Communities

Literacy levels on the rise thanks to Everton and PL Inspires

4 Apr 2023

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As part of the Premier League Supports campaign, we are highlighting the impact of Premier League investment on wider football and communities.

Everton

James Tarkowski and Dwight McNeil have seen how Everton in the Community (EitC) is using the Premier League Inspires programme to improve literacy and creative writing when they joined in with a classroom session at Calderstones School in Liverpool.

Calderstones School introduced the literacy and creative writing class last September to address the issue of literacy levels dropping as a direct result of the pandemic.

And since the 10-week course was introduced, reading ages among pupils have increased by an average of nine months.

Meanwhile, a recent Ofsted report rated the school as "good", which is significant progress on its previous rating of "requires improvement" and key staff within the school have attributed this increase in part to the work of EitC.

Crucial support

"The work Everton in the Community has done in raising the children's self-esteem has been fantastic," Luke O'Hanlon, assistant headteacher at Calderstones told the club's official website. "The reading ages post-COVID were a big concern for us - there was a big gap - to have Everton support us with that has been brilliant.

"They've given us incredible support. Academically, to see the tangible impact Everton have made, secondly, our students idolise footballers in a way that they don't necessarily idolise me, so to have other people come in and show them they value education and how they think it's important, is really impactful."

PL Inspires was launched in 2019 and creates life-changing opportunities for young people who have been identified by their schools as needing extra support, helping them to develop the personal skills and positive attitudes needed to succeed in life.