A blindfold is not your typical sporting accessory – but that’s exactly what the students of St Ivo Academy were pulling on recently.

They took part in a demonstration of goalball, which is the only team sport that has been specifically designed for people with a visual impairment, as part of the Paralympic Sports National School Programme.

Goalball - similar to handball with teams attempting to throw a ball that has bells embedded in it into a goal - was originally devised to feature in a rehabilitation programme for soldiers returning from the Second World War and has grown in popularity in recent years.

Top coaches and current international player, Matt Loftus were on hand to give the St Ivo students a taste of the game with particular emphasis placed on developing communication skills which help to identify the location of the ball when in play.

The project, delivered with Living Sport, works with children aged from Under 11 to Under 18 - both visually impaired and fully-sighted.