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Running as a tool for empowerment: Building confidence and lifelong habits for SEN students
We speak with the teacher revolutionising our outdated perception of PE
“PE can be a divisive class,” says Sunil Reuben. “Many remember it as an adult because you were either good, picked first, or dreaded it.”
But it doesn't have to be that way. Sunil, the PE Lead at Cricket Green School in Surrey, is determined to make sports more inclusive.
Cricket Green serves children and young adults aged four to 19 with special educational needs. For the past decade, Sunil has worked with students with diverse needs, ranging from significant global learning difficulties and diagnosed conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, to challenges with social, interactive, or personal skills.
There's a real variation in abilities,” he says. “We have a student who is training with Fulham Academy, and we have other students who find mobility and certain activities challenging in terms of coordination.
Adaptive sports gear is at the top of the school’s kit list, and Sunil ran the 2025 TCS London Marathon to raise much-needed funds for equipment, ranging from wheelchair-accessible sports equipment, such as basketball hoops at lower heights, to shorter or lightweight bats and rackets, which are easier to handle.
Caption: Sunil Reuben (one in from the left) and his colleagues at Figges Marsh junior parkrun
Enjoying movement is the first step towards creating a healthy, lifelong habit.
Sunil says that sport should be fun, and emphasises the importance of discussing the link between feeling good within yourself and maintaining a positive mindset.
"A massive part of being physically active is challenging yourself and achieving goals, which boosts your confidence and self-esteem," he explains.
Many students find that accomplishing something they never thought possible can be a transformative experience.
Exercise can be social and help you find your chosen community.
One of Sunil’s favourite activities is The Daily Mile, an international initiative to get students walking, running, jogging or wheeling a mile in 15 minutes.
“It is simple, and there's no expectation to compete but just to move, whether that is running, jogging or walking, be that forwards or sometimes backwards around the track!” he says.
“Sometimes we will play games if pupils want to compete, like fastest round the track or first to the tree wins, but it's nice because you can walk and talk if you do not want to compete, and those conversations help build relationships over the years.”
The school’s mission is to empower students to lead independent lives and create sustainable lifelong habits and actively participate in their local community.
Sunil takes great pride in their collaboration with junior parkrun, a free weekly community event where children aged four to 14 can walk, jog, run, or spectate a 2K in their local area.
To kick things off, parkrun Outreach Officer Steve Camacho visited the school for an assembly, to introduce the students to the concept. They then organised a mini parkrun event at the school, giving the students a taste of what to expect.
The school then took 19 junior parkrun first-timers to Figges Marsh junior parkrun. By gradually introducing the activity and making them aware of what they could expect on the day, it made the experience enjoyable and accessible for all.
There's a real variation in abilities,” he says. “We have a student who is training with Fulham Academy, and we have other students who find mobility and certain activities challenging in terms of coordination.
Sunil says local resources like parkrun are invaluable for students because they can continue to be active when they leave school.
Event Day can be the experience of a lifetime or the taste of things to come!
Cricket Green students are on track to receive their first medal as they are participating in their first mass participation event at the 2025 TCS Mini London Marathon.
The event gives children and young people the unique opportunity to cross the iconic TCS London Marathon Finish Line and earn the coveted Mini Marathon medal by running, jogging, walking, or wheeling one mile or 2.6K in the heart of the capital.
Sunil is thrilled to take students to the Start Line.
"Running a mile down The Mall, earning a finisher medal, and capturing some photos? That kind of experience and atmosphere is once in a lifetime," he says.
The school is also participating in the virtual TCS Mini London Marathon in schools, which sees schoolchildren of all ages run, jog, walk, wheel or be guided around a two-mile course within their school setting.
Introducing students to mass participation events could ignite bigger ambitions, as the TCS Mini London Marathon Championships has seen top British athletes like Sir Mo Farah, David Weir, Charlotte Purdue, Ciara Mageean, and Jess Judd come through its ranks.
Caption: Cricket Green School students at Figges Marsh junior parkrun
Home
Menu
LMF
Children & Young People
Charities
Environment
Communities & DEI
Running as a tool for empowerment: Building confidence and lifelong habits for SEN students
We speak with the teacher revolutionising
our outdated perception of PE
“PE can be a divisive class,” says Sunil Reuben. “Many remember it as an adult because you were either good, picked first, or dreaded it.”
But it doesn't have to be that way. Sunil, the PE Lead at Cricket Green School in Surrey, is determined to make sports more inclusive.
Cricket Green serves children and young adults aged four to 19 with special educational needs. For the past decade, Sunil has worked with students with diverse needs, ranging from significant global learning difficulties and diagnosed conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, to challenges with social, interactive, or personal skills.
There's a real variation in abilities,” he says. “We have a student who is training with Fulham Academy, and we have other students who find mobility and certain activities challenging in terms of coordination.
Adaptive sports gear is at the top of the school’s kit list, and Sunil ran the 2025 TCS London Marathon to raise much-needed funds for equipment, ranging from wheelchair-accessible sports equipment, such as basketball hoops at lower heights, to shorter or lightweight bats and rackets, which are easier to handle.
Caption: Sunil Reuben (one in from the left) and his colleagues at Figges Marsh junior parkrun
Enjoying movement is the first step towards creating a healthy, lifelong habit.
Sunil says that sport should be fun, and emphasises the importance of discussing the link between feeling good within yourself and maintaining a positive mindset.
"A massive part of being physically active is challenging yourself and achieving goals, which boosts your confidence and self-esteem," he explains.
Many students find that accomplishing something they never thought possible can be a transformative experience.
Exercise can be social and help you find your chosen community.
One of Sunil’s favourite activities is The Daily Mile, an international initiative to get students walking, running, jogging or wheeling a mile in 15 minutes.
“It is simple, and there's no expectation to compete but just to move, whether that is running, jogging or walking, be that forwards or sometimes backwards around the track!” he says.
“Sometimes we will play games if pupils want to compete, like fastest round the track or first to the tree wins, but it's nice because you can walk and talk if you do not want to compete, and those conversations help build relationships over the years.”
The school’s mission is to empower students to lead independent lives and create sustainable lifelong habits and actively participate in their local community.
Sunil takes great pride in their collaboration with junior parkrun, a free weekly community event where children aged four to 14 can walk, jog, run, or spectate a 2K in their local area.
To kick things off, parkrun Outreach Officer Steve Camacho visited the school for an assembly, to introduce the students to the concept. They then organised a mini parkrun event at the school, giving the students a taste of what to expect.
The school then took 19 junior parkrun first-timers to Figges Marsh junior parkrun. By gradually introducing the activity and making them aware of what they could expect on the day, it made the experience enjoyable and accessible for all.
There's a real variation in abilities,” he says. “We have a student who is training with Fulham Academy, and we have other students who find mobility and certain activities challenging in terms of coordination.
Sunil says local resources like parkrun are invaluable for students because they can continue to be active when they leave school.
Event Day can be the experience of a lifetime or the taste of things to come!
Cricket Green students are on track to receive their first medal as they are participating in their first mass participation event at the 2025 TCS Mini London Marathon.
The event gives children and young people the unique opportunity to cross the iconic TCS London Marathon Finish Line and earn the coveted Mini Marathon medal by running, jogging, walking, or wheeling one mile or 2.6K in the heart of the capital.
Sunil is thrilled to take students to the Start Line.
"Running a mile down The Mall, earning a finisher medal, and capturing some photos? That kind of experience and atmosphere is once in a lifetime," he says.
The school is also participating in the virtual TCS Mini London Marathon in schools, which sees schoolchildren of all ages run, jog, walk, wheel or be guided around a two-mile course within their school setting.
Introducing students to mass participation events could ignite bigger ambitions, as the TCS Mini London Marathon Championships has seen top British athletes like Sir Mo Farah, David Weir, Charlotte Purdue, Ciara Mageean, and Jess Judd come through its ranks.
Caption: Cricket Green School students at Figges Marsh junior parkrun
Running as a tool for empowerment: Building confidence and lifelong habits for SEN students
We speak with the teacher revolutionising
the outdated perception of PE
“PE can be a divisive class,” says Sunil Reuben. “Many remember it as an adult because you were either good, picked first, or dreaded it.”
But it doesn't have to be that way. Sunil, the PE Lead at Cricket Green School in Surrey, is determined to make sports more inclusive.
Cricket Green serves children and young adults aged four to 19 with special educational needs. For the past decade, Sunil has worked with students with diverse needs, ranging from significant global learning difficulties and diagnosed conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder and ADHD, to challenges with social, interactive, or personal skills.
There's a real variation in abilities,” he says. “We have a student who is training with Fulham Academy, and we have other students who find mobility and certain activities challenging in terms of coordination.
Adaptive sports gear is at the top of the school’s kit list, and Sunil ran the 2025 TCS London Marathon to raise much-needed funds for equipment, ranging from wheelchair-accessible sports equipment, such as basketball hoops at lower heights, to shorter or lightweight bats and rackets, which are easier to handle.
Caption: Sunil Reuben (one in from the left) and his colleagues at Figges Marsh junior parkrun
Enjoying movement is the first step towards creating a healthy, lifelong habit.
Sunil says that sport should be fun, and emphasises the importance of discussing the link between feeling good within yourself and maintaining a positive mindset.
"A massive part of being physically active is challenging yourself and achieving goals, which boosts your confidence and self-esteem," he explains.
Many students find that accomplishing something they never thought possible can be a transformative experience.
Exercise can be social and help you find your chosen community.
One of Sunil’s favourite activities is The Daily Mile, an international initiative to get students walking, running, jogging or wheeling a mile in 15 minutes.
“It is simple, and there's no expectation to compete but just to move, whether that is running, jogging or walking, be that forwards or sometimes backwards around the track!” he says.
“Sometimes we will play games if pupils want to compete, like fastest round the track or first to the tree wins, but it's nice because you can walk and talk if you do not want to compete, and those conversations help build relationships over the years.”
The school’s mission is to empower students to lead independent lives and create sustainable lifelong habits and actively participate in their local community.
Sunil takes great pride in their collaboration with junior parkrun, a free weekly community event where children aged four to 14 can walk, jog, run, or spectate a 2K in their local area.
To kick things off, parkrun Outreach Officer Steve Camacho visited the school for an assembly, to introduce the students to the concept. They then organised a mini parkrun event at the school, giving the students a taste of what to expect.
The school then took 19 junior parkrun first-timers to Figges Marsh junior parkrun. By gradually introducing the activity and making them aware of what they could expect on the day, it made the experience enjoyable and accessible for all.
There's a real variation in abilities,” he says. “We have a student who is training with Fulham Academy, and we have other students who find mobility and certain activities challenging in terms of coordination.
Sunil says local resources like parkrun are invaluable for students because they can continue to be active when they leave school.
Event Day can be the experience of a lifetime or the taste of things to come!
Cricket Green students are on track to receive their first medal as they are participating in their first mass participation event at the 2025 TCS Mini London Marathon.
The event gives children and young people the unique opportunity to cross the iconic TCS London Marathon Finish Line and earn the coveted Mini Marathon medal by running, jogging, walking, or wheeling one mile or 2.6K in the heart of the capital.
Sunil is thrilled to take students to the Start Line.
"Running a mile down The Mall, earning a finisher medal, and capturing some photos? That kind of experience and atmosphere is once in a lifetime," he says.
The school is also participating in the virtual TCS Mini London Marathon in schools, which sees schoolchildren of all ages run, jog, walk, wheel or be guided around a two-mile course within their school setting.
Introducing students to mass participation events could ignite bigger ambitions, as the TCS Mini London Marathon Championships has seen top British athletes like Sir Mo Farah, David Weir, Charlotte Purdue, Ciara Mageean, and Jess Judd come through its ranks.
Caption: Cricket Green School students at Figges Marsh junior parkrun