Rotherham United

Premier League launches most ambitious community programme in aim to connect with 10,000 primary schools by 2019

• Premier League Primary Stars will provide free curriculum-linked teaching resources for girls and boys aged 5-11

• Free to download lesson plans, activities and video content are designed to inspire learning in Maths, English, PE and Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE)

• National programme will expand in-school support for teachers provided by 88 Premier League and English Football League clubs in England and Wales

• New campaign sees the Premier League also launch its first ever national advertising campaign featuring Kevin De Bruyne, Gary Cahill, Eric Dier, Sadio Mané, Juan Mata, José Mourinho, and Theo Walcott

The Premier League has today launched Premier League Primary Stars, a national curriculum-linked education programme which uses the appeal of the Premier League and professional football clubs to inspire children to learn, be active and develop important life skills.

This is the Premier League’s most ambitious community programme to date and aims to support 10,000 primary schools by 2019.

The Premier League Primary Stars resources, have been created in partnership with industry experts Edcoms and the PSHE Association, National Literacy Trust and other key stakeholders. Children’s authors Cressida Cowell (‘How to Train Your Dragon’ series) and Dan Freedman (‘Jamie Johnson’ series) helped create the programme’s English resources, while Sky Sports presenter and mathematician Rachel Riley is a consultant in the development of Maths teaching resources.

This content adds to the existing support professional football clubs provide to primary schools and their local communities and will offer a free downloadable suite of resources for teachers across Key Stages 1 and 2 in English, Maths, PE and PSHE.

The launch of Premier League Primary Stars also sees the Premier League unveil its first ever national advertising campaign which will air from Sunday 2 April across television, cinema, and social media channels. The advert features top Premier League names including Kevin De Bruyne, Gary Cahill, Eric Dier, Sadio Mané, Juan Mata, José Mourinho, and Theo Walcott, who joined children at primary schools across the UK to recite the poem “Try, Try Again” by T.H. Palmer.

Creative agency Y&R London have worked closely with the Premier League to create the advert which is reflective of its recent rebrand, its more inclusive tone of voice, and which highlights core values from the Premier League Primary Stars programme – to be ambitious, connected, fair and inspiring.

Richard Scudamore, Executive Chairman, Premier League added:
“We are very excited to launch Premier League Primary Stars, our new national education programme that will use the power and popularity of football to inspire children to work hard and enjoy English, Maths and a range of other subjects.

“Our clubs already do great work in primary schools, and Premier League Primary Stars will support and enhance that work with educational resources for teachers, books from celebrated children’s authors, and much more.

“We want to support 10,000 primary schools in England and Wales by 2019 and we hope that our first national TV advertising campaign, including star names from our clubs, will capture the imagination of parents, teachers and children and encourage them to sign-up to Premier League Primary Stars.”

Arsenal footballer, Theo Walcott, who stars in the advertising campaign stated:
“As a dad of two boys, I was very keen to support the Premier League’s Primary Stars community programme. I hope this programme can have a very positive influence on the education of young children across the country.”

Rachel Riley, who has helped to create the Premier League Primary Stars maths resources, said:
“Maths is a subject that a lot of young people find challenging and is often dismissed as boring. What I love about the resources we’ve developed for the Premier League Primary Stars programme is that it makes maths relevant to children’s everyday lives.

“I’ve seen the reaction from children using the lesson plans – they are excited, interested and engaged. I think this is a fantastic programme that will undoubtedly inspire children to learn but also give teachers the tools to be creative with their lessons. Anything that excites primary school children about maths gets a gold star from me.

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