Information on sports and specialised classes
While implementing the Strategy for supporting the development of sport and recreation in Lublin, the Department of Sport and Tourism of the City Hall in Lublin has invited schools and sports clubs and associations to work together on providing pupils blessed with athletic talents with high-level training at all stages of tuition, starting from primary schools, to lower-secondary schools, to upper-secondary and post-secondary schools.
To achieve this, in the 2013/2014 school year, the Department of Sport and Tourism in collaboration with the sporting community commenced the process of establishing a sports and specialist classes system. At that time, sports and specialist classes were available at 55 departments in 23 schools, covering 9 sporting disciplines - basketball, volleyball, football, handball, table tennis, athletics, gliding, canoeing and swimming. In the 2014/2015 school year, the number of sports and specialised classes available at all tuition levels increased to 92, while the offer was also extended to new disciplines - wrestling, boxing, athletics and American football. Since the start of the 2015/2016 school year, schools within the Lublin Borough have been offering 136 sports and specialised classes, and training has been provided at the primary, lower-secondary, upper-secondary and post-secondary levels. Sports training is available in the following disciplines: basketball, volleyball, handball, football, wrestling, swimming, boxing, canoeing, American football, athletics and gliding.
Training offered as part of sports and specialised classes is provided by qualified coaching staff - which means that the character of the classes conducted at schools resembles professional training; additionally, pupils also undergo training at sports clubs. In order to establish the scope of cooperation between the Clubs which offer their patronage and the schools at which they operate, multiple agreements have been concluded to specify clear and transparent principles - rights and obligations applicable to all parties.
The operation of sports and specialised classes is fully financed by the budget of the City of Lublin. The clubs offering training as part of such classes have used allocated grants to purchase sporting equipment necessary to conduct training, secured their participation in tournaments and organised sports camps. Training takes place at school sports facilities, making use of the available sports infrastructure and the sports venues of MOSiR "Bystrzyca" Sp. z o. o. In special cases arising from the characteristics of individual disciplines, classes conducted outside school facilities have been adapted to the pupils' lesson plans to avoid clashing with educational classes.
At the end of the school year, all pupils attending specialised classes are able to verify their skills at the Specialised Classes Tournament in each discipline. This enables the young competitors to check their athletic skill level, and creates a great opportunity to award those pupils who have worked the hardest and shown the greatest dedication during the school year.
Sports classes involve 10 hours of training per week, while this time is divided between teaching the core curriculum and specialist training in selected disciplines.
