The Trust, which has Ofsted-outstanding Cheadle Hulme High School in Stockport as its founder school, has developed its brand new ELITE Pathway initiative to help talented students thrive and excel in the sporting arena while being fully supported in their academic achievements.
The ELITE Pathway is run by the Laurus Trust and supported by the Law Family Educational Trust.
The Pathway will provide specific opportunities not usually available within state education to those students with the potential to participate in sport at the highest level.
Up to 60 students across the Laurus Trust’s five secondary schools will have the opportunity to work with high-level coaches and receive expert support.
Ambitious students will work with some of sport’s leading clubs and trainers in tailored mentoring and coaching sessions. There will be personal training, strength and conditioning coaching, bespoke prehab and rehab sessions, video analysis and links with nutritionists, psychologists and physiotherapists.
This is the first time Loughborough University has partnered with schools to deliver such an ambitious programme.
Loughborough has been named one of the UK’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research, academic excellence and unrivalled achievement in sport. It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS stars university rating scheme and named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects - consistently appearing in the top 10 national league tables.
Ed Haslam, Laurus Trust Director of Sporting Excellence said: “We’re incredibly excited to launch the ELITE Pathway to ensure every student has access to an all-round, educational, sporting experience.
“Our principles very much align with those of Loughborough University and we are thrilled to have them on board to help support the training and education of our student-athletes.”
Loughborough University will be working to support the Laurus Trust’s ELITE Pathway, which will focus on providing the selected students with the invaluable experience of living, training, and learning like a professional athlete, balancing the demands of their sporting dreams with academic success.
Dr Ash Casey of Loughborough University said: “This partnership presents a fantastic opportunity to work with young people, their teachers and their schools to enhance what is happening across their education.
“When the Laurus Trust first approached us about a partnership, it was obvious that they placed learning, personal development and support of their students at the heart of what they were doing.
“This mirrors the university’s ethos, and this long-term partnership allows us to take what we do best – i.e., sport – and use it to enable Laurus individuals to excel.”
The Laurus Trust is sponsored by the Law Family Educational Trust, founded by Andrew Law.
Law added: “We are delighted to be supporting this fantastic partnership. It is a great example of our progress in trying to level the playing field in education relative to private schools, with particular focus on co-curricular initiatives.”
To be considered for the ELITE Pathway, potential students need to meet stringent criteria. They must be playing at a regional or national level, dedicating a significant number of hours per week to their training and have an ambition to play at the highest level with the potential to be accepted onto an international or Olympic pathway.