Last year Sandhill View Academy collaborated with the Foundation of Light to provide bespoke opportunities to students in school. By providing tailored educational resources, mentoring, and enriching opportunities, Premier League Inspires has helped young people across the country to build confidence, develop essential life skills, and stay engaged in education and training. In school, these activities ranged from 1-2-1 mentoring, football, multi sports and hair and beauty sessions. The success saw an improvement in attendance and led to the Premier League involvement due to the breadth of the offer within the community. The Premier League attended the Academy to create a celebratory video showcasing the impact of these initiatives.

You can find our more and watch the video here.

A few weeks ago, we were thrilled to welcome members of the Premier League back to our academy – and they didn’t come alone! Staff and students were amazed to see the Premier League Trophy up close, creating a real buzz among our football fans.

We were also honoured to host another special guest, MP Bridget Phillipson, who visited to learn more about our partnership, meet those involved, and take part in a lesson delivered by the Foundation of Light team as part of the Premier League Inspires project.

During a visit to Sandhill View Academy, Phillipson met pupils benefiting from the programme, which uses football to boost attendance, behaviour and confidence.

This year alone, over 70% of students have improved their attendance through mentoring sessions, with more than 850 pupils taking part – the highest number to complete the programme across the region. Delivered in partnership with the University of Sunderland, these sessions also challenge inequalities and break down stereotypes.

A huge thank you to the Premier League, SAFC, and to Bridget and her team for joining us to celebrate the positive impact these initiatives are having on the lives of our young people.

You can watch and read more about this amazing programme and its participants here.