Talented pupil from specialist Staffordshire school secures Leicester Tigers Academy place

Archie Horton, 15, was one of just 30 players selected for the Staffordshire Hub after a gruelling four-month selection process that saw him compete against hopefuls from across the region.

The Year 10 pupil at Maple Hayes Hall School was nominated by his club for a trial in September 2025, before attending further trials in October and November. He was then invited to a final trial in December, receiving the life-changing news on December 19 that he had secured his place in one of English rugby's most prestigious academy programmes.

Archie now trains with the elite squad every three weeks at the Staffordshire Hub and will attend a residential course in April 2026, followed by tournaments in May and October.

The talented number 8, who has been playing rugby since the age of four, currently represents Barton Under Needwood Rugby Club and previously spent nine years at Veseyans Rugby Club. His impressive performances have already attracted interest from numerous clubs ahead of next season.

His mother, Anna Horton, said: "We are extremely proud of Archie's hard work and dedication and also his determination to make it as a professional rugby player."

She praised Maple Hayes for supporting Archie's sporting ambitions alongside his education: "The school have always supported Archie with his rugby in encouraging him, praising him, being interested and celebrating with him. They have allowed him to do anything he has needed to do to support him in his training and the PE coaches have helped with the training of his attitude and team and leadership skills as well as individual skills."

David Lowe, Headteacher at Maple Hayes Hall School, said: "We are delighted to see Archie achieve this outstanding accomplishment. His success demonstrates that when dyslexic pupils are given the right educational support, they can excel not only academically but in every aspect of their lives. Archie's dedication, determination and talent have shone through, and we look forward to following his rugby journey with great pride."

Archie has been at Maple Hayes since Year 6, where the unique morphological teaching approach developed by founder Dr Neville Brown has helped him thrive academically while pursuing his rugby dreams.

This distinctive method uses visual icons to create links between meaning and spelling, diverging from traditional phonics-based instruction that often proves challenging for dyslexic learners.

Established in 1982 by Dr Neville Brown and his wife Brenda, Maple Hayes Hall School has been at the forefront of dyslexia education for over four decades, continuing to demonstrate that with the right support, dyslexic pupils can achieve remarkable academic success.