Post 16 Winter Half-Term Report

Head of Education & Employability Robert Peace has provided an update on the progress of the Post 16 Football & Education programme following the conclusion of the Winter Half-Term.

Students have continued to progress well within their chosen course(s), with a focus over the last few weeks on exams in the BTEC courses. Second year students are starting to set their minds on next steps either into employment or higher education after they complete their further education studies later this academic year. A number of our students have already put in their university applications with some already accepted into American Universities to complete their four year Scholarship.

Students enjoyed a visit from Ipswich Town FC’s Dom Ball in November, who discussed varies topics with the first and second year students. Dom, highlighted the challenges in becoming a professional footballer, his studies away from football, his recently published book followed by an opportunity for students to ask Dom questions. This is something that will become more frequent in the new calendar year, with more players and key individuals within the club talking to our students.

Recruitment for next year continues to go well, with more school events attended and student applications increasing. The options for students include BTEC level 2 or 3 in Sport or Business at Suffolk New College or A levels at Northgate Sixth Form or Clacton Coastal Academy. We will be hosting key events in early 2024 to showcase the exciting opportunities for current year 11s when they finish secondary school and details of these events will be released in January.

The last eight weeks has seen some new staff introduced into the team, Elliot Meyer and Ron Green have joined and will collectively run the C team. Elliot was a previous student at Suffolk New College and has been working for Ipswich Town Foundation for over a year, delivering schools sport. Ron brings a wealth of experience working in similar post 16 programmes across the southeast of England. Mia Sibbons, who is our lead Sports Therapist will be leaving in the new year to study a Master’s Degree in Physiotherapy and we all wish Mia the very best with the next chapter of her life. There will be some exciting news regarding the medical provision we provide in January.

Football results continue to be positive with the men’s A team remaining unbeaten so far this season. The women’s team continue to challenge and have shown a big improvement from last season. The training ethos and environment we provide allows students to reach their potential and develop within a structure football programme that challenges players individually and collectively. We have confirmed details of our Dutch Open Tour over Easter where we compete against other teams around the world. Last year our U19s men’s side reached the final, sadly missing out on a penalty shoot out but we are hoping to win it this time around.

In November, Suffolk New College were awarded the Further Education Provider of the Year award at the Suffolk Education Awards, many congratulations to their hard-working staff who provide the environment for students to maximise their learning. Also, in November our women’s team played an internal friendly against Ipswich Town Women U21’s. This was a great opportunity for our female students to play against the U21’s and it represents the close links the Post 16 programme has with the senior teams within Ipswich Town FC.

Applications are still open for next year, if you wish to find out more information or apply for the 2024/25 academic year, please visit our website www.itfcfoundation.co.uk or contact me on 07738084223 / robert.peace@itfc.co.uk.