LFE’s Learner of the Term celebrates the efforts of students who have made excellent academic progress and a positive contribution at their club. On this occasion, three winners will share the prize, with each earning a certificate and £150 Amazon voucher.
William McIntyre | Blackpool Community Trust
William has progressed from the level 2 course last year to level 3 this academic year and despite his target grade of PP, he has continuously committed himself to aiming and achieving more, gaining merits in his first couple of assignments. Will also displays exceptionally good punctuality and is currently on 100% attendance.
William’s Trust Manager, Caroline Bailey said: “He has fantastic work ethic and attitude to college life and is always the first to put his name forward to get involved in extracurricular activities. Will has volunteered over 100 hours this term, supporting with sports camp at October half term, coaching children aged 5-11 years, to volunteering on the Kicks programme weekly at evening sessions. He also coaches at Baines High School on a Friday, assisting with curriculum PE delivery.
“Will has accompanied staff with matchday duties, supporting the organisation, supervision, and care of mascots, taking them into the changing rooms to meet the players and manager. All this work experience has significantly improved his confidence and communication skills which he’s demonstrated when delivering coaching sessions.
“Will has also passed his Level 1 Functional Skills English exam first time and this is down to excellent engagement and trying his best with all tasks given to him.”
Will is dedicated individual and is motivated to succeed in the sporting industry.
Shannon Pack | Fleetwood Town Community Trust
Despite enduring a tough start to her Community Trust programme, Shannon Pack has come on leaps and bounds in recent months after Fleetwood Town made sure everything possible was in place for her to succeed.
“Shannon was worried about being the only girl in the class and this was very hard for her at the start, with difficulty socialising and feeling isolated as she was the only female outside of training hours. In addition, Shannon has a visual impairment which in high school impacted her hugely when learning. Shannon came from high school with low confidence and barriers to learning due to not being given adequate resources and support. After conversations prior to Shannon starting the course, between us as staff, parents and Shannon, we were able to ensure we had all the relevant resources in place prior to the start.
“Shannon has become more comfortable within herself and around the class. Male students have opened up to her and she has formed strong friendships with students. She is often the leader of groups and has achieved distinction in her Unit B overall, exceeding target grades,” said Kerrie Burke, Fleetwood Town’s Community Trust Manager.
As well as showing an excellent level of punctuality, Shannon has proved herself to be a real team player, often stepping up for the women’s team when needed most.
Kerrie added: “Shannon has achieved 100% attendance so far on the course and is very successful in the female team, where she has gone from playing outfield to playing in goal, stepping up when the goalkeeper got injured, showing versatility, despite having a visual impairment. As long as we use a suitable coloured ball, Shannon does not let her vision become a barrier.”
Shannon doesn’t just impress within the walls of Fleetwood Town’s Community Trust, she uses her own time outside of education to volunteer and help others.
“Outside of training and college, Shannon goes the extra mile to deliver her own coaching sessions. This takes a lot of time and she is always committed and motivated when volunteering her hours. Her weekly schedule involves over 15 hours coaching, volunteering with girls aged 3 to 16 years old. She is an advocate for increasing participation, particularly in the female programme and volunteers a lot of her own time to get girls involved in football within her community. In addition, Shannon volunteers in local primary schools with children who are disadvantaged and may not be presented with football opportunities if it was not for Shannon’s kindness and passion for the game.
“Shannon volunteers as part of the FA girls initiative with her team the Wildcats and dedicates a lot of her time to managing and training this team on a voluntary basis. All of this runs alongside her full-time study programme and whilst overcoming her own barriers due to a visual impairment. She is a strong and dedicated individual who is motivated to increase participation in the girl’s programme as well as being a role model for the young girls she is coaching. Nothing can stop her achieving her goals.”
Charlie Ramsden | Bradford City Community Trust
Whilst the whole first-year group at Bradford City’s Community Trust have had a fantastic start to the academic year, Charlie Ramsden is the pinnacle of an outstanding and impressive group.
Charlie has recently broke into Bradford City’s Women’s first team and has established herself as a regular starter, despite being just 16 years of age. This has been described as a “fabulous achievement.”
Boasting 100% attendance for the year so far, Charlie’s punctuality has really caught the eye. She has also submitted a first time distinction for every assignment which is testament to her attitude towards her work.
David Stansfield, Head of Education at Bradford Community Trust said: “Charlie’s engagement and contribution towards lessons in exemplary and she is a pleasure to teach. Her most recent assignment is topping the 10,000 word mark and she hasn’t even begun the merit or distinction criteria.
“Charlie has also taken on the mantle of Captain of the Bradford City Community Trust Women’s programme and has taken a leading role in the training structure. Many of the girls play within Bradford City’s weekend setup and their training schedule can be intense, so Charlie helped design and implement a recovery session for all the girls on Mondays to help them be better prepared for the challenges of the college league.
“Charlie (and the other girls on our programme) have recently offered their time to referee 4 local primary school tournaments in which the winners can eventually play at Wembley. Charlie is also currently volunteering to help coach her old secondary school in their quest to win the West Riding Schools Cup.
“Finally, alongside friend and teammate Hollie, they have both taken social media by storm, regularly getting upwards of 3000 views on their ‘day in the life’ TikToks detailing what daily life is like on the Bradford City Community Trust programme. They have been instrumental in helping drive recruitment for our programme and help our foundation reach it’s target audience.”
Read about this term’s runners-up here.
