Playing for Success was an initiative in England funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, which aimed to raise literacy, numeracy and ICT standards amongst demotivated KS2 and KS3 pupils by holding out-of-school-hours study support centres at football clubs and other sports grounds. [1] The scheme began in 1997; government funding was withdrawn in 2011. [2]
Department for Children, Schools and Families was a department of the UK government, between 2007 and 2010, responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education. DCSF was replaced by the Department for Education after the change of government following the General Election 2010.
Literacy is traditionally defined by dictionaries as the ability to read and write. In the modern world, this is one way of interpreting literacy. One more broad interpretation sees literacy as knowledge and competence in a specific area. The concept of literacy has evolved in meaning. The modern term's meaning has been expanded to include the ability to use language, numbers, images, computers, and other basic means to understand, communicate, gain useful knowledge, solve mathematical problems and use the dominant symbol systems of a culture. The concept of literacy is expanding across OECD countries to include skills to access knowledge through technology and ability to assess complex contexts. A person who travels and resides in a foreign country but is unable to read or write in the language of the host country would be regarded by the locals as illiterate.
Numeracy is the ability to reason and to apply simple numerical concepts. Basic numeracy skills consist of comprehending fundamental arithmetics like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. For example, if one can understand simple mathematical equations such as 2 + 2 = 4, then one would be considered possessing at least basic numeric knowledge. Substantial aspects of numeracy also include number sense, operation sense, computation, measurement, geometry, probability and statistics. A numerically literate person can manage and respond to the mathematical demands of life.
The scheme funded Study Support Centres which used the environment and medium of football, rugby union and other sports to help motivate pupils identified by their schools as being in need of a boost to help them get back up to speed in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology. The centres were staffed by centre managers, who were qualified and experienced teachers, supported by higher education and further education students working as mentors.
Rugby union, widely known simply as rugby, is a contact team sport which originated in England in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is between two teams of 15 players using an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field with H-shaped goalposts at each end.
Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completion of secondary education. It represents levels 6, 7 and 8 of the 2011 version of the International Standard Classification of Education structure. Tertiary education at non-degree level is sometimes referred to as further education or continuing education as distinct from higher education.
The scheme started in 1997, when the Department for Education and Skills supported a small pilot which was held in FA Premier League clubs; it was extended to Division One clubs a couple of years later. This scheme was extended twice from 2004, through a partnership between the Football Foundation and the Department for Education and Skills. The extension saw new centres open around the country, mainly by involving other sports such as rugby union, rugby league, cricket, hockey, tennis, gymnastics, basketball, ice hockey and horseracing. By January 2008, 162 clubs were involved with 159 centres, benefiting 210,00 pupils to date.[ citation needed ]
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) was a United Kingdom government department between 2001 and 2007, responsible for the education system as well as children's services in England.
The Football League First Division is a former division of the Football League and from 1888 to 1992, it was the top tier division in the English football league system. Following the creation of the Premier League, it became the second tier division. It was rebranded as the Football League Championship in 2004 and in 2016 adopted its current name of the EFL Championship.
The Football Foundation is the United Kingdom’s largest sports charity, channelling funding from the Premier League, The FA and the Government into transforming the landscape of grassroots sport in England.
Funding was withdrawn in 2011 as part of the austerity measures implemented by the 2010 coalition government, in order to save £13.7m per year. [2]
The United Kingdom government austerity programme is a fiscal policy adopted in the early 21st century following the Great Recession. It is a deficit reduction programme consisting of sustained reductions in public spending and tax rises, intended to reduce the government budget deficit and the role of the welfare state in the United Kingdom. The National Health Service and education have been "ringfenced" and protected from direct spending cuts, but between 2010 and 2019 more than £30 billion in spending reductions have been made to welfare payments, housing subsidies and social services. The effects of United Kingdom austerity policies have proved controversial and the policies have received criticism from a variety of politicians and economists. Anti-austerity movements have been formed among citizens more generally.
David Cameron and Nick Clegg formed the Cameron–Clegg coalition, after the former was invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a new government, following the resignation of Prime Minister Gordon Brown on 11 May 2010. It was the first coalition government in the UK since the Churchill war ministry and was led by Cameron with Clegg as Deputy Prime Minister, composed of members of both the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats.
