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Study Centre Wins National Innovation Award
The Extra Time @ SUFC Study Support Centre has won the FA’s National Innovation Award for 2007 for its 3 Lions FC Learning Centre. The centre beat off stiff competition to win the ‘Education through Football’ category at a recent awards ceremony in London.
Over the last two summers , the centre, based at Southend United’s Roots Hall stadium, has worked in partnership with the Essex County Football Association and the FA to deliver England football themed activities to targeted groups of 10-12 year olds using the FA’s ‘3 Lions’ brand.
The week long schemes invited pupils selected by their schools because they have little or no interest in football or because the school felt they would benefit from confidence building activities to participate in a range of fun classroom based and physical activities. As much as possible, children accessed the resources in and around the stadium as well as took part in activities in the centre’s state of the art ICT suite and Priory Park.
As well as provide an introduction to the game, children that attended brushed up on their literacy, numeracy and computer skills.
Centre Manager, Simon Bell, said, “Winning the award has meant a great deal to us. Since the centre opened in 2005, we have tried to put ourselves at the forefront of creative and innovative teaching and learning in Southend. This is recognition of all that hard work and the strong partnerships we have formed.”
Frank Gulley, Head teacher of one of the schools involved in the 3 Lions project; Temple Sutton Primary School, is a great enthusiast of the centre and said, “It is one of the best educational developments we have had. You can see how successful it is when none of the children pull out. We have also seen a definite improvement in their educational standards when they came back to school”.
Pupils attending the project over the last two summers have benefited from high-profile visitors and role-models. England players, Faye White and Mary Phillip have both spent a day with pupils as has Sir Trevor Brooking and the Southend United Manager Steve Tilson and Goalkeeper Steve Collis.
The Study Support Centre is a partnership between Southend Borough Council, Southend United FC and the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
Simon Bell hoped that the award would mean that the scheme could be extended next year. “Like all these things”, he said, “we only received limited funding in the first place. Hopefully, we can secure future funding so that we can build upon our initial success and ensure that the project can continue to go from strength to strength.”
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