Impact Stories

Pupils at Summerlea in Rustington always have a smile on their face when they see a BHAFC Foundation tutor walk through the door.

One of those tutors is Louis MacAndrews, who works in the school every Friday.

His job is to carry out one of the BHAFC Foundation’s most important missions: to use the star power of the Premier League to inspire children in the classroom and give them more opportunities in life.

Summerlea Community Primary School is just one of about 150 schools across Sussex that the charity supports, and hundreds of pupils there have learned from a Foundation tutor in one way or another over the past few years.

One of the newer programmes the Foundation runs at Summerlea is called PlayHers, which forms part of the charity’s efforts to get lots more women and girls across Sussex playing football.

The success of the Albion women’s first team – particularly in reaching the FA Cup final for the first time – alongside the growing success and popularity of the Lionesses has seen a real growth in the number of younger girls interested in trying out football. The challenge then become to keep them interested, get them playing regularly outside of school, and to help develop future generations to come.

Louis was full of appreciation for the staff and pupils at Summerlea, who he has worked closely with during his time at the Foundation.

“Summerlea has been really amazing, we’ve got a great relationship with the school,” Louis said.

He went on to explain why the Foundation decided to start running PlayHers: “As part of Premier League Primary Stars, we also have the PlayHers programme. PlayHers encourages girls to play together and learn how to play football for the first time, building their confidence, self esteem, and football skills.

“It’s important that we can do this in a school environment where the girls are comfortable, and we hope that as a result we’ll see more girls start to play football outside of school.

“The girls make new friends playing with other pupils they might not ordinarily mix with, and they develop other important attributes like resilience, empathy, and respect.”

Bringing a football, an Albion badge, or the star quality of the Premier League into a school environment is at the heart of the Foundation’s educational work – bringing something new and exciting into a familiar setting for a child.

“I think the Foundation offers a lot to the schools we work with, we can make a difference with some pupils that might be harder for teachers to reach.”

Joe Todd, Headteacher at Summerlea, echoed Louis’ thoughts.

“The Brighton badge definitely helps, it’s very exciting for the children,” Mr Todd said.

“Even after the badge has worn off, Louis is still different and unique and has that magic factor, the children really love having him.

“The precision teaching that the Foundation can give – we have some brilliant staff here but we can’t replicate what they bring.”

Since Mr Todd arrived in his position, the school has leapt at every chance to get involved with activities or programmes the Foundation has to offer.

“We’ve had the Foundation involved here for about three years and the impact has been sensational,” he said.

“We’ve been involved in the Cross-Curriculum Cup, we take part in the Albion Cup, we were lucky enough to be the starting point for kitman Buzz and the team on their charity walk across Sussex last year.

“We always feel like we’re thought of by the Foundation, and it makes us feel very special.”

Mrs Galpin, assistant headteacher, also commented: “PlayHers has had a positive impact on the confidence, participation, and engagement of the pupils. By providing a supportive, inclusive environment, the programme has encouraged girls who may have previously been reluctant to play football at school to develop their skills and enjoy playing regularly.

“The children have demonstrated improvements in teamwork, communication, resilience, and self-belief, and we see them speaking positively about themselves and others following each session. The girls have become more willing to challenge themselves, support their peers, and take on leadership roles.”

The headteacher was particularly appreciative of Louis’ efforts at his school.

“Louis is amazing and we’re really lucky to have him here,” Mr Todd said.

“He’s really patient, able to adapt his style depending on which children he’s working with, really motivational, very calm and measured.

“He oozes the values of the Foundation and we’re very happy to have him.”

As well as PlayHers, Summerlea pupils also take part in

• Premier League Primary Stars, the Foundation’s largest education programme which aims to teach key skills in maths and literacy.
• PLPS tournaments, which add a competitive element to the programme’s football elements and give children in Year 6 the chance to compete against other schools all over the country.
• PE lessons, which can include football activities but cover all areas of the national curriculum for PE.
• PSHE workshops, which often focus on key Premier League campaigns like No Room For Racism or Rainbow Laces, giving a context that children recognise for topics which might be confusing or uncomfortable.
• Enrichment days, which take children out of their schools and give them a chance to take part in activities or projects designed to stretch their minds and work together creatively.

Two of the pupils Louis works with, Amelia and Olivia, spoke about their experiences of learning in BHAFC Foundation PlayHers lessons.

“We play matches and games, they’re competitive and you get to play against your friends and see who’s better – but my team always wins,” said Amelia.

“I’ve been playing since I was about three. I want to play for Barcelona women’s team one day.

“We really like Louis, he’s funny. My favourite part of the Foundation sessions is having new challenges, it’s really fun.”

Olivia added: “Our Foundation sessions help us improve our dribbling and help us with our communication when we’re playing in matches.

“I really like how Mr MacAndrews always encourages us and makes us feel safe and happy. I also like how he makes us look forward to the next session. I think I definitely improved my teamwork and trust my teammates more.

“Before, I used to keep the ball to myself but now I’m getting used to passing to my teammates.”

Louis said about the pair: “It’s been amazing to work with all the pupils at this school, but Amelia and Olivia in particular have really stood out as strong role models within the group.

“They’re both really enthusiastic about football, they want to get better, want to learn, and they’ve been a pleasure to work with.

“Olivia always shows fantastic enthusiasm and excitement at PlayHers sessions, and she’s a real example of showing good teamwork, respect, and treating people equally.

“These sessions have proved to be a huge confidence boost for her and for a lot of the other pupils, and a lot of them have come to us expressing an interest in training together and continuing to play outside of school, which is exactly what we hoped for.”

On Olivia, Mr Todd added: “Olivia was very good as a player last year, but she was quite quiet and a little reserved.

“She came to a football tournament with us yesterday, and her confidence has really grown. She scored our first goal yesterday.

“I look at her and think she’s really developed, not only as a player but as a person too, she’s a part of the team, really confident, and the Foundation has been so impactful for her.”