School receives FA charter award (From Witney Gazette)

School receives FA charter award

12:20pm Thursday 18th January 2007 in Witney By Phil Vinter

FOOTBALL'S coming home to The Blake Church of England School, in Witney, that has been the first school in the county to receive a Football Association charter award.

The school has just received the accolade in recognition of both the hard work it has put in with school children, and also the efforts it has made to involve the community in its programme.

Headteacher, Marilyn Trigg, said the award recognised the hard work of the teachers and other members of staff who had taken part. She said: "We had to do a lot of things with sport and the community to encourage sport and football throughout the community and the school.

"We are one of only a handful of schools which have received the award in the country. We are a developing school, with the role of promoting sport and exercise in school.

"We have lent out our football field to local groups, and are encouraging girls' football teams to play at the weekends, as well as during the week."

Two members of the FA and Peter Rhoades-Brown, from Oxford United, attended the ceremony for the presentation of the Developing Schools Award.

Mrs Trigg added: "It is an honour for the school to get this, and all the community, teachers and staff have put in a lot of work."

As well as the prestige of the award, youngsters at the school will also get some football training, extra funding, and a bag of footballs.