The Grand Slam of Darts is back in Wolverhampton – and so too is Bullseye Maths, teaching one of Wolves Foundation’s partner schools how the sport can help boost numeracy skills in a fun and inclusive way.
Pupils from SS Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary Academy, where the Foundation deliver the Premier League Primary Stars programme, visited the tournament and enjoyed the opportunity not just to play darts and practice their numeracy skills, but also meet one of the game’s biggest rising stars – World Cup winner Josh Rock.
Josh showed off his darting skills to the group of students who also spent plenty of time on the oche themselves, as well as carrying out the necessary maths required for the game before enjoying a tour of the facility and chance to do their very own ‘walk-on’ to the stage.
“It was great to come down and meet the kids and hopefully increase their interest in darts, but also show how it can be really good for their maths,” said Josh, who takes on reigning champion Luke Littler in the quarter finals at Aldersley on Saturday night.
“When I think back to being younger and in school, playing darts really helped me with my maths and I think it can make a real difference for the kids now.
“The game of darts is getting bigger and bigger now, with more and more young people playing, and anything we can do to help build that interest is important.
“Coming to Wolverhampton for the Grand Slam is great because it’s one of my favourite tournaments – long may it continue!”
Bullseye Maths was launched in 2022 to promote numeracy across all ages and is supported by Vanquis Bank, whose aims include improving number confidence across society through initiatives led by the Vanquis Foundation.
The sessions were delivered by the JDC (Junior Darts Corporation), in conjunction with the PDC (Professional Darts Corporation), whose online portal features downloadable worksheets and the interactive Mathlete game, alongside videos where top players and referees discuss their experiences around numeracy.
“We love the strong partnership we have with Wolves Foundation, and the opportunity to come and take part in this activity today, very close to our doorstep, is ideal,” said the academy’s principal, Mrs Byrne.
“The students have enjoyed the chance to practice their curriculum skills in a fun way, and we were delighted to be involved.
"It's great for them to meet a celebrity and to be inspired in practising key skills - they're working collaboratively and learning new things that they'll take back into school.
“We are going to take it a step forward because the students are going to remember what they have been taught here and they are going to go back and microteach our Year Five group for a bit of a fun game back in school.
"Not only is it great for us to come to a local venue in Wolverhampton, working with the Wolves Foundation is always important for us."
Richard Lewis, school manager with the Foundation, added: “SS Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary Academy are one of our partner schools on the Premier League Primary Stars programme.
“Working in partnership with the Premier League Charitable Fund, we aim to use the appeal of the Premier League and Wolverhampton Wanderers to inspire children to learn, be active and develop important life skills.
“This covers many different areas, including curriculum delivery, lunchtime and after school clubs, social action projects, competitions and tournaments.
“This sort of enrichment opportunity fits perfectly into the project, offering students the opportunity to meet and learn about the career of a top level sports star at a big event in their home city, but also have fun and develop their numeracy skills at the same time.”
The Grand Slam, the hottest ticket in town in Wolverhampton this week, comes to an end with the semi-finals and final taking place on Sunday.
