A DOWNEND primary school held a special football day for girls to encourage them to enjoy playing the sport.
The #LetGirlsPlay event at Christ Church C of E Infant School in March featured training sessions with coaches from the Bristol Rovers Women, Downend Flyers and Mangotsfield United for all pupils, followed by girls-only football matches on the school field.
The school had a visit from Filton & Bradley Stoke MP Claire Hazelgrove, who came to show her support for the event.
Head teacher Anna Martin said: “This day was as much about promoting football for girls as it was about educating the boys that football is not just for them.
“Staff could see a pattern of the boys dominating football at lunchtimes and we wanted to address this as well as holding this important day.
“We also have ‘Girls’ Football Fridays’ to give them the confidence to play at school. Numbers are increasing each week and we are now seeing more girls join in on mixed football days.
“This campaign is being championed by PE Lead Amelia Gould, who is supporting the children and staff to challenge stereotypes and see the importance in why we should be talking about this with such young children.”
The school has been praised for its “culture of exceptional compassion and support” by an inspection team.
Its Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) Report, released in late February, says the school is “living up to its foundation as a Church school and is enabling pupils and adults to flourish”.
The inspectors highlighted the powerful sense of belonging from collective worship, clear understanding of spirituality shared by children, effective leadership in religious education and “profound impact” the mutual support of church and school had on its community.
Chair of governors Chris Douglas said: “We are delighted by this report and the recognition that the vision and values of the school are at the heart of all that the school does.
“We would like all the children who go to Christ Church Infants to live a full and fun life and to leave the school equipped for the journeys ahead of them.
“Whilst the staff at the school deserve particular praise, the role of the wider community including the junior school, Christ Church Downend and the diocese have also been significant, and we are delighted to have such strong connections into Downend.”