Wolverhampton school sporting podcast helps autistic pupils share stories

Tettenhall Wood School's Sports Podcast is an award-winning production hosted by the special school's autistic students featuring interviews with global names heard by XXXXXXX

Adam Millichip, an outreach teacher at the school, launched the podcast two years ago in a bid to help sixth form students improve and gain confidence in communication and social skills.

Little did he imagine that a couple of years later – and guests appearances from local and worldwide sporting times from a range of sports as well as a global podcast award – the hugely successful show would mark its 100th episode in style.

The podcast and its student hosts travelled to Molineux to welcome Wolves' legendary all-time leading goalscorer Steve Bull on to the show – and are now looking forward to the next 100 episodes.

"It's incredible for us, when we started the podcast it's something we never, ever imagined, we thought it'd be like a small local podcast that probably wouldn't get out of Wolverhampton and be going like a term or two," said school teacher Millichip.

"But to still be going two years later and have 100 episodes with 100 guests, and the calibre of guests we're getting – Premier League footballers, World Cup winners, Ashes cricket, world champions, something we never dreamed of. It's an incredible achievement.

"For such a small, special school to be seen and heard on a podcast around the world is incredible, the messages we're spreading around autism too."

The podcast's main current presenters are Alyssa Dunn, Jacob Graves and Mason Anthony, sixth form students, and others have taken to the mic over the years.

Star guests in that time have included Harry Redknapp, Sam Allardyce, Conor Coady, Joe Hart, Sir Clive Woodward, Lewis Moody, Nasser Hussain, Rob Key, David Lloyd, Mark Wood, Marnus Labuschagne, Kurt Angle, Mick Foley, Steve Davis and Tanni Grey-Thompson.

"We launched in the first place to develop the students' communication skills and confidence and social skills," the teacher explained.

"All of our students are autistic, so stereotypically they can find communication quite difficult, the progress made over two or three years is incredible, they've really grown out of their shell.

"Now we'll go out to a podcast where we can, so to places like Anfield, Molineux, Walsall and Shrewsbury Town, out and about to visit in person is something they'd have never done three years ago.

"The students aren't fazed, they ask different questions and that's where it can be different to other interviews or podcasts, they'll ask different questions, make it a bit more fun than normal interviews.

"We're off to Wrexham again next year to speak to star player, nothing fazes them and they put everything into it."

The podcast won the Best Equality and Sports Social Podcast at the Sports Podcast Awards in 2021, finished runners-up last year and is nominated again next year.

As well as asking questions of their sporting careers, the students dig deeper to ask different questions in a more fun approach.

The teacher and podcast's founder said highlights have been ex-boss Redknapp for the insight into his glittering career, former Wolves skipper Coady for his honesty and friendliness during a chat at Compton and the recent milestone achievement with Bull.

Future episodes are planned with Walsall striker Danny Johnson, former Australia cricket captain Tim Paine, a Wrexham star and an icon from British boxing.

TWS Sports Podcast are available on normal podcast platforms or visit www.twssportspodcast.co.uk – the milestone Bull episode is also available to watch on Youtube.