BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION
The Arsenal Double Club was established in 1998 by Arsenal in the Community. It was named after the “double” win that year and because the project aimed to give school pupils a “double” experience, learning through football and the playing of football. It was developed because there was a need to motivate and engage pupils, particularly boys, to read and write in inner city schools. The passion for football in these schools was likely to be one way to attract their attention. Originally, it was an after school literacy programme in primary schools but over the course of the next six years, it developed and by 2004, it was being used at Key Stage 3 and other modules included numeracy, ICT and French. It had also been piloted in curriculum time at a local secondary school and it was at this point that the partnership with the DfES began.
Full time Double Club Teachers
In January 2004, four full time Arsenal teachers were placed in four London secondary schools, two in Islington and two in Tower Hamlets. This initial five month pilot was a success and was extended to seven months before a decision was made to prolong for another academic year and to add four more schools in January 2005.
This project attempted to raise the competency and motivation levels of pupils in eight London Secondary Schools by having a full time teacher associated with a professional sports club, based in the school. This was done by teaching literacy, numeracy and ICT, through the medium of football.
The experience of the Arsenal Double Club and the PFS Study Support scheme make it clear that :-
“sport is the ingredient that encourages children to participate”
Sessions included the playing of football and were delivered by strong, Arsenal, football role models. The project ran slightly differently in all eight schools, but the main “Double Club Philosophy” was at the forefront of everything that was offered to the pupils :-
To develop and increase the pupils’ competence, enjoyment and confidence with words and number by using their love of playing and interest in the game.
Arsenal Football Club is proud of their community and education work in London, England and throughout the world. The club has high standards in all that they do and it was intended that this project and the work of the teachers, reinforced these standards. This was only done through hard work, enthusiasm, an open-minded approach, good co-ordination and a strong working relationship between the schools, the Local Education Authorities, the DfES and Arsenal FC.
KEY INGREDIENTS
1. Working in the right school/s
It is vital that the schools hosting a Double Club (DC) teacher are appropriate. And have the following ingredients:-
• Large (45 + per year group) number of pupils who are “underachieving” in literacy and/or numeracy and who like football (or chosen sport)! The pupils do not need to be able players but should have an active interest. The pupils targeted tended to be level 3/weak level 4 students on entry to Year 7. At Year 8, they were often pupils who had “plateaued at level 3/4”.
• Appropriate football (sport) facilities to enable small (10-15 pupils) sessions to happen in curriculum time for, on average, two lessons each day. Ideally, this means an indoor facility so that sessions can run in all weathers. It should be noted that some of the schools chose to have some of the football sessions before school, after school and/or at lunchtimes. This obviously decreases the facility demands during curriculum time but can cause clashes with extra curricular needs.
• Supportive staff from Headteacher downwards! It is particularly important that the Physical Education, English, Mathematics, Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Ethnic Minority Advisory (EMA) departments are all “on board”. NOTE : for many pupils involved, English has not been their first language.
Also, Heads of Years/Key Stages should be keen and enthusiastic.
• Culture of football (or chosen sport) in the school
Background
The Arsenal Double Club is an innovative education and football programme which offers a range of subjects, together with football coaching. In 2005, the Double Club was awarded the “Big Tick” from Business in the Community.
Arsenal Double Clubs run in schools as after school clubs and during lesson time. They are also being used in weekend clubs, in holiday programmes, in prisons and as part of alternative education schemes. The prestige of Arsenal Football Club and the popularity of playing football is the inspiration behind the Arsenal Double Club. The aim is to raise the confidence and ability levels in various school and education subjects, through teaching resources about Arsenal and football. These sessions are combined with a parallel programme of football coaching. The Arsenal Double Club has modules in literacy, numeracy, Science, German, ICT and Geography and is currently developing nutrition, History, French, Spanish and Business Studies modules. Most of the modules are aimed at underachieving pupils at Key Stages 2 and 3 but are easily adaptable to suit other needs.
Resources
All Double Club resources are well produced and are developed in partnership with schools and education consultants. They link in with the National Curriculum and attempt to tackle school topics in a fun and football manner. The German module for example, was developed with the Goethe Institute and the Voyage, German-British Connection and uses an interview with Jens Lehmann and the World Cup in Germany as the focus for the module.
Staff
Arsenal Double Clubs are sometimes delivered by full time Arsenal in the Community teachers and coaches. Increasingly, classroom sessions are being delivered by teachers and mentors in the schools.
Volunteers
Older pupils and local students assist in the running of Double Clubs. Sixth formers (and in some cases year tens and elevens) go into local primary schools or help out in Year Seven Double Clubs in their own school. These volunteers make a significant contribution to the success of the programme.
The Arsenal Double Club package
Aside from their lessons in school, all Double Clubs are encouraged to present their pupils with tee shirts and certificates at the end of the course. This often happens in a school assembly. All Double Clubs are also invited to spend a day towards the end of their course at the Arsenal stadium. Some get involved in Double Club tournaments.
DfES Secondary School Project
Since January 2004, Arsenal in the Community has placed full time teachers in secondary schools in London in a joint venture with the DfES and local education authorities. Selected groups of pupils receive a concentrated Double Club Key Stage 3 curriculum and the results of this intensive football based programme have been very positive. As a result, in 2006-07, the DfES has asked the Arsenal Double Club to work with other clubs to establish Double Clubs in their local schools. Clubs involved, through their Playing For Success Study Support Centres, are Ipswich, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Northampton, Oldham, Portsmouth and WBA.
Other developments
On the back of the success of the DfES Pilot in secondary schools in Islington and Tower Hamlets, a full time Arsenal Science Teacher has been working in Tower Hamlets schools since September 2005. This joint project with Tower Hamlets education authority has now spread to include science teaching and football coaching in primary schools in the borough.
The Arsenal Double Club has also had twice weekly sessions in Pentonville Prison since May 2005. The learners have been writing match reports and reading and debating topical football issues in the classroom, before taking a basic course in football coaching.
For further information on the Arsenal Double Club, please contact :-
Scott Cohen
Arsenal Double Club Co-ordinator
Emirates Stadium
75 Drayton Park
London N5 1BU
Email: scohen@arsenal.co.uk
Telephone: 0207 704 4149
http://www.arsenal.com/the-club/community/arsenal-double-club
www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=The+Club&article=344356&Title=Double+Club
Enable