A SUCCESSFUL Paralympian joined pupils at a school to inspire them to get more involved in sports.

Swimmer Ellie Simmonds paid a visit to Vaughan Primary School in The Gardens, Harrow, on Thursday last week to encourage inclusivity in sports by setting them one-minute challenges to complete.

The event marked the expansion of the Active Kids scheme, run by Sainsbury’s and Sport England, which aims to create more sports groups that are accessible to disabled young people.

Ms Simmonds, who won two gold medals, a silver and a bronze at London 2012, is an ambassador for the scheme, along with David Beckham.

Ellie said: “Now is the time to make sure we are maintaining children’s excitement around sport, and in particular Paralympic sport. We made great progress last year and schemes like Active Kids will help to continue that to make sure the next generation is active and involved in a huge range of activities.”

The programme is in its ninth year but has been given a boost by the increased popularity in sports following the Olympics in London last year.