - Range of colours
- 120 floor spots
- 12 x 6 Forza Steel42 GAA Gaelic Football and Hurling Goal - set of 2
- Physical Education Mastersport Activate After School Mix.
- Set of 6 Indoor Physical Education Agility Tables for Schools with Trolley
- Gymnastic Mats
- Forza Adjustable Basketball Hoop and Stand System
- 15" Forza Football Training Marker Cones
Community Impact
The impact of this project will not only provide massive benefits to the school community helping to improve the children’s physical, mental and social well-being but also to our wider community.
Sport and physical activity can help build stronger communities by bringing people together. This project will build a sense of community and belonging connecting children and strengthening community ties. We hope that the children through enjoying the new afterschool's sports, will join their local sports clubs and potentially create a new interest to introduce new sports into the community.
By introducing our pupils to a range of new and exciting sports at school we will not only see an increase in participation, development of new skills, the opportunity to make friends but also it allows new pathways to be developed to allow young people to make the transition from school sport to community sport and realise opportunities leading them to a habit of lifelong participation. This new pathway allows for the perfect progression into local sports clubs where children can further implement their skills and integrate from participation into competition.
Sports and playing in a team helps children to develop many of the social skills they will need for life and being part of and contributing to the wider community. It teaches them communication skills, how to cooperate and listen to others. It helps them to learn leadership and patience and develop resilience when things don’t go to plan. It will also help build on and strengthen cross community relations through a love of sport
Not only will the school benefit from improved facilities through new equipment but external coaches and the wider community who use the school will also gain access to these.

How you can play your part
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. Don't delay if you're going to support us because momentum is key to our success!
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout!
4. If you want to run your own fundraiser to support us, maybe a sponsored activity or similar, use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page and let us know. Setting up only takes a few minutes and you won't need any bank details. Just a fun idea!
