Video and pictures: England netball star Pamela Cookey coaches pupils at Telford's Abraham Darby Academy

"There has been a real buzz about the school," says PE teacher Kerenza Knowles.

"Cookey was due to get here at 1pm, but from midday onwards they were watching every vehicle that came into the car park, saying 'Is she here yet, Miss?'"

These are exciting times for netball. A generation ago, most people's knowledge of the game was restricted to the school yard, but the stunning quality of the 2014 Commonwealth Games tournament has posed a very real question about why it is not included in the Olympics.

And with professional stars such as Cookey – who last year won the National Superleague Title with Surrey Storm – now getting regular television exposure, a growing number of people are waking up to the fact that it is a sport that deserves to be taken seriously.

"It is really exciting at the moment," she says as she wraps up a coaching session at the school in the Madeley area of Telford. "Netball is getting a much higher profile now that they are showing the Superleague on Sky, and we are getting into print now rather than just being on social media."

"There really are far more people playing the sport than there were a few years ago, it is definitely growing."

Certainly there is evidence that a growing number of young people are playing the sport. Figures from England Netball showed a record 96,000 members during the 2014/5 season, up by nearly 4.5 per cent compared to the previous year. The body also reported significant percentage increases in the number of schools and higher education colleges signing up, while the under-11 age category saw a whopping 13.5 per cent increase in membership.

"A rise of more than 28,000 netballers are now taking to the court across the country for at least half an hour every week, taking the total over the 150,000 mark," says a spokeswoman.

While Cookey might not enjoy the fame and fortune that goes with playing football and cricket at the highest level, she is truly one of the stars of the game.

The Birmingham-born 31-year-old has 114 England caps under her belt, two bronze medals in the Commonwealth Games, and a silver medal at under-21 level at the Florida World Championships in 2005. Her last England performance saw her claim another bronze medal, with a victory over Jamaica in last year's Netball World Cup in Sydney.

"It was such an honour to be captain of England and of a great squad of ladies," she says. "We all had the same goals which meant that I wasn't playing for myself, I was playing for the whole squad and leading them out there as we represented our country and played for the crowd.

"You can't really put into words how amazing the experience was and it was a great opportunity that I loved."

We speak as she has just finished teaching the youngsters about the positioning and tactics, as well as the importance of working together as a team.

"That is one of the great things about netball," she says.

"You can be really skilful, you can be a superb athlete, but if you can't form part of a team you are going to be useless.

"What I love about netball is it is not just about physical prowess, but it is also intellectual," she says.

"You need to think a lot, you need to think about your positioning."

Pamela, who retired from international netball in November, will be providing specialist one-to-one mentoring with two girls, Chloe Fallon and Jodi Bletcher, both 13.

She will keep in regular contact with the youngsters over the next six months, communicating via internet "face-time" to answer any questions they might have about technique.

While the sport is still to be recognised by the International Olympic Committee

if any proof is needed about the appeal of netball to the youngsters, it becomes evident at the end of the assembly. While teenagers are not normally noted for hanging around after the school bell, today they are all staying behind to ask Cookey about what it is like to play the sport at the highest level.