School kids who have never been to the beach to take surf lessons

A secondary school has decided to take some of its pupils surfing as they have never been to a beach in their lives – even though they live just a few miles away. Penair School in Truro teamed up with Piran Surf in Perranporth for a unique lesson plan.

They want to give students who may never have had the opportunity to go to the local beach, let alone try surfing, the chance to discover the amazing natural resources that exist on their doorstep. The school, which has 1,200 students, said that every year, the government provides special grants to schools to ensure equal opportunities for all children.

Read more: Newquay’s Wave Project saves young lives through the power of the sea

Read more: Cornish surfer targets 2028 Olympics after winning silver in competition

Principal James Davidson said about 220 students benefited from this funding. Mr Davidson, an active member of Perranporth Surf Lifesaving Club, approached Mark Thorn, owner of Piran Surf and surf brand Hot Surf 69, about the opportunity.

He asked Mark if he would extend his Beach School, which has run alongside Goonhavern Primary School for the past six years, to some of the Penair pupils. Mark said the idea is not to turn every child into the next Kelly Slater, but to broaden young people’s horizons and show them the natural wonders of Cornwall.

He said: “People think because we live in Cornwall everyone goes to the beach all the time or is a surfer. There are kids who live miles from the beach who have never been. I think it’s amazing.

⚠️ Want the latest breaking news and top articles about Cornwall first? Click here to join CornwallLive on WhatsApp and we’ll send you breaking news and top stories straight to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out anytime you want. If you are curious, you can read Privacy Notice.

“With Goonhavern Primary we get the kids to clean up the beach and learn about the environment too. We thought we could do the same with a secondary school, but only with surfing. I spoke to the head and head of education at Penair and it all happened.

“It’s one of the things we can do to give back to the community. The beach and the ocean are such incredible resources. We want as many young people as possible to have access to them.”

During the last six weeks of term, groups of Year 12 pupils 8 and 9 from the school were bussed to Perranporth beach where they used boards and wetsuits provided free of charge by Piran Surf with coaching lessons from one of the schools from the seaside resort.

Mr Davidson added: “Each week I took at least 12. The students loved the experience, with many asking to go again if someone dropped out, explaining to me and staff that they had never surfed before and had done this work for the first time. time and really enjoyed the buzz of being in the water and learning to surf.

“Importantly for me, it means these students have a chance to go to the beach and learn to be safe in the water. I have been working in schools in Cornwall for 25 years and I am always amazed that some children never or rarely do. go to the beach.”

He added: “Hopefully we can repeat the surfing every year and benefit more children. We certainly couldn’t have done it without the help and support of Mark, the staff and the surf coaches associated with Piran surf. We are very grateful for supporting the youth in our community. I would also like to thank Miss Bucknole and Miss Bales, our brilliant PE staff for accompanying the students and working with Mark.”