Exeter City FC's Football in the Community Charitable Trust is to pilot a new three-year learning engagement project in conjunction with ATASS Respect, working with children attending schools in the area.
The Kick Start programme aims to support 30 children each year who may be at risk of disengaging from education for various reasons. Those who will be invited on to the programme will have shown a capacity to respond to alternative methods of learning, but could be vulnerable to low levels of academic achievement.
A year-long pilot exercise will be split into the usual three academic terms, with children from two different schools attending for a 12-13 week course together.
Learning groups of 10 children will attend a weekly workshop and education session at St James's Park, where they will gain new skills and experiences as part of an individualised learning programme. Included in the targets will be improvements in literacy and numeracy, together with a keen focus on healthy eating and cooking, personal finance and communication. There will also be a full programme of physical activities to run in conjunction with the workshops.
The project is being supported by a voluntary steering group, which includes local teachers and experts in education together with Vanessa Cobb, of ATASS Respect, and Jamie Vittles, of Exeter City's Football in the Community Charitable Trust.
"This is a very exciting opportunity for us to be involved with delivering this pilot programme," said Jamie.
"Research suggests that concentrated efforts to re-engage children in Years 8 and 9 could give them a far greater chance of success in gaining GCSE qualifications.
"We have seen first-hand through our Creating Chances project the benefits to be gained by those who have previously found it hard to engage with education when they are learning in non-traditional surroundings such as a football club and we have high hopes that the Kick Start programme will have a positive effect on these children."
Vanessa said: "We're delighted to be facilitating this unique opportunity. Education and sport are equally important to us in our core activities and this project brings the two together in a very worthwhile way."
