Playing For Success - for 10 years and more

Vlad Chiriches joined special guests at White Hart Lane to celebrate over 10 years of the Club delivering Playing For Success to school children in Haringey.

The programme combines the unique appeal of a Premier League football club with innovative teaching to raise attainment at Key Stage 2 and 3 in Literacy, Numeracy and ICT.

To date, the Club has engaged 38 schools through this unique educational programme, working with a total of 3,600 children during 72,000 hours of learning.

During the celebration ceremony, Vlad presented awards to a group of children who have excelled through the programme over the last year, before surprising them with a ticket to the Europa League fixture against Besiktas.

After years of dedication helping young children in the local community achieve their full potential, special recognition was made to the staff who have supported the programme since the very beginning.

Delivered through a partnership between the Club and Haringey Council, pupils on the Playing For Success programme attend a two-hour session each week for a total of 10 weeks at White Hart Lane’s Spurs Learning Zone.

During these sessions, students are offered a unique educational experience where skills taught in school are enhanced and developed. As part of the programme, tutors work with children to develop and raise their self-esteem, which can help to encourage a positive attitude towards education.

Each session is delivered by a trained teacher and assisted by a team of dedicated Learning Mentors, who are recruited locally and represent the balance of ethnic groups within Haringey.

Speaking at the event, Vlad said: “It was great to meet the children and present them with their certificates and prizes – they’ve all worked so hard.”

David Lyall, Playing For Success centre manager at Tottenham Hotspur, said: “I’m extremely proud of the Playing For Success programme and the impact it has had on young people’s education and self-esteem. It is really inspirational to see the enthusiasm and joy for learning which children have brought to this project.

“It’s been an absolute pleasure to teach the thousands of children who have attended during the last 10-12 years, and to work alongside the dedicated staff, Learning Mentors and teachers who have helped sustain and support us over the years.

“I look forward to many more years of development, innovation, creativity and achievement that are at the heart of Playing For Success.”