Latics Literacy is a funded project from the Premier League and Professional Footballers Association Community Fund. The project is supported by local Partners including Wigan Council Children and Young People's Services and Wigan Children's Library Services. The project aims to address the issue of educational inequality by improving children's interest in reading by using football as a vehicle to learn in selected schools around the Wigan Borough. The project is aimed at Primary School Year 5 children working with 24 schools throughout the school year with each school receiving a 12 week course.

Each session consists of a 1 hour literacy classroom session followed by a 1 hour P.E. lesson which includes various sports such as football, cricket, basketball, rounders and handball. Each week covers a different theme of literacy building up to a final presentation on the 12th week. Lessons themes include -

  • Poetry
  • Performance Poetry
  • Newspapers
  • Interviews
  • Fact Finding
  • Descriptive Writing
  • Comics
  • Persuasive Writing

Towards the end of the 12 weeks the project includes Local Library Tours to encourage the children to continue their reading after the project has finished. The Library provides free memberships and incentives for children to use the Library on a regular basis.

Prizes and certificates are given out at the end of the project including special prizes for the most improved readers. The project is constantly being monitored and improvements are always being implemented to make the project as successful as possible.

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