At the Thinking Schools Academy Trust, sport and fitness provide meaningful pathways for our students, where they see opportunity in something they’re passionate about.
That’s exactly the scenario which Cody Levell found herself in as a former student of Paignton Academy, destined to succeed in the industry.
Now, as Assistant Regional Fitness and Lettings Manager at the Thinking Schools Academy Trust, Cody reflected on her time in school.
“I was very heavily into sport, and I was part of the gifted and talented programme at Paignton Academy.
“Afterwards, I went into sixth form, came out with really good results and then went to university to study sports science”.
After graduating, Cody worked in various roles as a Football Development Lead and as Head of Girls Football across local clubs, before becoming a Community Manager.
It was at this point when she saw an advert for a Fitness and Lettings Manager with us and decided to apply. With her strong connections to one of our schools, combined with her experience in other settings, she was offered the position.
Cody speaks highly of the support she’s received from her managers and how her professional development has grown significantly since she joined the Trust.
“The regular impact review meetings are massive because they ask you about your ambitions and if you want to progress.
“They’ve also let me do marketing as well, so they’ve seen the potential there”.
In her current role, Cody oversees our Thinking Fitness sites at Plympton Academy and Brixham College, where local communities benefit from state-of-the-art facilities to help them maintain healthy lifestyles.
Cody takes pride in strengthening the role Thinking Fitness plays in reinvesting funds back into our schools.
“One part of my role is to promote what we offer to the local community and advertise our various memberships.
“The main part of my role is operational; so, I make sure everything is running smoothly on each site as the work we do is giving back to education”.
The work of Thinking Fitness and Thinking Lettings has already contributed to projects across our South West region, including astroturf resurfacing and new basketball hoops for schools to utilise.
With community spirit at the heart of Thinking Fitness gyms, Cody identified how they aim to differentiate themselves from mainstream settings.
“When you walk into our gyms, you get a really good vibe and community feel where everyone’s friendly and approachable.
“Our staff are very hands-on, unlike some of the big gyms, and we’re always on the floor, ready to help”.
Thinking Fitness and Thinking Lettings are part of Thinking Solutions for Education, our Trust’s family of services that provide schools with expert support. Delivered in the right way, at the right cost, we enable leaders to focus on what matters most; improving outcomes and transforming life chances for young people.
At the Thinking Schools Academy Trust, we’re proud to provide employment opportunities to former students. We actively nurture upcoming talent, putting our faith in young people to grow and contribute to our mission.
In our South West region, we’re proud to have 54% of our workforce within Thinking Fitness and Thinking Lettings as alumni from schools across our Trust. This not only demonstrates the strength in talent we have, but the eagerness from our young people to support the next generation of learners.
We’re also fortunate to have 46% of our Fitness and Lettings staff as former sixth-form students from our Trust, strengthening our education-to-career pathway.
Nick Forward, Head of Business Development at the Thinking Schools Academy Trust, leads on the strategic direction of our sports and lettings division. He champions the importance of these pathways to ensure we’re building impactful careers for the future of our young people.
"Providing opportunities to alumni from schools across the Thinking Schools Academy Trust just like Cody, is how we help to transform the life chances of young people.
"With the support of Thinking Solutions for Education, students can see meaningful career opportunities with us and we're proud to support them in achieving their goals, while giving back to the next generation".
Discover more about how Thinking Solutions for Education provide expert services and support our schools here.