Reading With A Side Of Football

A Literacy Programme involving Cowdenbeath FC Community Coaches attending local schools to work with primary six and seven pupils on their literacy skills has proved a hit!

The programme works with children who would benefit from additional support both with reading and their future transition to Beath High School and is currently running in four primary schools – Foulford, Hill Of Beath, Lumphinnans and Cowdenbeath.

A novel is chosen by the class teacher and eight to ten pupils meet weekly to read around the table, discuss literary features and relevant issues explored in the text.

Chair of Cowdenbeath Area Committee Cllr Mark Hood explained: “These sessions are led by the Community Coaches. The children relate to them as positive role models which allows opportunities for the children to also discuss issues related to personal and social development.

“It’s great to see first-hand what a positive effect these sessions are having, thanks to funding from the Cowdenbeath Local Community Planning Budget.”

June Bouaoun is the teacher who developed the programme. She said: “I must commend the coaches, Dean Ewing, Chris Maxwell and Callum Honeyman. Their interaction with pupils is skilful and professional and the children love reading alongside them in their Club tracksuits. The overwhelming result is that reading is viewed as something to be enjoyed!”

Three main objectives were set for the programme:

• Increasing knowledge of language and literature
• Developing reading skills &
• Providing a secure environment to help pupils gain sufficient confidence to express themselves through group discussion

June added: “We are delighted to see these objectives being met!”

Tom Ewing, Youth & Community Director for Cowdenbeath FC added: “When June approached the Club with the initial programme outline, we were delighted to become involved and we ran a short pilot to test the concept. It was immediately obvious the impression the coaches were making on the children and in turn the coaches gain a lot of satisfaction from working with them.

“We are particularly grateful to the Cowdenbeath Area Committee who provided funding to allow us to take the programme into more schools and provide further support to pupils in the area.”

(Picture shows Councillor Mark Hood and Cowdenbeath FC Community Coach Dean Ewing with pupils from the group at Cowdenbeath Primary School).