At Kent Cricket Foundation we consider our work with schools as a crucial part of growing and sustaining the game, inspiring the next generation of cricketers and coaches.
We are extremely fortunate to receive funding as a delivery partner of Chance to Shine. This partnership enables us to deliver curriculum cricket lessons to around 150 primary schools each year – completely FREE of charge.
However, with over 850 primary schools within Kent and our London Boroughs, it is also important that we support teachers to develop the necessary confidence to deliver cricket independently. We are heavily over-subscribed for schools who wish to receive direct delivery from our coaches, but will support you to bring cricket to your school in anyway we can.
Find out more about the fantastic programmes we offer, the positive impact they can have in your school, and our fabulous team of coaches below, as well as competitions and CPD offers.
If you are interested in developing cricket in your school and receiving our FREE programmes – please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Chance to Shine- Fully Funded School Programmes
- Whole School Programme
- Cricket Engagement Day
- FREE Resources & Integrated CPD
- Chance to Shine Outcomes
- How Chance to Shine will impact your school
The Whole Schools Programme is our main offer to Primary schools.
Delivered year round by our fantastic coaches, the Whole Schools Programmes provides a full term of delivery in your school for classes of your choosing.
Each class will receive 6 weeks of curriculum sessions developing their striking and fielding skills, as well as life skills such as concentration, collaboration, empathy and many more.
What will you receive?
- 5 weeks of curriculum coaching sessions for classes of your choosing.
- Additional week for inter school competition.
- Additional hours for playground leader training or lunch/breakfast clubs.
- Assembly based around Sportsmanship, Fair play and respect, linked to your school values.
- Integrated CPD for teachers and TA’s whose classes take part in the programme.
- Additional bespoke CPD for all staff.
- Access to the FREE Chance to Shine Portal containing a wealth of resources.
Accredited, Child Centred Lesson Plans
The Chance To Shine Whole Schools programme lesson plans have been awarded ‘Approved Curriculum Resource’ status by the Association for Physical Education, so you can rest assured that the activities delivered are the highest quality for your students, and will have great benefits for their development and enjoyment of PE.
They have been developed with Physical Literacy at the heart, helping to develop a life long love for sport and physical activity. Each lesson has focuses encouraging student to MOVE, THINK, FEEL and CONNECT.
All lessons plans take a child centred approach and include helpful Play Their Way tips and adaptations.
How much does it cost?
Absolutely ZERO- all of the above is 100% funded by Chance to Shine and completely FREE for your School.
Interested in a Whole School Programme?
Find your local coach, or complete the expression of interest form below.
A Cricket Engagement Day is a one-off day of curriculum cricket sessions in your school.
These can be used to enhance Sports weeks, Healthy Living weeks or similar, or just to give your children a taste for the great game.
The day will include;
- Curriculum Cricket taster sessions for as many classes as you wish, up to and hour each.
- Integrated CPD for class teachers and TA’s
- Assembly for as many classes as you wish (depending on bubbles/restrictions at the time)
- Access to FREE chance to shine teacher’s portal for all teachers if the wish to sign up to it containing a wealth of resources for your school.
How much does it cost?
Absolutely ZERO- all of the above is 100% funded by Chance to Shine and completely FREE for your School.
Interested in a Cricket Engagement Day?
Find your local coach, or complete the expression of interest form below.
Free access to Chance to Shine Portal
You too can access the same lesson plans that our Community Coaches deliver in primary schools and have a go at delivering cricket yourself.
As part of their nationwide support, Chance to Shine have made their ‘Whole School Programme’ lesson plans available- free of charge, just register for a portal account and you’ll have everything you need at the click of a button.
On the portal there are six, one-hour PE lesson plans to follow across a term for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Available as downloadable PDFs and with an accompanying video, like the one below.
Each plan is co-written by the Youth Sport Trust and features:
- National Curriculum link
- Physical Literacy focuses for each lesson- Move, Think, Feel, Connect developing the whole child
- Simple Keys to Success to develop skills and technique
- Play Their Way links for child centred coaching
- Instructions to run and organise activities
- Diagrams of how to organise and set up
- Top tips for adapting games for all abilities
There are many other resources available on the Chance to Shine portal including assembly plans, fundraising activities, skills festivals, competition rules, National Curriculum-aligned classroom lessons and resources in maths and English, all for FREE.
Accredited, Child Centred Lesson Plans
The Chance To Shine Whole Schools programme lesson plans have been awarded ‘Approved Curriculum Resource’ status by the Association for Physical Education, so you can rest assured that the activities delivered are the highest quality for your students, and will have great benefits for their development and enjoyment of PE.
They have been developed with Physical Literacy at the heart, helping to develop a life long love for sport and physical activity. Each lesson has focuses encouraging student to MOVE, THINK, FEEL and CONNECT.
All lessons plans take a child centred approach and include helpful Play Their Way tips and adaptations.
Create your FREE account
Example Plan- Cool Catcher KS2L
Integrated CPD
We know no two schools are the same and we will work with school management, subject leads and class teachers to adapt our programmes to best effect with each school.
All of our in-school delivery is focused, not only on child enjoyment and development, but also on fun and engaging continuous professional development for teachers.
Throughout our Whole School Programme, class teachers are given lesson plans ahead of each session and through the six weeks, our coaches work with them to help develop their confidence and experience delivering cricket-based lessons. Usually, by the final week, the teachers surprise themselves by running the whole lesson!
Chance to Shine is a national charity that aims to give all children the opportunity to play, learn and develop through cricket and they believe that cricket can help to develop the personal, social and physical skills, delivering to around 1 million children every year by working with partners such as Kent Cricket.
The 4 main pillars of delivery are to develop every child’s;
| Physical Wellbeing | Through cricket, children develop a positive relationship with sport. They have fun, develop their skills, and become confident in their abilities. They continue playing in school, at a club or in their community. |
| Personal Development | Children develop life skills such as leadership, teamwork, communication, and problem solving. They are engaged to learn, gain experience in leading and are empowered to make positive decisions for themselves. |
| Mental Wellbeing | Children feel happy, confident, and included when taking part. They develop self-esteem and resilience. |
| Social Wellbeing | Children develop friendships, gain role models and feel connected to their community. |
Find out more about the fantastic work Chance to Shine deliver here.
Through our partnership with CTS, Kent Cricket Foundation aim to;
- Inspire children to be excited about PE & sport
- Teach pupils how to play cricket
- Ensure that they learn academic and life skills whilst they take part
- Support staff to lead the sport and to develop a culture of cricket within the school
- Encourage schools to compete, internally or by taking part in a local tournament
- Help children to take the next steps in the pathway on their cricketing journey
As well as the physical benefits of regular activity, we use cricket to teach children important key life skills that will help them beyond the playground and through the values of cricket, we teach children about respect and fair play.
Cricket is also an effective way to develop skills like communication, leadership and perseverance that will benefit them throughout their life.
We believe that cricket is a fully inclusive sport, where girls and boys can play and learn together and with Chance To Shine, we think that normalising female participation in cricket is a hugely important and valuable part of the work that we do.
What schools say about us and the programmes
‘I saw great improvement in their fielding and batting skills as well as their confidence. The children who did the cricket leader training had a great time and enjoyed delivering what they had learned to our year 2 class. Sandra does a fantastic job.’- Rusthall St Paul’s Primary School.
‘Adrian is a magnificent cricket coach. His teaching and his way with the children has really impacted on our children’s fitness as well as cricket skills.’- Hunton Church of England Primary School.
‘Dan was fantastic. His work with the kids was enriching, enjoyable and it was clear he was very knowledgeable. The kids got lots out of the sessions!’- Stillness Junior School.
‘they worked far better as teams than they have/would have in other sports. ‘- Warren Road Primary School.
What the children say
Connie- Selling Primary School
Adam- Selling Primary School
Award winning Coaches and Schools
To get a glimpse of what the Chance to Shine programme looks like, as well as seeing some of our coaches in action, please see the videos below.
Want FREE Cricket Sessions for your school?
Find your local Kent Cricket Foundation Coach
Our dedicated team of employed coaches work year round delivering cricket in primary schools.
All are fully qualified and trained, by ECB, Chance to Shine and the Youth Sports Trust, to deliver high quality PE lessons in your school, engaging both pupils and teachers alike, helping them to develop their skills and a love for the game.
All our coaches have completed the following training/checks;
- Enhanced DBS Check (reviewed annually)
- Safeguarding training for Cricket Coaches (renewed every 3 years)
- Safeguarding training for Cricket Club Safeguarding Officers (renewed every 3 years)
- Emergency First Aid training (renewed every 3 years)
- Safer recruitment process on employment
- ECB Prevent Training
- ECB & CTS EDI training
Find your local Kent Cricket Foundation Coach and their contact details in the table below, alternatively contact our Primary Schools Lead, Matthew Fagg – Email, if you have any queries.
Coach Area(s) of work Email Iain Ager Bromley Email Iain Jamie Harris Canterbury Email Jamie Warren Bull Dartford and Gravesham Email Warren Thomas Waters Dover, Folkestone and Ashford Email Thomas W Juan Jimenez Greenwich and Bexley Email Juan Daniel Levey Greenwich and Lewisham Email Daniel Adrian Crust Maidstone and Malling Email Adrian Thomas Harris Swale Email Thomas H Jack Tremain Thanet Email Jack Sandra Hepple Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge Email Sandra Expression of Interest Form
You can directly contact your local coach from our list above, alternatively please complete our Expression of Interest form by clicking or scanning the QR code below and we will get in touch as soon as possible.
Primary School Competitions & CPD
- Dynamos Schools
- Rapid Fire Cricket
- County Cricket Finals
- Enter your local competitions
- Teacher CPD Training
Dynamos Schools has been designed to deliver an exciting brand of competition connecting to the elite via The Hundred.
Dynamos Schools introduces children to the countdown cricket format and provides a consistent experience across schools and clubs.
Playing Dynamos Cricket
As the ‘official format’ for Schools Cricket, you can download all of the latest information from your Youth Sports Trust portal, or download the Teacher Pack below to practise in your school.
There will be 3 competition streams available in most areas of the county,
- Year 5 & 6 (mixed)
- Year 5 & 6 (girls only)
- Year 3 & 4 (mixed)
For information on your local events, please contact your School Games Organiser.
All of the local competitions lead to a County Finals Day arranged by us, if you have qualified for the finals please see the ‘County Finals’ Tab.
Scoring & Umpiring
Scoring & umpiring cricket matches can be daunting if you are not familiar with the game, however Dynamos Cricket makes this far simpler and easier for all. The Countdown Cricket App is very easy to use and explains the rules before every game.
Download the Countdown Cricket App to your phone or tablet. [Android] [iPhone]
If using the App isn’t possible, there you can download and print a paper scoresheet.
Want to learn how to play Dynamos Cricket?
See our CPD section for upcoming courses that will include playing Dynamos Cricket.
Rapid Fire is aimed at Key Stage 1 and is a fast-paced but simple game for the pupils to understand. The game is designed to minimise any time spent inactive and even involves the batters who are waiting, by having them cheer and count the score of their teammates. Fielding is a team effort, with more kit to collect than children per team, so nobody should be left standing around!
Each game only takes around 15 minutes and uses a controlled playing area which means you can have multiple games running at once.
How to play?
Watch the 80 second video which explains how the game works, or download the rules and scoresheets below.
Want to play against other schools?
Rapid Fire was added as a badged event to the Kent School Games in 2020, so there should be an opportunity for you to play nearby. Contact your local Kent Cricket Foundation Coach or SGO to find out about local competitions.
Kent Cricket Foundation organise and deliver County Finals Days for the 4 competition streams below
- Dynamos Schools- Year 5 & 6- mixed
- Dynamos Schools- Year 5 & 6- girls only
- Dynamos Schools- Year 3 & 4- mixed
- Rapid Fire Cricket- KS1- mixed
Taking place late in term 6, the competitions provide opportunities for qualifiers from local competitions to be crowned County Champions 🏆
To enter a local competition please contact your local Kent Cricket Foundation Coach or your School Games Organiser.
If you have qualified from a local competition please contact Matthew Fagg (email) to find out finals day details and confirm your place.
Our coaches work closely with the School Games Organisers (SGOs) in their areas to organise and deliver cricket competitions throughout the school year.
Some areas run indoor skills festivals during the autumn and spring terms, most will run outdoor competitions during the summer term.
Speak to your local Kent Cricket Foundation Coach (list above) or contact your SGO to find details of their competitions and how to enter your school.
Through our Chance to Shine funding we offer Teachers, TA’s, SGO’s and School Sports Coaches the chance to develop their Cricket and PE knowledge through Free training days, normally during terms 4 or 5.
The formal CPD course has been developed by Chance to Shine and the Youth Sports Trust, with the PE National Curriculum at its heart and delivered by qualified tutors from our Coach Development Team and our Community Coaches, who deliver cricket in schools year-round.
All participants will be awarded a certificate for attending the course.
Intended Outcomes
Chance to Shine have developed six-week lesson plans for multiple key stages and this training will explore these in detail.
The focus will be on players accessing cricket within softball formats of the game and will not cover how to develop hardball players.
- To develop knowledge of the Chance to Shine planning resources, aligned to the National Curriculum
- Explore the application of both SMILES and STEP frameworks within cricket lessons to support every child
- How to facilitate the development the fundamental cricket skills: Throwing | Catching | Striking | Bowling
- Game tactics and awareness.
- Familiarity with age appropriate formats of the game: Rapid Fire | Dynamos | Chance to Compete | Indoor 8s
- Understand how cricket can deliver life skills and leadership opportunities.
What Teachers Say about our CPD
‘Great input from all coaches, plenty of time allocated to practical work (20 activities in total) and fantastic resources to set up, or to continue developing Cricket within our schools.
In 23 years of teaching, this has to have been the best CPD I have attended. The hard work, time and dedication that has been put into this cricket program will certainly help us get the delivery of cricket right at the grassroots level.
Thank you for the inspiration and leading the way.’
Leanne Sizer
Hilden Oaks Primary School
Want to attend a CPD Course?
2026 courses are available to book now- Click here to find out more.