Gills Learning Our Way (GLOW)

(Managed by Gillingham Football Club)

Every Child Matters outcomes met:

• being healthy

• enjoying and achieving

• making a positive contribution

The GLOW project uses football as a vehicle to enhance pupils’ self-esteem and achievement, by encouraging a positive attitude to learning. Gillingham Football Club’s Community scheme works closely with schools through the curriculum, using football as a vehicle to many aspects of school and social life. Football coaches work in the classroom with the students, helping them with their literacy and numeracy as well as being a role model for a number of the children. The innovative methods used include picking fantasy league teams, writing letters to players and organising a sponsored penalty shoot-out. Research had shown that the gap between boys’ and girls’ educational attainment was wider than the norm and that attendance needed to be improved.

A small trial with three schools in 2001 provided evidence of significant impact on educational standards and a wider and longer pilot was needed. The pilot project, also funded by CFM until March 2005, worked with children for one term only. The new project (expanded in March 2006) worked with the schools right through the academic year, which enabled better evaluation. Over the last seven years it has been proved that football can be used as a positive tool towards confidence building, self-esteem and communication and these facts as well as the education programme are important in the success of this project. From past experience the children that GLOW has been able to work with have improved in their schoolwork as well as being a lot more confident with themselves and with other people.  Schools in which GLOW was delivered from September 2006 to March 2007: Elaine Primary, Kingfisher Primary, Lordswood Infant, Lordswood Junior, Saxon Way Primary, St James CE Primary & Warren Wood Primary.

Future strategy will be to sustain delivery through schools contributions, grants and local authority support.

Impact Evaluation

Independent Evaluation - Full Report(212KB)   Independent Evaluation. - Summary(37KB)