There is a quiet shift happening in schools across the Wirral and wider Northwest. It does not involve new textbooks or another government initiative. It involves vaults, rails, landing pads and a group of coaches who believe that how a young person moves through space can change how they move through life.
Movement Matters is a Community Interest Company delivering structured parkour-based movement education in schools, community halls and outdoor spaces across the region. Founded by Chris Ilabaca, the organisation has been steadily building something that sits outside the usual PE playbook, and schools are paying attention.
Not What You Think When You Hear Parkour
The word parkour tends to conjure images of people flipping off rooftops. That is not what happens when Movement Matters walks into a school hall. There are no flips. No stunt training. What there is, is a carefully structured programme built around balance, coordination, vaulting, climbing, bar work and creative movement, all progressed through safe, controlled steps.
The schools programme follows a five-level syllabus. Each level builds on the last, introducing new challenges without ever pushing beyond what a young person is ready for. Sessions are led by qualified, DBS-checked coaches who bring their own equipment and adapt to whatever space a school can offer, whether that is a sports hall, a playground or a studio.
A typical taster day sees two coaches deliver up to five sessions, reaching over a hundred pupils in a single school day. It is a format that lets a whole school experience something genuinely different in their PE provision without any disruption to the timetable.
Why Schools Are Saying Yes
The appeal for schools goes deeper than novelty. Parkour is now being recognised within the direction of the UK PE curriculum, and Movement Matters is already delivering the kind of provision that schools will increasingly be expected to offer. That puts partner schools ahead of the curve rather than scrambling to catch up.
But the real draw is what happens to the pupils who usually stand at the edge during PE. The ones who do not engage with football or netball. The ones whose confidence drops the moment they walk into a sports hall. Parkour offers a non-competitive entry point into physical activity. There are no teams, no losing sides, no being picked last. Every pupil works at their own level and progresses at their own pace.
The Movement Matters approach is built on evidence from physical intelligence research, sports science and wellbeing studies. Sessions activate the vestibular system, improving balance and emotional regulation. Progressive challenges build neural pathways for problem solving. And the playful, physical nature of the work releases neurochemicals that support focus and mood, sending pupils back to the classroom more regulated and ready to learn.
Inclusion That Actually Works
One area where the programme consistently stands out is inclusion. Movement Matters sessions are designed to support pupils with ASD, ADHD, anxiety and SEMH profiles. The coaching style is calm, structured and adaptive. Pupils who struggle with the unpredictability of team games often thrive in an environment where they know what is coming next and can see their own progress clearly.
Schools working with pupil premium cohorts, SEND provision or alternative curriculum pathways have found that parkour-based education reaches young people that other approaches miss. It is physical literacy built from the ground up, not sport imposed from the top down.
Growing Roots in the Community
The work does not stop at the school gates. Movement Matters has expanded into community sessions with weekly parkour classes now running at Hope Church in Hoylake. Friday evening sessions cater for ages seven to eleven and eleven to seventeen, giving young people across the Wirral a regular, affordable space to develop movement skills, build friendships and enjoy being active outside of school.
The community strand is part of a wider ambition. Movement Matters is working with Liverpool John Moores University on the development of a dedicated Centre of Excellence for movement and community wellbeing right here on the Wirral. The vision is a purpose-built facility for training, research and youth development, backed by the kind of academic rigour that makes the work sustainable and replicable.
It is a long-term project, but schools and community partners who get involved now become part of something much bigger than a single taster day.
What Educators Are Saying
The feedback from schools that have experienced Movement Matters delivery speaks for itself. Educators consistently highlight the quality of planning, the professionalism of the coaches and the way sessions engage pupils who do not always connect with traditional PE.
Delivery worked well across mixed ability groups and supported pupils who do not always thrive in conventional sport settings. The coaching team was well prepared, professional and calm, highlighting how inclusive the sessions were across a full enrichment day.
A Different Kind of Active Community
Here at Wallasey Padel, we are big believers in getting people moving in ways that feel natural, challenging and connected to the world around them. Whether that is on a padel court or navigating a vault box in a school hall, the principle is the same. Movement builds confidence. It builds community. And it builds a healthier relationship with the body you live in.
What Movement Matters is doing for schools and young people on the Wirral matters. It is structured, safe and grounded in real evidence. If you are a school, a parent or a community group in the area, it is well worth finding out more.
You can explore everything they offer at movementmattershub.com or get in touch with them directly to book a session.