CONTEXTFounded in 1922 as the first co-educational grammar school in England, Barking Abbey is a now mixed school of approximately 2,000 pupils. In 2003, the school established a Sports Academy, giving the opportunity for talented athletes to work and train with high quality coaches in an elite development environment whilst also achieving vocational qualifications. There are currently 160 Sports Academy students at the school across 4 main sports (basketball, football, golf and netball).OBJECTIVESThe primary aim of this project is to further enhance and improve the vocational training and development of students at the Barking Abbey Sports Academy. Working with the Be Basketball and English SL (BBE) in Spain, the project will also aim to provide greater exit and progression opportunities for students upon completion of the Sports Academy programme. The project will have 3 overarching strategic objectives: 1) Facilitating the transfer of European training methods, development environments, techniques and philosophies into both the Barking Abbey Sports Academy programme and students.2) Exposing the students to the European opportunities in both sport and other careers so these can be explored and more readily understood, accepted and pursued in the future.3) Embedding lifelong learning principles into the training and development programme and working cultures in order to equip students with the aptitude and skills to pursue employment, either within sport or outside of it, throughout their career.NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTSThere are currently 160 students within the Barking Abbey Sport Academy across 4 main sports (basketball, football, netball and golf), of which approximately 63% are male, 37% are female and 65% are from Black and minority Ethnic (BME) groups. Participants will be selected from the circa 100 football and basketball students that will form part of the Barking Abbey Sports Academy programme in the 2017/2018 academic year. PROJECT ACTIVITIESThe majority of the project activities will take place at BBE, including:- Regular football and basketball training sessions to address the defined sports performance targets. - Games versus high quality Spanish youth teams.- Daily feedback and evaluation sessions to confirm goal setting/reflection.BBE has outstanding links at a local, regional and national level which will enable Barking Abbey to enhance the activities of participants. For example:- Access to high quality local and regional basketball clubs with activities to include training sessions and games at world class training facilities.- A visit to the Spanish Basketball Federation and Spanish FA to undertake work shadowing, observe the professional practices and explore exit pathways.- Observation of live Liga ACB basketball and and La Liga football games. METHODOLGYBarking Abbey will use the principles of the European Quality Charter for Mobility to set goals and define tasks for the key elements of the project:1) INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE: production of clear and accessible resources.2) LEARNING PLAN: clearly defining the project objectives and the role of each partner in achieving them.3) PERSONALISATION: pre-visit assessment of participants' desired learning outcomes.4) PREPARATION: a structured preparation programme tailored to individual needs.5) LANGUAGE: provision of formal and informal language training.6) LOGISTICS: a formal contract to be signed by both parties outlining practical and logistical responsibilities.7) MENTORING: provision of suitably qualified staff to facilitate achievement of individual goals and ensure integration.8) RECOGNITION: delivery of formal instruments to recognise individual learning outcomes.9) EVALUATION: comprehensive and objective evaluation of all aspects of the project.10) RESPONSIBILITIES: agreement by all parties on their roles and responsibilities in the successful delivery of the project, formalised in writing via a Memorandum of Understanding and individual participant Learning Plans. IMPACTSThe impacts on participants are expected to include:- Achievement of recognised qualifications (e.g. BTEC L1 Work Skills). - Development of life skills and experience that can be utilised throughout participants' education and careers.- Enhanced cultural and linguistic skills, facilitating openness to new opportunities both in the UK and Europe.- Improved knowledge and understanding of the European opportunities in sport and other careers.The impacts on Barking Abbey are expected to include:- Enhancement of the Sports Academy programme both in terms of improved technical sporting quality of students and coaches, and also student achievement rates. - Implementation of best practice across the Sports Academy programme and also the wider school.- Improved exit and progression opportunities for students, both within sport and outside of it, and in the UK and Europe.