Playing for success celebration
AFTER helping over 10,000 children raise their educational standards, a celebration is being held this week marking 10 years of Playing for Success centres.
AFTER helping over 10,000 children raise their educational standards, a celebration is being held this week marking 10 years of Playing for Success centres.
Based within top sports clubs' and sporting venues, Playing for Success is an out of school hours initiative organised by Norfolk County Council that uses sport to boost learning.
The centres are based at locations including Cliff Park High School in Gorleston, Norwich City Football Club, North Walsham Rugby Football Club and King's Lynn Stars Speedway Club. Each focuses on raising standards in literacy, numeracy and ICT, mainly amongst under-achieving key stage 2 and key stage 3 learners.
The council recently became an official partner of Norwich City and sponsors' the club's Youth Academy and Girls' Centre of Excellence.
The first centre was set up at Carrow Road in 1999 and the East Norfolk PfS Associate Centre at Cliff Park opened earlier this year.
From 2003, the programme started being transferred into mainstream schools - with Specialist Sports College status operating sessions on site.
Most Read
- 1 Mixed feelings for traders as they move into Great Yarmouth's new market
- 2 Drone shots show British warship anchored off Yarmouth ahead of Jubilee
- 3 Rollesby mum shares heartbreak after death of her seven-year-old daughter
- 4 Six arrested after Willow the dog finds 'substantial' quantity of drugs
- 5 Green light for new Sainsbury's store on 850-home estate
- 6 Tributes to 'wonderful' school head who loved to see children learn
- 7 Work begins on £3m Great Yarmouth council flats development
- 8 Hero boxer rescues man who plunged into river to save dog
- 9 Crews called to collapsed walker on remote Norfolk Broads' path
- 10 Pleasure Beach to hold fireworks spectacular for Queen's Platinum Jubilee
Further venues other than those based at sports clubs are being encouraged to adopt a PfS inspired programme.
Shelagh Hutson, county council cabinet member for children's services, said: "It is really pleasing to see just how far this project has come over the last ten years. We are very innovative in Norfolk in the way in which we inspire our children and young people.
"For some, sport has a way of capturing their attention better than other areas of the curriculum. It can be a fantastic way to raise the aspirations and skills of young people who aren't being effectively reached by more mainstream schooling, and helps also to build these children's general confidence and self esteem.”
