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Playing for success (Study Support Centres)

The QPR Study Support Centre continues to go from strength to strength after November and December of 2008 saw a new intake of students from Greenside, Pope John, Good Shepherd and Addison Primary Schools, with each group attending a six-week after school study support programme.

By working independently and as part of a team, students take part in a number of activities and challenges that aimed to improve Numeracy, Literacy and ICT skills. Students were encouraged to show a positive and confident attitude to learning.

Some of the activities on offer included budgeting in the QPR Superstore, performing and analysing fitness tests, creative writing and researching, and creating player profiles.

The Study Support Centre (SSC) is a joint project between QPR Football Club, Hammersmith & Fulham Council and the DfES.

Established at Loftus Road in 1998, the SSC works with students from the local community to help improve key skills using football as a learning tool and motivation.

Young people attend the centre after school and have a modern classroom and the latest teaching techniques to help them improve their grades and attitude to learning.

The free study support sessions are targeted at students aged between 10 to 14 and run Monday to Thursday. Local children and young people are offered places on 10-week programmes at the centre via their schools.

During the final week of the most recent programme, we were very pleased to welcome a number of First Team players to the centre. Damien Delaney, Kaspars Gorkss and Hogan Ephraim attended the final session and presented students with certificates and prizes.

Looking forward to 2009, there are several exciting programmes running at the SSC. We will be working in partnership with both Fulham and Chelsea to deliver a joint study support programme across the three Clubs.

As part of our secondary school work, we are piloting the BBC School Report initiative, in which students are given expert tuition on journalism that they use to produce their own news reports. If successful, they may have their report broadcast on BBC Radio Five Live.

Also on offer at the study support centre is the Junior Football Organiser (JFO) program - a Football Association accredited badge for young people wishing to pursue a career as a football coach. Participants learn about health and safety, child protection and how to run a coaching session. This leads up to an event, which involves the young people organising, managing and delivering a football festival for young people from the local area.

Previously, thanks to the soccer schools' programme, young people assisted the Football in the Community coaches to run training sessions at GOALS venues.

The very best graduates will be offered a chance to work towards their Football Association level 1 badge.

On completion, they become fully qualified coaches and may be given the opportunity to work for QPR as a member of their community coaching staff. This programme has been funded by QPR SSC and John Lyon's Charity. Pre and post testing was used to monitor student progress and following the completion of the programme students and parents were able to feedback on the success of the centre.

This term:

• 100% of attending students enjoyed the programme
• 92% stating they enjoyed it ‘very much’
• 92% of students felt their literacy skills had improved
• 90% felt their Numeracy skills had improved