Chess in schools in Aberdeen

Herald report by Craig Pritchett

December 2002

Pioneering Aberdeen community chess coach, David Leslie, is half-way through a successful three year primary schools chess teaching project based in deprived areas of the City. Sponsored by the local education authority and financed by the New Opportunities Fund, the project brings chess to the primary school curriculum, teachers and parents.

In October, I shadowed David in his work in four of the seven primary schools in the first phase of his project. He teaches the basics in a series of weekly, one-hour lessons in primary four. He organises lunchtime and after-schools clubs and also carries out some one-to-one teaching. He makes his lessons and organisational tips freely available in a range of accessible formats. He was thorough and quite inspirational.

The local education authority took a gamble in championing this project. But it's paid off handsomely. Aberdeen's Director of Education, John Stodter, was greatly impressed at a special training session given for 60 pupils in the project by Scottish grandmaster, Paul Motwani. At the grass roots, all the head teachers and staff I spoke to in October praised David Leslie's mainstream work, stressing how it boosted their children's self-esteem, social and learning skills and helped children with learning and behavioural difficulties.

The project has recently taken on two new part-time staff to enable David to roll it out to another part of Aberdeen. Academics plan research to identify the learning and wider socio-economic impacts of the project based on an examination of a primary four class receiving chess tuition and one which doesn't. There is obvious potential to roll out this project elsewhere. As for the children, they love it.

David Leslie on New Opportunities Fund - Feb 2002