Football charity marks one year of supporting Brighton school

Albion in the Community (AITC) has been working with the school over the last 12 months, and held a 'blue-and-white celebration' to mark one year of the partnership.

The school was one of the first in Sussex to sign-up for the Premier League Primary Stars programme delivered by AITC. Premier League Primary Stars sees the AITC team work with staff to improve the quality and inclusivity of PE delivery and school sport, while also providing targeted, football-themed academic support in areas of numeracy and literacy.

Elsewhere at the school, AITC’s healthy lifestyle programme has encouraged dozens of pupils to take up regular exercise and swap fizzy drinks and sweets for healthier alternatives, while coaches from the charity also deliver a weekly after school football club.

And the impact of AITC’s input has not gone unnoticed. The school’s last Ofsted report praised the partnership between the school and charity, saying: “Pupils are inspired by their coaches from Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club who are also improving teachers’ confidence."

Paul Williams, AITC’s schools manager, was delighted with how the partnership had gone. He said: “Working with the staff and pupils and Moulsecoomb Primary has been an absolute pleasure and it was fantastic to join in with the blue and white celebration day.

“The enthusiasm and hard work shown by the pupils has been very impressive and the young people we have worked with are a real credit to the school.”

Adam Sutton, the school’s headteacher, was equally-enthusiastic about the work. He said: “'AITC are always in our school using football as a way of delivering an imaginative range of activities.

“At a time when school budgets are being squeezed their work plays an important role in pupils’ education. It also has the added benefit of more and more of our pupils supporting the Albion as we saw at our blue and white celebration day.”

Moulsecoomb Primary is one of 129 schools across Sussex that has worked with AITC since the start of the 2016/17 season.

AITC will be delivering the Premier League Primary Stars programme to even more local pupils this season, with 16 schools across Sussex benefiting from a term of football-themed activities.

For more information, visit: www.albioninthecommunity.org.uk