HEADLANDS School hosted the first ever South Wales Special Schools Five-a-side and Seven-a-side Championships at the Cardiff International Sports Stadium last Wednesday, February 19.

More than 100 pupils gathered for the football tournaments that are hoped to become an annual event.

Twenty teams from 15 special schools took part, with Greenhill’s five-a-side team winning the coveted Championship Plate, Maesgwyn’s seven-a-side team winning the Premiership Cup and Woodlands High School’s team winning the ‘Gethin Edwards’ Fair Play Shield.

The Special School Sports Network is currently the only one of its kind operating in Wales, and colleagues from across the consortium of 15 schools are encouraged to hold events that will provide a range of high quality physical education for children and young people with disabilities.

Matthew Burns, head teacher at Headlands School – run by Action for Children-Gweithredu dros Blant, said: “It is great to see such a diverse group of students come together to play competitive sport. Teachers and support staff from all the special schools have done a fantastic job to ensure students have enjoyed themselves and learned about cooperation and perseverance.

“From the feedback we’ve received from pupils and parents, this first tournament has been a huge success and we look forward to hosting similar events in future.”

Action for Children’s Headlands School helps children and young people aged eight to 19-years-old who are having difficulty learning as a result of challenging behaviour, including those with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD), Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Asperger's Syndrome.