Reel Education – teaching maths, science and art through fishing

Shakespeare Fishing Tackle and the Angling Trust launch innovative project for primary schools

Shakespeare Fishing Tackle and the Angling Trust have joined forces on a ground-breaking educational project that will see fishing return to the classroom.

Reel Education is jointly funded with our Exclusive Fishing Tackle Partner Shakespeare Fishing Tackle and uses resources written by teachers for teachers to provide angling-related lessons to primary school children in maths, art and science.

The Reel Education programme was officially launched at the Get Hooked on Fishing lakes at Northala Fields, Northolt, Middlesex where local schoolchildren sampled some of the educational materials and had the chance to try fishing.

Reel Education links directly with Key Stage 1, lower and upper Key Stage 2 and, in line with the national framework for learning, the lesson content encompasses links with the local community facilities. This means that wherever the school is located, the lessons will have resources for coarse, sea and game fishing while also aiming to help children develop a passion to enjoy and conserve Britain’s waters.

Teachers can utilise detailed planning to develop their own lessons or use power point slides to support fully narrated lessons by teaching assistants. Children also get to take part in angling-related games run by qualified and licensed angling coaches who will also provide opportunities for children who want to go fishing afterwards through the Angling Trust’s Get Fishing initiative – taking them from the classroom to the bank!

Following a pilot project last year where the team engaged with dozens of schools and thousands of children up and down the country, the ambition is to work with over 400 schools nationally and have 56,000 young people experiencing the Reel Education programme over a two-year period.

Jamie Cook, Angling Trust CEO, said:

“We are excited by this partnership with Shakespeare Fishing Tackle that will see fishing being used to teach children in schools all over the country. It’s a great way of getting children interested in fishing and another example of how the angling trade are supporting the Angling Trust in helping to develop fishing in the next generation of anglers.”

Dave McCartney, Senior Marketing Manager for Shakespeare’s parent company Pure Fishing, said:

“Shakespeare is a brand that is passionate about growing participation in our sport. For many, Shakespeare products are the first equipment they will use when embarking on their fishing journey. When the opportunity arose to be directly involved in the Reel Education and Get Fishing initiatives, we didn’t think twice.”

Reel Education website