A group of Year 6 students were given a day to remember when Arsenal and England star Beth Mead made a surprise visit as part of their final Premier League Primary Stars session.
The youngsters from Laycock Primary School, Islington, thought they were at Emirates Stadium to go on a stadium tour and to celebrate the end of the programme - but what a celebration it turned out to be!
Shocked faces, hands on heads and screams of disbelief filled the room as Mead sat down for a Q&A session at the launch of her new children’s book, Roar, which covers themes such as resilience, coping with change and achieving goals.
Each pupil received a signed copy of the book, as well as an Arsenal goodie bag, with Mead also taking the time to talk to the youngsters and pose for photographs.
One student said it was “quite amazing” as she’d always wanted to meet her, while another was "surprised beyond words" to see UEFA European Championship Golden Boot winner Mead walking into the room.
“Premier League Primary Stars events like today are incredible," said Mead. "The kids have got to come to the Emirates Stadium, an amazing stadium, and I hope they go home and it’s something that sticks with them.”
Role model
Arsenal’s Primary School Education Co-ordinator, Henry Milton said that Mead, who was mentored by former Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermain Defoe at former club Sunderland before joining Arsenal in 2017, is a fantastic role model for boys and girls.
“Beth is an incredible example that we use all the time in our schools and also more widely in our community work," said Henry.
"The book that she’s just released, having looked through it, all of those themes are exactly the kind of things that we’re trying to support, and the Premier League Primary Stars are trying to support.”
Available to every primary school in England and Wales, Premier League Primary Stars uses the appeal of the Premier League and professional football clubs to support pupils in the classroom, the playground and on the sports field.
Free Premier League Primary Stars resources can be downloaded from www.plprimarystars.com.
