Drumbeat Football Club


Football Club at Drumbeat School aims to advance both physical and social development. It provides opportunities for children to generalise the skills they learn in class which enables children to embed their learning in real life situations.

In each session the children will learn following components; Technical skills (passing, shooting, control, finishing); Tactical skills (defending, attacking, 4v4); Physical skills (strength, speed, agility); and Mental skills (focus, discipline).

Through the engaging and differentiated sessions children develop skills in ball control, team work and positional sense and tactics. The children will access drill sessions and games which encourage them to communicate as part of a team. Training is supported by the use ASD specific strategies such as visual guides and supports or AAC, where appropriate.  

Drumbeat school regularly compete against other teams in the surrounding area and are part of the South London special league. This teaches children about competitive sports and helps them to feel accomplished and proud of their achievements. It also allows students to put into practice the skills learnt in training in a supportive and encouraging environment.

 

Millwall Football Club partnership.

 

In September 2017 we started a fantastic partnership with the Millwall Football Club. On a weekly basis training sessions are led by Millwall coaches. The pupils’ are thrilled that they are coached by professionals and this has inspired and motivated them to build on the skills that they have already gained.  This partnership has given a variety of exciting opportunities to our students. Drumbeat’s players have been able to take part in tournaments, had the opportunity to play matches at the Millwall Community centre and also at ‘The Den’ where the first team plays their home matches.

 

As Millwall coaches are so impressed with the Drumbeat pupil’s skills, focus and progress they have provided opportunities for some of our students to play for the Millwall Pan team at a national tournament competing with teams such as Manchester City and Chelsea. These experiences have been a real boost of confidence for our students and provided opportunities for integration beyond school.

 

Millwall community centre and the English football league have also funded after school club sessions by The Every Player Counts program. This project aims to enhance community cohesion and provide a service to children who are unable to access after school clubs due to specific barriers. To launch this fantastic project our students received a visit from Millwall’s then captain Alex Pearce and Millwall player and SEN Ambassador Jed Wallace.  Both players joined our students in the classroom for a workshop which aimed to develop the children’s confidence in writing before taking part in a football coaching session lead by the Millwall first team players.