Dale In The Community Trust receives funding for Primary Stars Programme

Rochdale players Joe Thompson and Jim McNulty visited Newhey Primary School as part of the Primary Stars Programme last season.

The Dale in the Community Trust has been awarded £80,000 over the next two years by the Premier League Charitable Fund (PLCF) to continue delivering the Primary Stars Programme.

The Primary Stars Programme aims to increase children’s participation and enjoyment in sport and physical activity in targeted schools. It also aims to:

• Promote the added benefits of sport and physical activity in literacy, maths and PSHE in local schools;
• Increase participation in PE Football and sport activities;
• Enhance teacher’s knowledge, skills and confidence to deliver high quality PE and school sports. 

The Trust’s Siobhan McElhinney commented: “After an extremely successful first year of the Premier League Primary Stars, we have been given the opportunity to have another two years.

“We’ll be taking the programme into schools in Rochdale to mentor teachers. Dale First Team players will visit those schools to underpin the sessions delivered by the Trust. There will be a practical session followed by an educational session in the schools.”

The Trust wants to get more children in Rochdale physically active, by playing football and other sports, and wants to support local schools and teachers in order for them to deliver more of this work themselves.

This involves:

• Working with local schools to raise standards with regards to PE delivery in schools and to ensure that children in our area are given the best possible start with regards to PE and school sport
• Providing PE lessons in targeted schools to engage more children in football, sport and physical activity.
• Signposting ‘gifted and talented’ children to our development centre to further develop skills and inspire ambitions.
• Mentoring teachers through PE lessons to give them skills to continue lessons. Hosting CPD events and inviting teachers/teaching assistants to attend as this will hopefully give them skills to continue the sports delivery.
• Delivering numeracy and PSHE programmes with information linked to football, sport and physical activity.