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The Foxes have been working
in conjunction with local schools in order to deliver successful
community programmes. For example, 20 students from the Robert Smyth
School recently visited the Stadium to discuss how a business is
run as part of their A Level studies. The topics discussed included
finances, merchandising, marketing and conference and banqueting.
The Club's community mascot,
Filbert Fox, has also visited over 20 schools to sessions of Read
with Filbert to encourage children to read more often.
Press release
The advent of the European Year of Education Through Sport provided
the stimulus for two sections of Leicester City Council to get together
and come up with a scheme to boost reading in city schools. Steve
Humphries, Sports and Parks Marketing Manager for Regeneration and
Culture, and Gaynor Nash, Study Support Coordinator in the Education
and Lifelong Learning Department, had long been in agreement that
the fine sporting tradition of the city could be used to promote
learning opportunities.
Steve came up with the idea
of a series of posters featuring city sports stars linking with
local students. In each poster the star would be too interested
in a book to take part in their sport. The initial plan was to involve
the city's four professional clubs but this was soon extended to
include the city's very successful women's hockey team and Peter
Jones, former Premiership referee, representing that much-maligned
group of officials.
Steve Humphries took the idea
to the clubs, where it was warmly received, and Gaynor Nash liaised
with the schools. Soon the venture was underway and a very successful
series of launches began with a football poster featuring Leicester
City's keeper, Ian Walker, lounging against a post reading a book
while pupils from Hazel primary bagged a hatful of goals!
A basketball poster followed
this with Leicester Riders giant, John Smith, having the ball taken
from him by a diminutive student from Sir Jonathan North Community
College. A memorable launch took place at Caldecote Primary School,
the school which Riders players and officials would be visiting
to help children read.
Ollie Smith of Leicester Tigers
and Paul Nixon of Leicestershire County Cricket Club also starred
on posters before the attention turned to Peter Jones and his co-star
Ezra. Ezra, of a local Leicester primary school, had been a guest
on the football poster. He had been having problems with reading
and this had led to some behavioural difficulties and the involvement
of the Behaviour Support Team. Being treated to a tour of Leicester's
ground and tickets for a game boosted his self-esteem. His classmates
were interested in his adventure and Sue Johnson, SENCo at his school,
made a photo board of Ezra's experiences, including his starring
role being 'booked' by top referee, Peter Jones.
Ezra was the star at the launch of his poster, unveiling it in a
school assembly with his co-star, Peter Jones (see picture, left).
As a result of his new-found
love of reading, Ezra
was nominated as a Reading Champion by Sue Johnson and can be found
in the East Midland section of the Reading Champions Network.
The final poster is of Fyffes Leicester stars Ela Stachow, Helen
Richardson and Crista Cullen with pupils from Slater Primary, Helen
and Crista have starred for Great Britain while Ela is an up and
coming goalkeeper.
The posters are just part of
the push to link sport to reading as all of the clubs in the posters
have committed themselves to the Right to Read scheme. Players or
officials from the clubs are going into city primary schools in
a project organised locally by Jackie Gamble. They have all received
some specialised training and both the clubs and the children are
very excited about it.
Every city school has received a copy of each of the giant A1 sized
posters and a series of postcards to give to pupils.
Schools benefiting from the Right to Read initiative
with the sports clubs are Granby Primary, Hazel Primary,
Caldecote Primary, St John's Primary, Uplands Junior
School and Marriott Primary. The launches and the posters
have been great but it is the commitment of the reading
partners that will ultimately determine the success
of the project.
So far, the reaction from the pupils has been excellent
and the sporting partners have been delighted to see
the pupils' reading blossom.
Reading Champion:
Stephen Clemence (pdf)
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