Able2B’s Discover Your Ability Day with Norwich School

Each summer sees the return of the Discover Your Ability event to Norwich School’s Lower School playing fields. The event with Able2B has been running since 2018 and aims to show that sports are for people of any ability. Able2B works to develop the confidence and self-belief of disabled children and adults through sport.

Discover Your Ability Day brings together children and young adults from mainstream and SEN backgrounds. It aims to change perceptions of disability, help people to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses, show how working across a wide range of abilities and needs can work successfully, and empower young people to influence change.

Able2B CEO, Rachael Hutchinson gives Norwich School students clear guidance: ‘You’re not there to help, but to work with – learning from each other’.

As part of the project, Norwich School pupils work 1-to-1 with pupils from local special schools over a series of training sessions, learning more about each other’s abilities and preparing for a special duathlon event at the school. On the day, around 50 pupils and children take part in the running and cycling race, at whatever pace they chose, with lots of encouragement from the crowd and general public, who cheer on participants. This important event always proves to be very moving, with many children achieving their goal to finish the whole course with their training partner.

‘Our pupils develop greatly through the relationships they build… it is very much a two-way partnership’ (Nicola Hill, Norwich School)