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Charlton is a club with a tradition of working closely
with its community:
CAFC regualrly take part in Kick
into Reading. They will be running a project this season, in November 2007.
The club is part of Premier
League Reading Stars.
Charlton's Football in the Community Officers have been
trained in RTG's Hour
of Literacy activities.
Reading Champions: Ben Thatcher (pdf).
Kick into Education -
March 2007
Schools from across the borough of Bexley got together
with Charlton Athletic Football Club to celebrate the
success of the Kick into Education Programme.
The scheme has been running in Bexley for six years
and CAFC have taken part for the past two years. Fifteen
primary schools, including some involved in the Reading
Is Fundamental (RIF) project run by Charlton, currently
receive regular visits from the Charlton Community Coaches.
The coaches visit schools to support and mentor targeted
pupils on a weekly basis. The aim is to raise standards
in numeracy and literacy, and to provide them with a
friendly adult to give encouragement and boost self-confidence.
Students from seven of the schools in the project were
invited along to The Valley, CAFC's home ground, to
be presented with a special achievement certificate
by Mary Swan, Contracts Manager, from Capita Local Government
Services, (sponsors of the programme). The footballers
who came along to congratulate and encourage the students
were Matt Holland, Grant Basey, Nick Baxter and Don
Simmonds.
To find out more about the Kick into Education programme
contact Jean Tither, Bexley Education Business Partnership
on 020 8836 8346 or Sean Daly, Charlton Community Scheme
on 020 8850 2866 Here is a press release about some of 2003's activities: It's Story time at The Valley
Over 200 pupils, reading volunteers and teachers experienced
the thrill of walking into the Valley Stadium, Charlton,
recently, when they met to celebrate the success of
Bexley Education Business Partnership's 'Open Book Reading
and Number Partners Scheme'. The unique opportunity to feel the excitement of entering
the stadium to the sound of football chants and songs
from the PA system, was given to eight schools on Thursday
20 March 2003. The occasion, which recognized the work
of two schemes that support children with poorer reading
and number skills, was made even more special by the
surprise appearance of Charlton's midfield player, Chris
Bart Williams. Chris chatted with the children, signed
autographs and presented certificates. The children were taken on a tour of the Valley Stadium
and then settled down for a story-time session with
professional story maker and teller, Karen Tovell. The
audience was captivated as Karen used all manner of
effects and visual aids to demonstrate the power of
words and reading. The coaching staff from Charlton Athletic Community
Scheme, under the guidance of Sean Daly, have been putting
their footballing skills aside to help children at Abbey
Primary, Normandy Primary, Days Lane Primary and Birkbeck
Primary schools, twice a week with their reading and
numeracy skills. The children really enjoy their visits
and work very well with the visitors from the club. Cllr Trevor Perrin, Cabinet Member for Education and
Lifelong Learning, himself a keen Charlton supporter,
is delighted with the success of the schemes. He says: "The children that have come here today, have all benefited
from the excellent work carried out by Sean Daly and
his team. Volunteers work closely with teachers at the
schools to make the learning experience fun, interesting
and worthwhile." The successful Open Book Project, which is almost ten
years old and the Number Partners scheme are really
helping children, aged seven to 11 years old, to gain
confidence and self-esteem, proving to youngsters that
they can learn and achieve success, while enjoying their
lessons. ENDS Notes for Editors The objective of the Bexley Open
Book Project, launched in 1994, is to improve reading
abilities in pupils whose reading age is significantly
below their anticipated level. The scheme provides children
with the opportunity to spend one-to-one time with a
reading partner, during their normal class periods.
Reading partners undergo a training programme and meet
with the children once or twice a week for about 20
minutes. The children's progress is monitored and recorded.
More than 20 schools in the Borough have introduced
the scheme. The Number Partners scheme was launched
in 2002, at the request of schools, following the success
of the reading scheme and provides children with extra
tuition in using number. The scheme, managed by Bexley's
Education Business Partnership, has been launched in
20 of the borough's schools and continues to thrive. Top
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