What is Playing for Success?
Playing for Success (PfS) is a partnership between the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), local authorities and a broad range of sports. Partners include clubs and the Premier League and Football Leagues, Rugby League and Union, cricket, basketball, hockey, ice hockey, gymnastics and tennis. In all, 18 different sports are represented in PfS.
Through Playing for Success, the DCSF and partners are establishing study support centres within sports clubs' grounds and sporting venues. Centres are vibrant, exciting and stimulating places for young people to learn. Students at the centres get up to speed in the key skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT - the foundation stones of their education.
Tens of thousands of children have come out of the centres' doors with improved skills, motivation and self-esteem, giving them a real boost and, in many cases, a new start on which they can build on back at school.
What do the centres do and how do they operate?
The centres open out of school hours and mainly cater for 10 to 14 year olds who are at risk of underachieving, using the stimulus of sport to motivate them. Each centre is managed by a centre manager (an experienced teacher), supported by tutor/mentors and other support staff, and centres provide access to state of the art IT equipment. Typically, each student receives 20 hours of tuition.
Learning programmes include:
- Literacy and numeracy activities using sport as a theme
- Training in the use of IT
- Sessions to improve study and learning skills
- Sport as a route to other knowledge, skills and understanding (for example statistics, geography, history and science)
- Opportunities for support and homework.
This year has seen many new changes and lots of exciting developments at Cambridge United's Learning Centre 'United in Learning' (UIL). With over 750 students being involved with different aspects of the learning centre it certainly has been a busy year. As a brief summary:
- Our Playing for Success programme has delivered to 23 schools with various exciting changes to the curriculum.
- The Centre hosted two Pupil Referral Units who participated in a variety of different activities, including ground tours and football coaching delivered by the clubs Football in the Community Scheme (FITC).
- An additional part-time member of staff has enabled flexibility in the programme delivery, including the ability to offer daytime provision.
- Additional Volunteer mentors have also enabled a high ratio of staff to students in the PFS programme.
- The involvement of the Double Club Programme has targeted students being offered quality teaching using a football theme to improve their maths and numeracy skills as well quality football coaching.
- We have also been a provider for an Easter programme involving Looked-After children. This programme involved the students doing a host of activities including healthy eating, ground tours, creating Photostory 3 presentations, an art session, various team work activities and football coaching delivered by FITC.
- Centre staff also delivered a team building day in Chesterton school
- School assemblies during national reading week and also healthy schools delivery work
This season we aim to bring you regular features of what has been going on at the Learning Centre as well as regular articles written by staff, mentors and students who use the centre.
If you would like to find out more information about the work of the Learning Centre please do not hesitate to contact the Centre Manager, Jez Daniel on jez.daniel.pfs@cambridge-united.co.uk or 01223 240 191.
Please also contact the centre if you are interested in the following:
- using the centre for a private group
- Mentoring opportunities
- Sponsorship opportunities
- If you are interested in booking a school placement
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