Lauren Donnelly, Sport Development Manager for The Arches School Sport Partnership at Forge Valley School, has been recognised in the Yorkshire Sport Foundation’s School Games 2024-2025 Impact Report for her work supporting girls who were previously disengaged from PE and school sport.
Forge Valley School hosts The Arches School Sport Partnership. Through this work, Lauren supports schools across Sheffield to deliver inclusive sport and physical activity, while helping primary schools use their PE and Sport Premium to access targeted programmes.
One of Lauren’s most impactful initiatives to come from this work is Girls Week, which engaged with more than 400 Key Stage 2 girls across 26 schools across the 2024-25 academic year, building on the success of the first programme in 2023-24, which reached 300 girls across 17 schools. As the project expanded across wider Sheffield and Rotherham, it has now reached more than 1,200 girls across 54 schools.
The project has been recognised for boosting confidence, enjoyment and participation in PE and school sport among primary-aged girls, addressing a well-evidenced challenge highlighted by Women in Sport, which shows that 64% of girls drop out of sport before they turn 16.
Speaking on her motivation for the project, Lauren, said:
“This project was shaped by listening carefully to girls and giving them a genuine voice in what sport and physical activity should look like for them. I was one of those less confident girls in primary school, so being able to create these opportunities now is incredibly meaningful. Seeing their confidence grow and knowing that more girls are now enjoying and choosing to be active has been incredibly rewarding.”
The project began as a small lunch club for disengaged pupils, using pupil voice to co-design activities such as bench ball, tennis and dance. What started with just ten girls quickly expanded into a city-wide Girls Week, creating emotionally safe, girl-led environments and reaching more than 1,200 girls across 54 schools. The work has since inspired similar initiatives in neighbouring areas. The same project also won a national School Games Impact Award in the Positive Experiences for Targeted Young People category in June 2025.
Dale Barrowclough, Executive Director, said:
“Lauren’s work shows the difference schools can make when they listen to young people and work in partnership across their communities. We are proud to see this Sheffield-based project recognised, and of the positive impact it continues to have on girls’ confidence and wellbeing.”
The recognition highlights Forge Valley School’s role as a hub for high-quality sport and enrichment provision, and reinforces INOVA Multi-Academy Trust’s ongoing commitment to improving outcomes, confidence and wellbeing for young people through education and enrichment opportunities."