TWO schools in Barnsley have become the first in the country to win a prestigious national award as they’ve been championing an inclusive environment where girls are given the opportunity to pursue their passion for football.

Cawthorne Church of England and Churchfield Primary School, in Cudworth, have become the first to be awarded with the Equal Access Award.

The award comes after a multi-year programme between Barclays and the FA to promote equal opportunities to girls in football, as the Lionesses have risen to fame with a victory in the European Championship in 2022 and women’s football continues to grow in popularity.

Headteacher at Cawthorne, Adam Bramall, told the Chronicle: “It’s absolutely fantastic.

“We’ve been building an approach of inclusive practice and participation to help keep getting girls into all sports.

“It has really positive benefits for education and wellbeing, but also personal excellence and building up confidence that can be taken further into life.

“I’m proud of all the help that’s been provided by the staff and school - it’s a testament to the hard work of everybody.”

Meanwhile, Churchfield has continued to focus on internal matters, giving girls the space and freedom to develop their sporting prowess.

PE lead, Danielle Perry, added: “We always make sure we provide equal access for all sports, but in particular football.

“Girls can play just as much as boys - we have girls’ teams and leagues so they can play the same amount of competitive sports.

“But I also wanted to make sure pupils had female role models - obviously I’m a female PE lead and we’ve got another female member of staff who supports me with everything.

“She’s an athlete as well so we’ve got real role models for women in sports.”