The East Kent Community Tennis Programme
Why?
- To increase opportunities for deserving young people by giving them the chance to learn tennis and develop their well-being. Schools involved should have higher than the national average for Pupil Premium and Free School Meals
- To improve participation
- To build a performance pathway
- To establish a coaching pathway that resolves the coach resourcing issues within East Kent (See Appendices 1 and 2 Draft Policy)
- To create an awareness of the excellent facilities and support that exist through the LTA and the locality

How?
- • Helping build Club, School and Park, Community Tennis Hubs with links with key funders.
The initial hubs are:
Net Gain and Infinity Thanet Hub
Introduction
Objective
The primary objective of this programme is to make tennis accessible and enjoyable for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, using it as a vehicle for positive change in their lives. We aim to achieve this by integrating tennis into the curriculum, providing quality coaching, necessary equipment, and creating pathways for sustained engagement with the sport.
Programme Overview
In-Curriculum Tennis Sessions
Equipment Provision
To ensure the sustainability of the activity, we will provide each school with the necessary tennis equipment (nets, rackets, balls etc) to facilitate future sessions, making tennis a permanent fixture in their physical education curriculum.
Coach Education
To address resourcing for the continuation of the school’s programme, we will fund the coach education for three young people, achieving Level 1 and 2 coaching qualifications. This will not only sustain the programme but also invest in the personal and professional development of young coaches in the area.
Follow-on Opportunities
Every participant on the schools programme will have the option of signing up for a £4 for 4-week follow-on course with our partner Infinity Tennis. They will also receive a free racket (via the funding), encouraging continued participation. Infinity Tennis will offer these courses at a significantly reduced cost, ensuring affordability for all.
Tennis Leaders Qualification
For children aged 12 and above, we will provide a free Tennis Leaders qualification, offering them a chance to learn leadership skills through tennis, promoting personal growth alongside physical skills.
Accessible Venues
Sessions will be extended beyond schools, utilising the public court and club network across Thanet, including Margate and Broadstairs Lawn Tennis Clubs, Spencer Square, Ramsgate, and four others, ensuring that tennis is within walking distance from the selected schools.
Impact and Outcomes
- Increased participation in tennis among children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
- Improved physical health and well-being of participants.
- Development of life skills, including teamwork, leadership, and perseverance, through sport.
- Creation of sustainable pathways for continued engagement with tennis.
Conclusion
Deal and Dover Hub
Introduction
The Deal and Dover Park Tennis CIC currently operates the refurbished courts at Marke Wood Recreation Ground in Deal. Their vision is to open-up tennis within the local community, providing welcoming, accessible and affordable tennis for everyone, thus allowing everyone to reap the fitness and social benefits that tennis offers.
The CIC is delighted, together with Accredited Tennis Coach, Karen Hodgson (one of its coaching providers), to have received £3000 to deliver a tennis outreach project in Deal and Dover to 4 primary schools, each with a high pupil premium level. Using Karen’s extensive experience of delivering an inclusive tennis programme within a local primary school with a high level of pupil premium, the schools’ outreach project has been devised to help the enrolled schools to be self-sufficient in their tennis provision.
Objective
The primary objective of this programme is to help each school to build and maintain its own sustainable, inclusive tennis programme so all its pupils during their school journeys will have the opportunity to thrive in tennis by growing in self-confidence, becoming more resilient, developing life skills such as teamwork, problem-solving and leadership, in addition to improving their physical and mental well-being.
Programme Overview
The schools’ tennis outreach programme is providing financial support and tennis guidance during 2024/2025 for an enthusiastic Teaching Assistant (or member of Support Staff) at four different primary schools to become their ‘Tennis Champion’. The Tennis Champions will organise and run all their tennis activities within their schools with the full support and engagement of their school’s leadership team. The tennis activities are to include:
- Weekly after-school tennis club for 20 sessions during the year.
- Attendance of end-of-project Tennis Festival.
- Trip(s) to either compete or spectate at a tennis tournament.
The Tennis Champions have all undertaken the LTA Tennis Training course for Primary School Staff and will receive three continuous professional development sessions, in addition to regular support and guidance, from Accredited Tennis Coach, Karen Hodgson.
Impact and Outcomes
The expected outcomes of this programme include:
- Primary schools to deliver their own sustainable, inclusive tennis programme.
- Increased participation in tennis among children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
- Improved physical health and well-being of participants.
- Development of life skills, including teamwork, leadership, and perseverance, through sport.
Conclusion
The Deal and Dover Park Tennis CIC Schools’ Tennis Outreach Programme template represents a great opportunity for primary schools to become self-sufficient in delivering inclusive tennis within their schools and thus help their pupils thrive, year after year, through the sport of tennis.
With your support, we can help more primary schools become self-sufficient in delivering tennis so allowing more children not only to learn the skills to play, but also access a gateway to a healthier, more active lifestyle. We invite you to join us in making this vision a reality, creating lasting impact on the lives of these young individuals.
What?
All programmes will work with the principles outlined by LTA Youth Sport and with the support of the LTA and Tennis Kent.
The aim is to bring tennis opportunity to schools and children in areas of high pupil premium and free school meal percentages
The EKCTP will:
- Access for deserving young people and communities
- Tennis Festivals
- Tennis Roadshows
- Tennis Leaders Qualifications
- Teacher and Tennis Coach CPD
- Follow on Opportunities
- Build six + week programmes in primary schools integrated into the school’s curriculum through Net Gain CIC
- Create Tennis Champions in Primary Schools and assist with the setting-up of the schools own weekly after school tennis clubs



Key Contacts
Programme Director: Gavid Vickers
gavidvickers@infinity-tennis.co.uk
Coaches: Karen Hodgson
hodgson_k3@sky.com