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Motivating boys to read has been in the headlines following
growing evidence that, overall, boys are falling behind girls
in achievement. This has led many schools to look for role
models to encourage boys (and girls) to read. What better
place to start than with local sporting heroes? As the UK's
most popular sport, much of this activity is focused on football.
In 1994 The National Literacy Trust approached the Professional
Footballers Association to get its support for posters showing
well-known footballers such as Ian Wright reading. This was
followed by a further set of posters during the National Year
of Reading (see resources below). Reading
Is Fundamental, UK, based at the NLT, has also utilised
football clubs as a way of reaching out to the community and
involving them in reading activity. Building on these contacts,
the NLT is running Reading The Game.
At a national level, the Government's Playing for Success
scheme works to motivate pupils through study support centres
at sports clubs (see evaluation reports below). Throughout
the National Year of Reading many Premier League and First
Division Clubs joined in the scheme and others joined in local
partnerships, for example with libararies or LEAs, to promote
reading.
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News update
Resources
Reports
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Articles from Literacy
Today
Initiatives
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Ten Premier League and Football League clubs have teamed up
with the Government to sign on fans wanting to improve their
literacy, language or numeracy skills.
Supporters of Premier League clubs Manchester United, Liverpool,
Everton, Newcastle United, Charlton Athletic, Wigan Athletic,
and Football League sides Norwich City, Leicester City, Brighton
& Hove Albion and Bristol City will be able to hone their
learning skills either at their club or local college.
The 'Heading for Success' project will use the power of football
to attract adults into learning, for example, learning maths
by understanding transfer fees or the battle to avoid relegation,
or improving reading and writing by producing match reports
or analysing commentary.
Skills Minister, Phil Hope said:"We want to use the popularity
of football to encourage adults to improve their skills and
transform their lives both at home and at work. Although over
one and a quarter million people have returned to learning and
gained a qualification under our Skills for Life campaign, there
are still many more people who could benefit.
Working with football clubs is a great way to reach out to people
who might otherwise feel awkward about returning to learning.
Now these first 10 clubs and learning providers have committed
to the programme we plan to sign up more for the start of the
new season."
Sir Trevor Brooking, FA Head of Football Development, said:
"Fans have a great loyalty to their club - and it is great
to see some of the top clubs using this to help improve the
literacy and numeracy skills in their local community. We hope
this initiative will help people realise that it's never too
late to learn as an adult. Anyone wanting to sign up for a free
adult literacy or numeracy course should call 0800 100 900 and
mention 'Heading for Success'."
The 10 clubs will work with a local college or learning provider
to offer adult education in a branded classroom, either at the
college or within the club grounds. Football-themed learning
materials will also be available. More leading football clubs
are expected to join the scheme later in the year.
(DfES press release, 9 March 2006)
Sports
reporting scheme boosts literacy skills
Six young people living in west London have been given a
chance to improve their literacy skills, while also testing
their rugby commentary skills, as part of a collaborative
project by the BBC, London Wasps Rugby Club and young people's
homelessness support service the Foyer Federation. The Tackling
Skills scheme offered the young people a nine-week training
programme using sports reporting to boost their literacy and
communication skills. The programme culminated on 5 May 2002
with the budding reporters' coverage of London Wasps' match
against Northampton Saints at Loftus Road.
Initiated by the Foyer Federation, the scheme is the first
to use sports reporting to boost the literacy and communication
skills of disadvantaged young people aged 16-25. It is hoped
that the scheme will be rolled out to all Premiership clubs.
During the programme, participants visited BBC TV Centre to
see first hand how professional journalists cover matches,
and to receive advice from BBC Sports mentors, as part of
the involvement of the BBC's Training and Development team,
skillsXchange. Training in interviewing techniques, research
and reporting formed part of the project, as did guidance
on the use of digital recording equipment.
Speaking about the opportunities presented by the programme,
Ayam, from Jupiter House Foyer, said: "Interviewing rugby
stars I've seen on TV was really awesome. But I've now discovered
that I can communicate effectively with others around me.
I now want to use these skills to get a job as a journalist.
Andrew Page, head of fundraising and business partnerships,
said: "The work of the Foyer Federation is aimed at opening
doors for young homeless people - not just by giving them
a roof over their heads, but also by tackling the root causes
of their homelessness. Often these include a lack of educational,
training or job opportunities, and that's why we are pleased
to take the lead on this pilot project."
Toni Smyth, community development manager at London Wasps,
said: "London Wasps Community Development team and players
are thrilled to be involved in this unique project. Tackling
Skills allows young people to use professional rugby as the
vehicle through which to improve a number of key skills. Partnership
projects such as these are essential in helping young people
gain essential skills for their futures."
(Regeneration and Renewal, 10 May 2002 and Foyer Federation
press release, 15 May 2002)
Football
star backs university roadshow
Footballer star Stephen Gerrard, who missed playing in the
World Cup team due to injury, has added impetus to a government
drive to encourage state school pupils to consider university.
He has endorsed the Aimhigher roadshow - a tour of English
schools to provide information to 13 to 19-year-olds about
higher education.
(TES, 14 June 2002)
Using
the furore generated by football autobiographies to win new
readers
In The Bookseller on 30 August 2002, reading promoter and
author Tom Palmer wrote about how publishers and booksellers
can use the furore generated by recent football autobiographies
such as those by Roy Keane and David O'Leary to reach new
readers:
Boys and young men are a notoriously tough market for publishers.
And for parents. As a child, I rejected all the books that
were put in front of me. Only my support of Leeds United got
me into reading: newspapers, magazines - and then books. If
it was about Leeds United then I read it over and over; once
I got the habit, I started reading more broadly. Now I work
with libraries, bookshops and literature festivals to promote
reading through football and to develop new readers.
The schemes started last year when I worked with the sports
centre in Pudsey, West Yorkshire, on a short festival of sports
writing. We held celebrity author events, poetry readings
and ran book promotions with the local library service. We
hit our target: getting sports fans - mostly men ad boys -
to come to a book festival.
This year Bradford Library set up a football reading/writing
group, holding meetings away from the library in a pub. Eight
men gather once a fortnight to talk about football books.
Most of them have started writing seriously - already there's
a memoir and a film script under way.
Now the Arts Council has awarded a £7,000 grant to
take a football reading tour, Booked!, to Manchester, Liverpool,
Leeds, Sheffield and Middlesbrough. The events, held in the
bars of sport centres, will feature a debate between a local
sports journalist and a football celebrity with a new book
to plug. The celebrity will draw in the crowds; then we will
talk about reading. There will be football writing groups
and a football reading website. Booked! aims to develop new
audiences for reading events, at which people who may feel
uncomfortable in libraries and bookshops will feel at ease.
(The Bookseller, 30 August 2002)
Playing for Success: an evaluation of
the fourth year
National Foundation for Education Research on behalf of
the Department for Education and Skills, April 2003, reference
RR402, £4.95
Playing for Success aims to help improve educational standards,
particularly in urban areas, by setting up study support centres
in professional football clubs and other sports venues. Using
the medium and environment of sport to support literacy, numeracy
and ICT, the scheme places a strong emphasis on improving
pupils' attitudes and motivation to learn. This evaluation
showed that, during its fourth year, Playing for Success significantly
improved the reading comprehension scores of secondary pupils,
by the equivalent of about six months. Primary pupils' reading
scores also improved, although not quite enough to be statistically
significant. Numeracy and ICT skills showed significant improvement
across both age ranges. Analysis of those taking part shows
that Playing for Success also reached its target group of
underachieving pupils: the initial reading and numeracy comprehension
scores of those taking part were well below the level expected
for their age. Researchers identified the football/sports
clubs setting as one of the key factors for the initiative's
success. It motivated pupils to become involved and made them
feel privileged to be selected, rather than singled out as
in need of extra help.
Hard copies can be purchased from DfES Publications on 0845
60 222 60. A free research brief is also available, reference
RB402. Both can be downloaded from www.dfes.gov.uk/research.
Playing for Success: an evaluation of
the second year
Department for Education and Skills, September 2001, £4.95
Playing for Success is a DfES-funded scheme to develop study
support centres in football and other sports clubs. It was
set up in 1998 to focus on enhancing pupils' performance and
motivation to learn, particularly for those who need extra
support in literacy and numeracy at key stages 2 and 3. This
evaluation, carried out by the National Foundation for Education
Research on behalf of the DfES, is based on information gathered
during 1999-2000 from 12 centres in English football clubs.
Just over a half of those attending were boys, just under
a quarter had special educational needs and just under a quarter
qualified for free school meals. However, improvements in
literacy, numeracy and motivation were found regardless of
age, gender, ethnicity, deprivation and special needs.
Hard copies can be purchased from DfES Publications on 0845
60 222 60. A free research brief is also available, reference
RB291. Both can be downloaded from www.dfes.gov.uk/research.
Sport. A leap into learning?
Fiona Aldridge, NIACE, 2002, £7.95.
This report, based on a survey of over 6,000 adults, provides
a breakdown of who participates in various sports, their motivation
for learning and how this links into learning.
It found that while learning new things is not usually the
main motivation for watching or participating in sport, their
interest in it had led many respondents into learning of some
kind. Reading books or magazines was the second most popular
way of learning more about a chosen team or sport (mentioned
by 34%), after listening to radio or watching television (78%).
Interestingly, 64% of those who say that they have learned
more about the sport or club that they follow as a result
of their interest in sport also claim that they have not studied
or learned since leaving full-time education. This suggests
that sport could prove a useful basis for engaging in learning
adults who would not otherwise be likely to participate.
Visit www.niace.org.uk or
contact NIACE on 0116 204 4200.
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