Pupils at Westgate Academy Junior School and Sir Francis Hill Community Primary enjoyed a visit from apprentices from Lincoln City Football Club recently when they took time out of their training schedule to promote the importance of reading in schools.
The players were briefed initially by school staff in the art of one-to-one guided reading before working individually with pupils, listening to them read from their chosen books as part of their ongoing reading studies.
Sandy Khanna, who oversees the reading curriculum at Sir Francis Hill, said, “The children loved meeting these young footballers.”
“Wearing the Lincoln City tracksuit means they are role models for pupils – especially those motivated by sport – and it was lovely to see the players talking to our pupils and asking them about what they enjoyed about school and about the books they had chosen.”
“We really hope that we can continue this partnership and the pupils can’t wait for the players to come in to our school again.”
Damian Froggatt, Academy Manager at Lincoln, was full of praise for the initiative. “We believe that developing social responsibility is a huge part of our young footballers’ education. Whatever career path they take once they have completed their scholarship, it’s important we try to instil core life values into the players,” he said.
“Using sport is a fantastic way to inspire young people to work hard in their education. Plus, building community partnerships is what this football club is all about. Hopefully we have helped not only to inspire these youngsters with their reading, but also found some supporters of the future at the same time.”
