A two year partnership with Grimsby Town Football Club where they’ve doubled Big Local’s investment into local youth focused projects
When? 2016-2018
Partners: Grimsby Town Football Club. Local primary schools.
The Grimsby Town Sports and Education Trust is part of Grimsby Town Football Club’s local community commitment to engage with young people in sport related activity. (The Club’s Ground (Blundell Park) is situated within the North Cleethorpes Big Local area).
A funding partnership with the Trust and the Premier League was entered into for two years to provide before and after school activities in four primary schools in the Big Local area: Bursar Primary Academy; Elliston Primary Academy; Reynolds Academy and St Peter’s Primary School.
£15,000 of match funding provided by Big Local North Cleethorpes enabled the Trust to focus its programme exclusively within the Big Local area benefitting four of the most socially deprived areas in North East Lincolnshire.
Whilst the programmes primarily focus on exercise and fitness activities, they also include activities promoting the building of stronger communities, addressing issues around equality, diversity and inclusion.
The Trust which is a Charity, independent of the Football Club, approached the Partnership as they were applying for funding from the Premiership to conduct enrichment sessions in schools in North East Lincolnshire. After negotiation they agreed to focus all of their work from this funding in four of the Cleethorpes Primary Schools which serve the North Cleethorpes area if Big Local would provide match funding.
Big Local North Cleethorpes was vey keen on the approach as it fitted in with the idea of starting the positive activity process in the early years which leads to young people being part of a positive process. This early years investment in turn leads to young people making positive relationships with adults in the community who can offer help and support as they go through their school career and beyond. It is these sorts of interventions which lead to a reduction in the number of young people being involved in anti-social behavior in the future.
The annual report for the programme details the programme activities and features case studies, anecdotes and statistics. A snapshot from the 2017-18 Annual Report shows that 544 pupils were engaged in the programme, almost double those engaged in year one with 994 sessions delivered. Over the two years perhaps 800 pupils were engaged in over 1500 sessions.
The programme modules included:
– Staff Training: Building in sustainability by training school staff to carry out programme activities during break times
– Respect: Sessions to surface issues around discrimination and prejudice promoting positive role models and self-respect
– Parliament Awareness: Looking at British Values in the context of the National Curriculum
– Health and Wellbeing: Structured element balancing adult and children led activities aimed at promoting exercise and healthy diet
– Team Games: Football and other team games with an emphasis on engaging girls in sport activity
– Athletics: Athletics competition held at King George Stadium
The impact of the classes has been significant. One class going from 10% to 30% of the children home reading. Teachers have commented what a difference the encouragement of a prize has done for their enthusiasm to win the golden ticket!
The PPA sessions delivered by Jack 3 times a week has improved behaviour and their attitude to learn new skills. Jack is well respected by the pupils and is certainly a welcome addition to our school. He engages well with all the children and has earned their respect.
The lunchtime sessions that Jack takes for us on a Tuesday and Wednesday engage our ‘hard to reach’ pupils and they have responded positively to these sessions of positive structured play.
