The Beginning

Greetings! 

My name is Steve Moxley and I’m a qualified Personal Trainer. I’m currently studying Creative Writing at Bath Spa university and I’m doing a very special dissertation project that I would like to share with you. I’ve decided to visit a school for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN), and construct unique PE games to help improve their motor skills, sensory acuity, balance, coordination, and proprioception. The most important aim of this project though is fun! - every child should damn well have it. Hey, that even goes for adults too. Everyone in this project will have fun.

In the past few weeks I’ve been indulging in appropriate research resources, such as these items:

• Get physical [Lois Addy (2006). Get Physical. Cambridge: LDA.]

• The Cerebral Palsy handbook [Marion Stanton (2002). The Cerebral Palsy Handbook. 3rd ed. London: Vermilion.] 

• The Down Syndrome Handbook, [Dr Richard Newton (2004). The Down Syndrome Handbook. 3rd ed. London: Vermilion.]

• Sports and exercise for children with chronic health conditions [Barry Goldberg (1995). Sports and Exercise for Children with Chronic Health Conditions. Leeds: Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.]

• How to write proposals and reports that get results [Ros Jay (2003). How to Write Proposals and Reports That Get Results. London: Pearson Education Limited.]

• Making a business plan [Roel Grit (2010). Making a Business Plan. 2nd ed. Netherlands: Noordhoff Uitgevers bv.]

• Designing health messages: approaches from communication theory and public health practice [Edward Maibach & Roxanne Louiselle Parrott (1995).Designing Health Messages. London: Sage Publications, Inc.]

• Psychological and behavioural aspects of physical disability: a manual for health practitioners [James E.Lindemann (1981). Psychological and Behavioural Aspects of Physical Disability. New York: Plenum Press.]

• Teaching Physical Education to Children with Special Educational Needs. [Philip Vickerman (2007). Teaching Physical Education to Children with Special Educational Needs. 3rd ed. New York: Taylor & Francis.]

I have also extended my research using the internet; I printed off the PE national curriculum, articles and essays about physiotherapy and other physical interventions for SEN people, and some statistics as well. But I’ll post more on these at a later stage.

So far, contacting the school has been my biggest problem; I needed a CRB check which unfortunately took longer than anticipated as I struggled to accumulate viable identification documents. I’m pleased to announce that such documents have been acquired and my CRB has been paid for, so I’m now waiting for it to be cleared. Moreover I have consolidated with the staff members in my university partnership office who have kindly agreed to “sell” me onto nearby special schools. However they cannot make a call until my CRB comes through, fully cleared - it’s now a waiting game with regards to contacting potential clients.

Even though I have never used a blog before, I think this should be an effective way to document my projects progress and promote its value to anyone who may be interested - feedback and questions may also be welcome on this blog but responses are not guaranteed. Hereafter I will try to blog frequently in order to maintain concise and current blogposts - my next post will unravel more about my ongoing reading.

Live life to the full.

Steve.