For Parents

All gymnasts work in bare feet and in either a leotard or shorts and T-shirt. Tracksuits can be worn over a leotard or shorts for warm up and in the winter. Other items such as jeans, skirts, school wear or combat trousers are not suitable for any part of the session.
All jewellery must be removed. This includes ear rings.

Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate parents within the gym to spectate all the time, due to lack of space and sufficient seating. We aim to keep parents up to date with children’s progress using our private Facebook groups, and through regular assessment and reporting through your love admin account . We also hold an annual Xmas show and will invite parents in to present awards during watch week . If your child requires specific support or if shy or nervous please come and speak to us so arrangements can be made to help make your gymnast feel confident and comfortable 😊

Please check that your child has been to the toilet before the start of the class. At our Thirsk site the toilet is within the gym, at Colburn it is directly across the corridor.

Membership runs from October to October each year ( this is set by British gymnastics not our club)
All gymnasts not in a parents and child class need british gymnastics membership for insurance purposes- you can purchase it here - 

https://www.british-gymnastics.org/gymnet/register/registerstart

We also have an annual club membership. This is £15 per individual or £20 per family

Club kit can be purchased at our club store - 

RGC Recreational Kit Shop (Password: R7DGG!): https://www.littlestarsleotards.co.uk/product-category/richmondshire-tdg/

A water bottle should be brought to every session

As a club, we use two schemes to allow gymnast to achieve recognition for skill achievement, the National Gymnastics Awards Programs and our own specifically designed tumbling and teamgym program.

Both offer progressive comprehensive pathways where gymnasts can earn medals and certificates, which can be purchased by parents through their personal love admin account. Progression can also be tracked through your personal account. 

To learn more about these schemes use the following links: 
https://natgap.co.uk

Gymnastics skills are broken down into small steps (progressions), which must be mastered at each stage before moving onto the next one. The rate at which these steps are introduced depends upon the age and physical capability of the child. This principle is key to all levels and disciplines of gymnastics. Skills must be mastered on the floor before transferring to apparatus, to ensure the gymnast is physically and mentally capable of developing the skill. For this reason , the floor and body preparation sections of the class are paramount to the development of skills. Core activities are repeated at every class as they build strength and flexibility to enable the more complex skills to be introduced later (E.g. bunny jumps = handstands and cartwheels, bridges = walkovers / back flips). 

Not all children will be able to achieve the same level of skills, even with further training. This is often due to the range of movement in certain joints and strength in key muscle groups.

The lead coach for the session will advise parents when it is time to move their child to a different class. Although the classes are in age groups at the moment the gymnasts will not automatically move classes when they reach a certain age / school year group. They are guidelines only and the movement depends on availability of spaces in the classes. The advanced/elite class is an invitational class and gymnasts may be invited by the lead coach to attend. The coaches will be looking for gymnasts that are showing potential and are learning and developing at a quicker rate than their peers. The lead coach will speak to the parents prior to inviting the gymnast to the advanced/elite squad.



If you have any questions about progression through the classes please speak to the head coach.

Some medical conditions may require a Parent / Guardian to stay at the session in case administration of medication is required or further support / guidance of your gymnast is needed.

Please speak to our lead coaches so we are best able to assist your child in their gymnastics journey and are fully  aware of any adaptations / risks which need to be considered. Gymnasts with Downs Syndrome will require the Atlanto-axial screening prior to starting the class. (Contact the Head Coach for more information). 

The club has a trained club welfare officer to ensure the safeguarding of all club members. If parents / gymnasts have any concerns / issues with anything that is happening at the club they can speak to the welfare officer about this in confidence. Any concerns about the handling / supporting of gymnasts can also be discussed with the club welfare officer. Our welfare officer is Jeanette Chapman. You can contact Jeanette by emailing her at:

Richmondshiregymenquiries@gmail.com

Our administration is run through LoveAdmin software . Please ensure all emergency contact details are kept up to to date at all times should we need to get in touch .

As we do not have a permanent fixed office base, and are often working within the gym most correspondence is done through email and social media .In case of an emergency within a class, or your child needs to be collected for any reason , the head coach would contact you by telephone using the emergency contact, provided so please ensure this is correct and up to date .

The club is always looking for volunteers to get involved and help out at the club whether that is as a helper, trainee coach, committee member or any other role. If you or anyone you know is interested in getting involved with the club please let us know. We are willing to support people to become coaches and this could lead to paid work in the future. Any volunteers that will be in direct contact with the children will be asked to complete a British Gymnastics DRB check prior to volunteering.