Chess in Schools - UK - 2021-23
Chess Activities in Liverpool's Primary Schools
Chess in Schools aims to improve educational outcomes and social development through the world's oldest game
Years: 2021, 2022, 2023
Established in 2010, Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC) aims to give every child in the country the opportunity to learn chess. CSC’s primary objective is to use chess in disadvantaged areas as an educational intervention to develop logical thinking, problem solving skills and intellectual character, giving children from less privileged backgrounds the same opportunities as their peers – the game itself is secondary to this.
The project aims to mitigate learning loss caused by the crisis and will target schools in the bottom quartile of the Index of Multiple Deprivation. Chess is a universal game, knowing no boundaries of age, gender, language, or disability and therefore ideal as an educational intervention. Learning chess engenders valuable cognitive skills in children such as problem solving, logical thinking and pattern recognition. The game helps to improve children’s powers of concentration, instils the idea that actions have consequences, boosts self-esteem, and teaches children how to win and lose gracefully. During the pandemic Chess in Schools has worked hard to move all activities online and the project can be delivered virtually if necessary.
Over the three years this project will provide:
- Support to six schools and twelve classes in the Merseyside area to benefit from 30 weekly chess lessons, delivered by a CSC chess tutor. Children in Merseyside have been particularly badly affected by the crisis and CSC has a good track record as well as excellent staff in place there.
- All the required learning materials and a chess set for every child in the programme.
- A Gold subscription to Chesskid for every child participating.
- An end of year tournament at St Georges Hall for up to 40 state schools and 400 pupils. The tournaments inspire children, and show them that by driving yourself to improvement, you can do better.
- A second ‘Empower Girls Liverpool’ chess tournament building on the previous successful event and aiming to combat the lower participation rates of girls by showing that chess is for them.
- Travel bursaries for children to attend the annual London Chess Classic (hosting activities for 2,500 children alongside a tournament for the world’s leading players, an amateur festival and a chess in education conference).
