- Ava started her journey through Premier League Primary Stars sessions
- She has since joined in with national competitions and focus groups
- Finding her love of the environment has boosted her confidence ahead of secondary school
- Sandfield Close Primary School praises the flexibility of the Premier League-funded programme
Funded by the Premier League Charitable Fund (PLCF), Premier League Primary Stars sees Leicester City in the Community coaches deliver a variety of interventions across primary schools in Leicestershire, including P.E., reading, PSHE and maths interventions.
Ava, a Year 6 pupil at Sandfield Close Primary School, has been particularly impacted by Primary Stars Coach Jordan and his presence around her school.
“When I was working with her in the Premier League Reading Stars sessions, she was asking quite a few questions about some of the competitions that I’d promoted in school,” Jordan explained.
“She has engaged with all of the competitions we’ve done so far, including being top of the national leader board for Planet League, where she had to complete tasks at home.
“We’ve done a lot of work with her and tried to push her out of her comfort zone, as we have noticed that she is really passionate about the subject.”
Away from in-school competitions, Ava has taken part in a variety of exciting environmental sustainability-themed opportunities with Leicester City in the Community.
Taking place at King Power Stadium, Ava assisted her classmates with designing and making hedgehog houses and bug hotels, which LCFC’s Wout Faes and Danny Ward supported with, too.
Over the Easter break, Ava also had the opportunity to travel down to the capital for a Protect The Planet conference at Premier League HQ. Meeting young people from various Community Club Organisations up and down the country, Ava was encouraged to discuss the work that she had completed at school.
“I know the experience was pretty daunting for her to begin with,” Jordan revealed. “With her being quite a shy character, it was another building block in her confidence to go to an event like that and speak to people she didn’t know – she did really well.”
Based in Rushey Mead, Sandfield Close is one school that benefits from this programme, but in more ways than just football and sport. Sima Odedra, Year 6 Teacher at Sandfield Close, praised the Premier League-funded programme.
“’Although you would associate PL Primary Stars with sport, there’s a lot that they’re doing aside from sport to help contribute to other areas,” Sima said. “I think for Ava in particular, that’s actually beneficial.
“These opportunities are incredible because they really help to develop her sense of independence – she’s seemed really enthusiastic to actually make a difference.”
Next academic year, Ava is heading to secondary school, and will hope to continue her Protect The Planet journey. You can watch Ava’s story HERE.
To find out more about the Premier League Primary Stars programme, please contact Primary Stars Coordinator, Glenn Short: glenn.short@lcfc.co.uk.