EdStart Schools on Granada TV
Transcription:
Since Micky Mellon took charge at Oldham Athletic they have risen from struggling in the national league’s mid table to pushing for promotion, but what is equally impressive is Micky’s performance in the classroom, he’s been combining football management with teaching leadership in schools, Chris Hall went to EdStart Schools in Salford to see him in action.
Micky Mellon knows about leadership he steered three different clubs to promotion including twice at both Fleetwood and Tranmere. Now he’s planning the same for Oldham Athletic, while also promoting the confidence and resilience of school children across the Northwest.
“So team work, what qualities of being in a team, do you think help at school?”
“What were you like at school?”
“I’m smiling because if my teachers could see me now, I couldn’t get out of the door quick enough to go and play football. I liked school. I like the comradery and the togetherness and all their qualities, so I enjoyed school. I was speaking there about resilience with one of the children and they understand that sometimes you’ve just got to dig in and do things that you don’t necessarily like doing but you have to just get on with it”.
“Micky works with nine EdStart Schools giving lessons in leadership to teachers and passing on life skills to pupils with either special educational needs or those disengaged from mainstream education”.
“I loved it right away. It can be a volatile and unpredictable place at times they just learn differently. They need different types of support, that might be one-to-one or just a different environment. We help to create the environment that these children need in order to be brilliant 16 year olds”.
“Do you play football?”
“A bit yes”
“Are the qualities that you learn in football; discipline and teamwork, team spirit, togetherness?”
Student 1: “Its just really nice to have someone to talk to, because in mainstream sometimes the teachers are kind of busy”
Student : “Yeah in mainstream it was like more people, teachers more strict and everything, but here the teachers realise that they were kids too”.
Student 3: “To be honest I was a mess, then I came down here and changed into a completely different person and every time he comes in I’m like Micky, because he always comes outside and plays football with me”.
Student 4: “It teaches us stuff that you learn in football like you understand that sometimes even if you don’t want to work with certain people you have to because its good for everyone else”.
“We work with young people that are finding mainstream schooling very difficult who may have autism, ADHD, lower levels of literacy and numeracy. I didn’t know I needed a Micky Mellon, until I met Micky Mellon and then it was quite clear that the skill set he had was something that could benefit all of our leaders and trickle down to our pupils as well”.
“Micky’s teachings are also having a big impact on these players, Oldham Athletic were struggling until Micky came in in October he has changed results so much that they have pushed up towards the top of the class in the National League and Oldham Athletic fans can now dream of getting back into the football league next term”.
“Are you finding that what you do with the teaching is actually helping you to build relationships with your players here?”
“Yeah absolutely because you’re learning all the time. When you get to know the mental needs that people have and you’re speaking to players now, you’re much, much more considerate and when you’re giving a message to somebody or you’re asking somebody to do an instruction for you, you have to make sure that they understand that and you have to really work hard at getting to know the different types of learning needs”.
“For his own role model Micky can look to his Chairman 73 year old Frank Rothwell is rowing 3,000 Miles across the Atlantic for Alzheimer’s Research UK. With such leaders to inspire them these pupils and players are both finding results are on the way up. Chris Hall, ITV news”.