PRIMARY NEWS
Primary school children showcase football skills at Molineux Stadium
This inspiring tournament is a highlight of Premier League Primary Stars, the League’s flagship free education programme. Using the power of football to engage, inspire and educate, the programme reached 1.3 million children in 2023/24 alone. Primary Stars offers hundreds of free, curriculum-linked resources across PE, PSHE, English, and Maths – helping teachers bring learning to life in classrooms across England and Wales.
Molineux Stadium was buzzing with energy as it hosted the national finals of the Premier League Primary Stars Football Tournament, bringing together primary school children from across the country in an unforgettable day of sport and celebration.
Pupils from 40 primary schools, each representing one of the 20 Premier League clubs, competed on the Premier League pitch in front of passionate supporters and refereed by Professional Game Match Officials Limited referees. The finalists earned their place after winning regional qualifiers – a testament to their teamwork, determination, and talent.
Premier League Director of Community Nick Perchard said: “We’re pleased to once again have been able to provide young people from across the country with the inspirational opportunity to represent their local club and create lifelong memories of playing on a Premier League pitch, through our free education programme, Premier League Primary Stars. Thank you to Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Wolves Foundation for hosting everyone and for giving these primary school pupils such a special and empowering experience.” This year’s event was not just about competition – it was a celebration of inclusion, effort, and personal growth. Teams were recognised for their Fair Play points, awarded for demonstrating Premier League values such as teamwork, respect, and resilience. The success of the Under-11 Girls’ and Under-11 Mixed competitions also reflected the League’s growing commitment to pathways in girls’ and women’s football, supported by a £21 million investment into the women’s game between 2022 and 2025.
Primary school pupils celebrate STEM programme graduation at Queen’s University Belfast
Over 250 primary school children have visited Queen’s University Belfast’s campus to celebrate their successes in workshop sessions across the fields of physics, law and drama, planning, and modern languages under the University’s Professor Fluffy Programme. The Professor Fluffy programme works with primary-aged children across seven primary schools in the vicinity of Queen’s campus as part of the Widening Participation Unit which seeks to broaden access amongst groups currently underrepresented in Higher Education. The partner schools are in areas where added socio-economic barriers are present such as having high uptake rates for free school meals, and low uptake of further and higher education.
Speaking of the initiative, Widening Participation Manager, Patricia Hampson said:
“A lot of children engaging in the programme may come from families who don’t have university experience themselves, so this programme is delivered in a fun and engaging way to familiarise the university environment and the language of higher education from a young age.
“By igniting their passions in different fields and exposing them to career paths they may not have any awareness of, we’re helping them to picture themselves in these spaces. Most importantly, we want to instil the mindset from a young age that Queen’s, and higher education in general, is absolutely within their reach.”
July/August 2025
Throughout the academic year, Queen’s staff take primary 6 and 7 children through a range of STEM and other university subject workshops all culminating in a ‘graduation’ event like that held on campus today.
From solving crimes using forensic science techniques, to constructing infrastructure as ‘Lego City Planners’, the variety of activities on offer allows students to make meaningful connections between academic subjects and the world around them.
Mya, a pupil from Donegall Road Primary School loved being a part of the programme saying: “The thing I loved most was getting to do all the science experiments. I think I’d like to go to university in the future, learn more about physics, and be able to use Queen’s PE hall!” Noting the success of the programme, Michael White from St Malachy’s Primary School said: “For all the children who go through this programme, this is about helping them to fulfil their potential and aspiring to be the best they can be.
“Through our partnership with Queen’s, the pupils can find they have interests or talents in different subjects they weren’t aware of before. Ideally, they then go on to post primary and study these at a more advanced level and follow these passions. It doesn’t matter what school you go to, if you go there and work hard, university is an option for every child.”
www.education-today.co.uk
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