Case Study: Jaylee Baigan

The second year of our CashBack School of Basketball programme at Wester Hailes Education Centre (WHEC) has seen us work with an engaging and energetic group of young people, who have been very dedicated to the programme. There has been great progress towards achieving the CashBack School of Basketball outcomes and the programme has brought wider personal benefits to the young people, especially within the S2 group.

Coach of the group, basketballscotland’s Kieran Lynch, and P.E. teacher Lucy Brown have noticed substantial improvement in one particular participant. Jaylee Baigan, a 13-year-old young man from Wester Hailes, has shown significant enhancements in his personal skills and has a great desire to embed himself in a new programme, despite the barriers he faces.

Jaylee has Pierre-Robin Sequence, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, High Frequency Hearing Loss, Developmental Co-ordination Disorder and is visually impaired. Jaylee finds it very hard and painful to write with a pen or pencil. Due to this, the staff at WHEC have issued him with an iPad. This allows him to stay up to speed with the classroom work.

Having one disability is challenging enough, never mind several, but Jaylee does not let this get in the way of his attendance and positive attitude towards the CashBack School of Basketball programme. This positive behaviour has led to many benefits in Jaylee’s wellbeing.

A sociable 13-year-old, Jaylee loves being out with his friends. The CashBack School of Basketball programme has given him the confidence to be on his bike or play the PlayStation with his friends. Outside of school he has started attending the ’22 troop Army Cadets, which has assisted him in growing more confident. Jaylee is now part of two programmes which have given him confidence to put himself in social settings that he thrives in.

When speaking to Jaylee, he revealed that he has made new friends through our CashBack School of Basketball programme. He has found more people who he can confide in around any issues he may be having:

‘’I have made some new friends during our basketball who I hang out with inside and outside of school. Basketball is keeping me fit because it can be very hard, but Kieran makes it fun.‘’

This support is vital for Jaylee. He describes himself as “never being left out”. This gives him motivation and energy. This has translated into a strong passion for the CashBack School of Basketball programme. Within and outwith the programme, it is clear he now has a growing passion for learning and challenging himself.

Jaylee “wants to prove doubters wrong”. Despite sometimes finding the basketball aspect of the programme “confusing and difficult to understand”, Jaylee has taken it upon himself to learn more about the game. He is a great example of how the CashBack School of Basketball programme can turn a disadvantaged participant into a thriving young learner.