We are incredibly proud to be a Manchester United Foundation partner secondary school. WE are currently in our third year of the project and Mrs Nelson has been with us since January 2020. 

Mrs Nelson our Manchester United School Partnership Officer (SPO) works in the Academy full time, offering an array of projects and programmes for young people aged 11-18 to engage in.  From leadership, enrichment, mentoring, 1 to 1 support, transition, holiday provision as well as football development.  

Through our partnership with the club, we can exclusively offer Central Academy students’ incredible opportunities such as stadium visits and tours, player meets, educational workshops, ball assistant roles, to name a few and not forgetting match day tickets. 

In October 2021 we were privileged to host a Showcase Day with United legend, Denis Irwin. Denis made the trip to Carlisle to visit our Academy.  Met firstly by Mr Markham, Principal and Mr McGuire, Executive Principal, Irwin’s tour led him to a Year 7 English class before joining in with a Year 8 PE class. Students had the opportunity to ask the ex-pro questions about his career and what it was like to play for Manchester United.   

Legend Irwin delivered a whole school assembly alongside Foundation CEO and MBE John Shiels, where over 1,000 students and staff gathered to hear all about the legend’s life and the work of the Foundation.

“It was incredible to be able to offer Central Academy this opportunity.  The Showcase Day was exactly what our school community needed after a difficult 18 months through the pandemic.” Mrs Nelson

Check out more from our Showcase Day by clicking here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzT0uBuFRMw

We look forward to continuing this great work with the Foundation creating even more opportunities for our students and future students.

Central Academy in partnership with Manchester United Foundation are thrilled to expand their offer this winter to local primary schools in the area.

Under the remit of transition, the Foundation and Central Academy have recently employed Adam Whitfield to support the delivery of the club’s popular primary school programme. Primary Reds aims to develop and improve the wellbeing and life skills of children aged 5-11. In line with the national curriculum the Foundation addresses physical literacy, healthy lifestyles and the broader curriculum.

Interested primary schools can access an array of delivery on their site, including:

• Physical education
• Targeted group interventions
• Aspirational and motivational sessions
• Programmes on disability awareness
• Educational sessions on discrimination, homophobia, islamophobia and racism
• Programmes on heathy eating and being active
• First aid – mini medics
• Leadership Academy
• Secondary transition
• Extra-curricular clubs
• Competition support  
• and so much more!

How can Primary Reds support the effective use of your schools PE Premium?

1. Increased participation in competitive sport – access to premier league primary stars, Foundation events and tournaments.
2. The engagement of all students in regular physical activity – providing a bespoke timetable selected by the school to meet the needs of the students – achieved through group work, specific cohorts, full class delivery or extra-curricular clubs.
3. Broader experience of a range of sports and activities offered to all students – direct links with Central Academy and over 50 partner primaries and secondaries in greater Manchester and beyond, offers an array of opportunities for events, tournaments, programmes and national projects.
4. The profile of PE and sport is raised across the school as a tool for whole-school improvement – Accredited Leadership Academy opportunities and recruitment of sports leaders in the schools. Opportunities to access active literacy and numeracy sessions as part of Primary Reds.
5. Increase confidence, knowledge and skills of all staff in teaching PE and sport – Opportunity for staff CPD events. Foundation staff to work alongside teacher to develop skills and increase confidence. Sharing of resources and planning assessment tools.

Finished off with a termly impact report provided each term to illustrate and demonstrate the impact of Primary Reds Programme.

Becoming a Partner Primary School also means you may get access to additional opportunities including match day tickets, player messages, meet and greets, match day mascots, signed items, prizes and merchandise, mascot visits, stadium and museum tours and so much more!

For more information, pricing structure and offers, please contact Adam.Whitfield@mufoundation.org