EDITOR'S CHOICE TOP STORIES LEWISHAM: Soccer coach had 54 kilos of heroin in his car Kingston College pupil stabbed to death CROYDON: Officer attacked by mob says he feared for his life FEATURES Taking fear-guard action Helping get kids off the street MAYOR NEWS Mayor backs booze ban plan for Croydon's under-21s TRAVEL Foreign vehicle drivers not paying parking fines COMPETITIONS Win Disney/Pixar WALL•E game for Wii VOTE Do you think people caught carrying knives should automatically be jailed? Yes, it’s the only way to stop knife crime. No, it’s too simplistic a solution. Don’t know. GET OUR NEWS BY E-MAIL Just register

Most read Comments 1 LEWISHAM: Soccer coach had 54 kilos of heroin in his car 2 CROYDON: Officer attacked by mob says he feared for his life 3 Win tickets for Dirty Dancing 4 CROYDON: Police appeal after attempted abduction 5 BROMLEY: Sheep sex suspect barred from farmyards 6 Kingston College pupil stabbed to death 7 Police appeal after attempted abduction 8 WANDSWORTH: Teen murder suspect 'was also stabbed' 9 Killer's sentence won't stop knives: mum 10 Students make video to fight violence Today | 7 Days 1 Update: Boy murdered in gang attack 2 'UFOs' spotted in Cheam 3 London's most dangerous streets revealed 4 CROYDON: Officer attacked by mob says he feared for his life 5 Johnson calls for ‘common sense’ to improve quality of life for Londoners 6 Expert warns of baby deaths linked to incinerators 7 Killer ladybirds in the capital 8 SUTTON: 85 OAP villagers to be evicted 9 WANDSWORTH: Huntington's disease leads to restaurant ban 10 Replica guns seized from collector

Comment

Valuable lesson: Nicolas Spanghero with the youngsters

Harlequins rugby stars and local school pupils were joined by the borough's new Director of Education and Children's Services at Twickenham Stoop on Thursday for a visit to the new Try Learning Centre.

Nick Whitfield, who joined Richmond Council in April, dropped into the centre, an educational facility delivered in partnership between Richmond Council, Harlequins Rugby Union and Rugby League Clubs.

He met pupils from Whitton School as they interviewed union players Phil Davies and Nicolas Spanghero, and league stars Danny Orr and Joe Mbu.

The centre was launched in March under the government's Playing for Success initiative, and aims to improve the numeracy, literacy and IT skills of Key Stage Two and Three pupils through a sports-themed education programme.

Pupils from targeted primary and secondary schools in the borough attend six-week after school courses Speaking after the visit, Mr Whitfield said: "While it has only been open a short time, the centre is an excellent facility that is already helping young people realise their academic potential.

"It's clear the young people get a real buzz coming to this superb stadium and meeting the players. This excitement is then channelled into learning by the bespoke education programme.

"It shows that by working in partnership with schools and institutions such as the Harlequins, we can deliver real improvements in classroom achievement.

"I hope children will continue to visit the centre and be inspired to learn for many years to come."

Lisa Fenaroli, Try Learning Centre Manager, said: "We are delighted with the visit which highlights the commitment and support we have received from the Council and the clubs, and the value they place on this important initiative."

7:49am Thursday 15th May 2008

Print

Email this

Comment

Add your comment

Name:
Email: *
Location:
**
	e.g. 123-123
Comment: Please note: All HTML tags will be ignored. Format Text:
By posting a comment, I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms of use. Comments are not moderated but we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention and we may delete inappropriate postings. Please treat other people with respect. You must not post anything that is abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory. Remember, you are personally liable for what you post on this site. If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us here.
* Your email address will not be displayed ** To avoid register now or login