A BARNSLEY College apprentice has funded her own after-school club for 100 pupils at a local primary academy.

Evie Edwards demonstrated her initiative and dedication to support the children at Oakhill Primary Academy and proposed a new inclusive daily after-school club.

Evie joined the school in September 2022 and quickly developed strong professional relationships with the pupils she was asked to support.

All five of the school’s extracurricular activities are fully funded by Evie and are at full capacity with20 children attending each club.

Evie said: “I wanted to set up the after-school club as I thoroughly enjoyed doing sport as a child and the opportunities it gave me, like competing against other schools, so I wanted to give that opportunity to the children at my school.

“Fundraising was quite difficult - the school always supported me and was incredibly helpful in distributing the word of my fundraising activities.

“It was thrilling to see how generous everyone was.

“I lead the after-school sessions and I love seeing the happiness and joy it brings to the children - it’s a relief to see my hard work has paid off.”

Georgina Stevenson, deputy head at Oakhill Primary Academy, added: “Evie has shown initiative and dedication, asking to set up her own after-school club, for which she sourced her own funding - this is above and beyond the expectations of any apprentice.

“As a school, we feel that Evie is an amazing asset, she approaches every situation with professionalism and maturity beyond her years and the children have a wonderful relationship with Evie, which allows them to feel safe in school and able to tackle their days.”