Reduc@te continuing to be a success at Anfield

Anfield is home to Liverpool Football Club and has been the stage for some highs and lows of English and European football.

There is another group, however, that call Anfield home.

For 13 years now, Liverpool have been running an educational programme called Reduc@te. For the youths that participate in the program, the draw is that it takes place at Anfield.

“I always believed that the principal initial attraction of the education centre was the location, for example here at Anfield, but the materials once here have to be of consistently top quality,” said Education Centre Manager Keith White.

“The combination of these two things leads to much improved educational interest and performance from the children of all ages who attend.”

Originally set up in 1999, Reduc@te is an after school programme for children in primary and secondary school covering numeracy, literacy and ICT (information and communications technology). The best part of Reduc@te for the kids is that they receive this tutoring right at Anfield, including learning experiences in the club store and museum, discovering the ins and outs of the financial side of a successful business.

Reduc@te is not only in the time after school. The programme offers full days, specifically focusing on certain activities such as Spanish and French, Football Globalisation days and Respect Weeks.

Students at secondary school get to enjoy Business days, where they learn about all sorts of activities off of the pitch to understand how the club generates revenue through business partnerships. They get to spend two and half hours with senior members of staff at Anfield to ensure the greatest learning experience possible.

The project was originally funded by the government, but since the introduction of the Coalition Government in 2010, the club has continued with the programme. White indicates that this can be a positive.

“Here at Liverpool we have kept going and even have a brand new centre,” he said. “With a blank canvass we can put on any educational programmes without any direction from Government, national or local,”

Due to no involvement from the government now either local or national, Reduc@te is not just limited to schools in Merseyside. Any school from anywhere can attend. White ensures that he helps design a curriculum suitable to what any attending school’s goals would be from participating in the programme.

“The curriculum is designed around what schools want from their visits and so to this end I and the schools work in partnership,” he said. “This is a successful tried and tested way of ensuring that all visits receive first class evaluations from schools which have visited.”

Because it combines quality learning tools, a specifically tailored curriculum and child-friendly atmosphere, Reduc@te has proven successful with children and leaving educators happy with the experience. After all, the chance to be involved with one of the biggest football clubs in the world would make any child eager to learn.