Spartans Community Foundation
Stories of Impact – the power of people and sport
Spartans Community Foundation was established in 2006 and is the charitable arm of the Spartans Football Club. As a social enterprise, they reinvest their profits into delivering crucial youth work, education and health and well-being programmes within the local community of North Edinburgh
In 2021 Spartans received an IICF grant of £7.5k to invest in a product called ‘SpheroSports’, a robotics technology that introduces learners to Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) helping them learn in a fun, modern, creative and collaborative way.
Sphero activities encourage young people to plan, problem solve and work in small groups in order effectively figure out STEM challenges that are all linked to national Curriculum for Excellence. These activities vary in difficulty, from basic coding to writing code using JavaScript, giving all young people the chance to develop a range of skills–both soft and technical. This type of opportunity is not one usually experienced by Primary Schools located in areas of multiple deprivation.
Key successes in 2022 included delivering 95 curriculum sessions to 377 primary school children and delivering 19 STEM After School Club sessions to 59 children, with over 50% girls participating. They also delivered 10 STEM Youth Club sessions to 25 children. All addressing the issue of closing the attainment gap.
As a result of the project’s success, Granton Primary School committed to adding Sphero to their coding curriculum and attendance in P5 in Pirniehall increased by 26%, which has been credited to Sphero sessions.
“It will have an impact on attainment because of the increased participation and engagement in learning. We wouldn’t be able to do that without the help from Spartans.” Angela Burgess, Head Teacher, St. Davids Primary School
What do students at St David’s Primary School and Granton Primary School think? –
“Come and check out this cool new JavaScript code I’ve written” – Jaden, P7
“This is a much better way to learn Maths” – Christopher, P6
“Please please give me another 5 minutes to finish this bit of code. I’m nearly there!!” – Carter, P6
In November 2024, volunteers from Spartans Community Foundation were awarded The King’s Award for Voluntary Service for 2024. This is the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK and is equivalent to an MBE. You can read more about the award here.
Each time you donate to IICF – directly, or as sponsor or participant at one of our events – you’re helping to change the lives of children and families across the country and we thank you for your support.
Learn more about Spartans Community Foundation and see their work in the community in this short video or visit spartanscfa.com