With PE and School Sport Premium funding continuing for the next academic year, now is a great time for schools to join West Ham United Foundation’s delivery of the Premier League Primary Stars (PLPS) programme.
Using the power of the brand of West Ham United and the Premier League, the Foundation’s Primary Stars scheme partners with local Primary Schools to engage and inspire children; catering for all.
Running alongside the national curriculum, the Foundation provides tailored opportunities in subjects including;
- PE
- Maths
- English
- Mental Health & Wellbeing
- Teacher Support and Training
All sessions are designed to meet the school’s needs and characteristics whilst being delivered in line with their individual ethos.
Sessions are delivered by West Ham United Foundation qualified staff; gaining additional training from National Governing Bodies in relevant areas of the curriculum where applicable, such as mental health awareness.
The provision includes a range of additional free cross-curriculum sessions, provided at no extra cost to each school’s programme and delivered alongside the core programme focus.
Similarly, children can develop key skills through the school’s access to a range of free multi-sports competitions, festivals and tournaments offered throughout the year.
Delivery can include bespoke opportunities such as author days, class trips and West Ham United player support.
During the 2019/20 academic year, schools have received some fantastic opportunities, from a tour of the BT Sports Studios with the National Literacy Trust, to trips to the Hammers' Chadwell Heath training ground - home to West Ham United’s Women’s and Academy teams - to Maths sessions with Bobby Seagull of University Challenge and numerous West Ham United player engagement including visits through the Players’ Project.
Speaking about the boost he has seen children receive through this initiative, West Ham United Foundation Ambassador Bobby Seagull said: “I have been working with the West Ham United Foundation over the past couple of years to deliver some of the Maths aspects of their Premier League Primary Stars delivery, holding sessions both in classrooms and virtually since lockdown.
“I became interested in Maths through collecting football stickers, so I have really enjoyed the opportunity to be able to inspire children in the classroom, using the power of football.
“Through my classroom sessions and my online challenges, I used football related situations to tackle Maths problems that children would face in exams; making them less daunting, more achievable and demonstrating how fun Maths can be.”
Across the last year the Foundation has engaged with more than 700 children and over 100 teachers through its PLPS delivery. Of the schools that took part, staff have reported a 98% increase in pupils’ confidence, with 94% of participants stating that they enjoyed the sessions led by the Foundation. With the extremely broad delivery models and coverage of a range of topics, the staff involved aim to become an integral part of the school community.
Corbets Tey Primary School have been taking part in the Premier League Primary Stars delivery for two years, with one teacher, Sam Allen, enjoying seeing the impact on the children:
“It’s been brilliant with David [West Ham United Foundation Coach], every week it’s strong bonds with the children, they look forward to seeing him, they remember him, they retain information about him, they just love him being in every week! It’s better and better every week.
“We had one [player appearance] in the summer and we’ve just had another one [in November]. Last time we thought we were lucky as they all joined in and then this time, we were even luckier as we had two first team and two Academy players and they joined in just as much against each other, with the kids, playing the games. Every time they come in; they just participate so much.”
The impact of the UK’s lockdown on young people has been huge and is likely to continue into the next academic year, with four in five children saying they are worried about what happens as they come out of lockdown and return to schools.
To counter this, during the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic, the Foundation has continued to provide support through tailored virtual delivery. This has included the Foundation launching a brand-new Socially Distanced PE Curriculum, a website hosting a variety of PLPS activities and a Virtual Sports Day which saw 20 activities hosted on the West Ham United Foundation’s YouTube channel, focusing on self-assessment – a key part of the PLPS curriculum – with nearly 14,000 young people taking part. The event also featured first team players showing their attempts at the challenges to help inspire and engage young people.
For more information on the Premier League Primary Stars delivery by the West Ham United Foundation, click here or contact either Ross Williams [email protected] or Jill Sapsford [email protected]