On Friday 30th June, children’s author Matt Goodfellow joined Archivist David Tilsley from Lancashire Archives and the pupils from Christ the King, Holy Trinity CEP, Springfield Community Primary and St Peter’s Primary to take part in a series of fun workshops and activities designed to inspire a love of reading, including a workshop with poet Matt Goodfellow, a history session on the story of a real break-in at Turf Moor in 1907 with various pieces of evidence for the children to look at, an inspiring and energetic Active Literacy session and a stadium tour.
Hosted by professional football club community organisations, Premier League Primary Stars Club Author Days are part of the Premier League’s free education programme, Premier League Primary Stars, which uses the appeal of football to help children to be active and develop essential life skills.
More than 1,000 primary school pupils across England and Wales will have the opportunity to take part in the in-person Club Author Days this year, funded by the Premier League and delivered in partnership with the National Literacy Trust. More than 144,000 pupils have also engaged with Premier League Primary Stars virtual author days this year.
Alison Whitaker, Headteacher from Holy Trinity CEP School stated “The children had an amazing time and came back full of stories and describing their tour of the stadium! They were so excited when they returned, and it was lovely to see their smiley faces. The staff also said it was THE best trip they had ever taken the kids on!”
Jim Sells, Sport and Literacy Programme Manager at the National Literacy Trust, said: “We know from our research and decades of experience that reading for enjoyment improves children’s chances of success in school and in life. Tapping into their interests helps to build this love of reading, which is why we use the motivational power of football to get children, especially those that might struggle with this key skill, into books. By bringing together local authors and football clubs, we are taking an important step towards inspiring a love of reading in children that will benefit them for a lifetime.”
National Literacy Trust research found that pupils who have author visits during the academic year are twice as likely to read above the expected level for their age and are more likely to enjoy and be confident in their reading and writing.
Premier League Primary Stars supports professional football club community organisations to create opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to experience the benefits of reading for pleasure through free of charge author visits. Nearly 400,000 young people have had the opportunity to hear from a children’s author in their local community and more than a quarter of a million free books have been gifted to young people, since Premier League Primary Stars began, thanks to the education programme’s partnership with the National Literacy Trust.
For further information please contact Lianne Bradford, Education Manager, BFCitC, lianne.bradford@burnleyfc.com
