Teachers and Youth Leaders

Enhancing personal development, supporting academic learning

The OnBoard programme gives young people the opportunity to gain an extensive range of skills and benefits through learning to sail or windsurf in a safe and structured environment.

The programme compliments the national curriculum and provides a variety of valuable life skills that help to build confidence and shape personal development. This represents a tremendous opportunity for schools, colleges and youth groups to get their pupils or members involved. OnBoard is open to anyone aged 8-18 and, whether it’s a small group or a large class, we can help you get started.

 

What academic benefits can OnBoard bring?

• Sailing and windsurfing cover many areas of the Key Stage 2 curriculum, delivering practical application of academic subjects including geography, maths and science. Working with angles when turning a boat, identifying the effects of air and water resistance, and understanding forces in relation to working with pulleys and levers on a boat are just some examples of this. 
• Sailing and windsurfing engage children in key areas of PSHEE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) including building personal identities, improving communication and learning to form good relationships, as well as covering a variety of cross-curricular learning areas.
• Many aspects of physical education are covered within OnBoard sessions. Sailing and windsurfing help develop physical strength, flexibility, control, balance and spacial awareness, offering both individual and team challenges to those taking part.  They also teach important elements of water safety.
• Collaboration and competition are essential elements of the OnBoard programme, as are evaluating performance and recognising success.
• English is also covered, with spoken language and effective communication being essential elements of learning to sail. And of course, there is endless creative inspiration to be gained from being on the water and out in the great outdoors.

 

Which life skills can the programme teach?

Sailing and windsurfing provide invaluable skills that can have positive impact on an individual’s personal development and which colleges, universities and employers all look for when reviewing student or employee applications and when conduction interviews.

• Teamwork and communication are important aspects of OnBoard and participants will gain new skills and greater confidence in these areas.
• Sailing and windsurfing increase independence and many children benefit from this, being able to spend time on their own on the water. This also encourages greater levels of responsibility, with participants having to anticipate and address new situations and challenges.
• Many also find that sailing increases their levels of confidence, through mastering an exciting activity that they had perhaps never considered doing before.
• Both sailing and windsurfing present challenges to be overcome and problems to be solved. Determination and resilience are required to meet these and this is another focus of OnBoard learning.
• Social skills and empathy are also developed through meeting, working with and having fun with other young people of different ages and backgrounds at OnBoard sessions.

For many, OnBoard teaches an activity that will stay with them for life.  A number of past participants have qualified as instructors and now teach others the activity they love.  

Some have gone on to compete at club, national and international levels or have developed a successful career in sailing related
industries including boat design, build and manufacture, the superyacht industry or as watersports instructors.

Visit our case studies page to see how schools, pupils and youth clubs have benefited from being involved with the programme.