Since Christmas schools have been heading to Franklin’s Gardens to take part in a variety of Study Centre programmes, including Playing for Success, junior-to-senior transition support, and PPA cover time.
This term’s schools have been Cedar Road Academy, Eastfield Academy, Queen Eleanor Primary, Delapre Primary, St Mary’s RC Primary, St Andrew’s C of E Primary, Ecton Brook and their Bellinge Campus (all Playing for Success), Thomas Becket (transition programme), and Kings Heath Primary (PPA cover).
This week saw 16 players join the youngsters in the Study Centre as part of the Playing for Success programme, answering questions and participating in workshops.
Players came from both the Senior Academy and first team squads, with names including Samu Manoa, Sam Dickinson, Kahn Fotuali’i, Mike Haywood, Tom Collins, Jamie Elliott, GJ Van Velze, Will Hooley, Ross McMillan, team manager Paul Shields and many more.
Study Centre manager Pete Austen says that the player sessions are always popular.
“One of the best things about being on site at Franklin’s Gardens is that the players are available to help us deliver our programmes,” he said. “Sometimes this means just stopping for a photo while we are taking youngsters on a stadium tour, but in a Playing for Success session they come and spend time with the school groups in the Study Centre.
“Discussion topics are always wide ranging and the questions can be sometimes be very surprising. But everyone always gets something from the sessions, especially the children themselves! The players often say our sessions are more challenging than facing the media!”
The Saints Study Centre has a wide range of programmes that can support any school, both in Northampton, the wider county and beyond. For more information about how your school can benefit from a Study Centre programme visit www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/education and head to www.saintsstudycentre.org to see what’s been going on recently!
