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Support wellbeing this World Mental Health Day
Football inspires learning: Premier League Primary Stars launches free classroom resources for Black History Month and World Mental Health Day
As teachers plan for Black History Month and prepare to mark World Mental Health Day (10 October), Premier League Primary Stars is stepping up with a suite of free, curriculum-linked resources designed to spark meaningful classroom discussions on diversity, inclusion and wellbeing.
Used in more than 20,000 primary schools, the programme has been shown to make a real difference: 9 in 10 teachers say it improves pupils’ understanding of diversity and inclusion. By combining the power of football with the curriculum, it offers teachers ready-made ways to engage pupils in some of today’s most important conversations.
Black History Month: No Room for Racism
To support schools in marking Black History Month, Premier League Primary Stars has created three engaging resources that bring to life the importance of inclusion, empathy and allyship:
Racism and Inclusion
Pupils explore the real-life impact of racism through powerful football stories, encouraging them to consider how prejudice affects people and how we can all take a stand against it. The resource includes videos with professional players who share personal reflections, helping children connect with the topic in a relatable way.
Stereotyping
This activity challenges pupils to recognise stereotypes and the harm they cause. By working through practical classroom scenarios, children learn to question assumptions and build a culture of fairness and respect.
Allyship
Pupils discover what it means to be a true teammate – not just on the pitch, but in everyday life. The resource emphasises how to support others, challenge exclusion and stand up for what’s right.
Each resource includes short films featuring footballers, structured discussion prompts, and activities that encourage empathy and critical thinking. Teachers can also benefit from the Empowering Discussions on Anti-Racism webinar, which provides expert guidance on leading inclusive conversations in the classroom.
World Mental Health Day: Building resilience and confidence
New figures reveal that 1 in 3 young people now have little or no confidence – that’s up to 10 children in every classroom (Hark’s Listen Up Report 2025). To address this growing crisis, Premier League Primary Stars has developed a collection of resources designed to strengthen wellbeing and self-belief through football:
Building Self Esteem
Interactive activities help pupils identify their strengths and recognise their own worth. The resource also features professional footballers Theo Walcott and Jill Scott, who share how they developed confidence both on and off the pitch.
Actions and Reactions
This module supports emotional literacy, helping pupils understand their responses to different situations and develop healthier coping strategies.
Play the Right Way
Centred on respect and teamwork, this resource uses football’s core values to promote positive behaviour both inside and outside the classroom.
Wellbeing: Managing Our Emotions
Pupils are guided to name, understand and regulate their emotions – an essential life skill that supports both learning and friendships.
Resilience
Featuring inspiring stories from England captain Harry Kane and the Lionesses, this resource empowers pupils to reframe setbacks, turning “I can’t” into “I can”.
These wellbeing resources are flexible and engaging, giving teachers practical tools to embed social and emotional learning into everyday classroom practice.
Football as a classroom catalyst
Premier League Primary Stars continues to demonstrate the role football can play in inspiring learning and life skills. By linking resources to real players and real issues, the programme helps schools bring abstract topics like racism, resilience and emotional wellbeing into concrete, memorable lessons.
Teachers can access all free resources at: plprimarystars.com