Olympic stars visit 10 schools as part of biggest ever EMAT Torch Relay

Pupils across East Midlands Academy Trust schools have been joined by a host of Olympic athletes as part of the biggest ever EMAT torch relay.

The EMAT Torch was passed between the trust’s seven schools across Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes, as well as Culworth CEVA Primary Academy, Chacombe CEVA Primary Academy and Boddington C of E Primary Academy, which are set to join EMAT from this September.

The children were able to meet with the sporting stars before completing a run or walk around their school fields or playgrounds as part of the build up to the EMAT Olympic Day later this month.

Among the schools taking part were Orchard Academy and Shepherdswell Academy, both in Springfield, where Paralympic archer Tania Nadarajah met with the children ahead of their fun run.

Chief executive Joshua Coleman said: “Now in its sixth year, our EMAT Torch Relay is a truly inclusive event as it involves every one of our pupils across the trust. These pupils get an unforgettable experience in meeting some fantastic Olympians and Paralympians who are sharing their own stories of resilience and hard work with our learners.

“This has been made possible thanks to our unique partnership with GB Olympians, who have supported us in bringing sporting heroes into our schools to inspire our pupils to work hard and achieve their own dreams.”

Next week the trust will host its annual Ability Games, a special event for our pupils with additional physical or communication needs, supported by Great Britain and Loughborough Lightning para-basketball player Siobhan Fitzpatrick.

This will be followed by the EMAT Olympic Day on June 24th, which will bring together more than 500 pupils from 11 schools for an athletics competition, with a special appearance from Olympic silver medallist Jamie Baulch, who was part of the 4x400m team who won silver at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and became world champion in 1999.