PART 2 CHAPTER 5
Chapter 5:
Learning outcomes
of OSHL
Raising motivation,
self-esteem and
attainment
The aims of the Big Lottery Fund grants
for OSHL were to increase pupils’
self-esteem and motivation and to
help them become more effective
learners. NFER’s evaluation found
that these aims had been achieved:
‘There was much activity in
evidence that was of value in
meeting the needs of
participants, leading to increased
motivation and generally
improved attitudes to learning.’
(Mason and others, 2004)
Most schools engage in OSHL to
broaden opportunities for their pupils
and give them new opportunities to
succeed. Generally they expect that,
through changes in pupil attitude,
behaviour and attendance, OSHL will
contribute to school and individual
improvement. In practice, schools
have recorded better relationships
with school staff and other adults and
in some cases a knock-on effect into
raised attainment in recognised
attainment tests such as KS3 and
GCSE. Out of school hours learning,
by providing a diverse range of
activity also aims to increase the
skills-base of its participants, this
could be in a curriculum subject such
as maths, or it could introduce the
child to a completely new activity
such as making mosaics.
Homework and OSHL also impacts on KS 3 and 4.
This is confirmed by John MacBeath
subject-based and others. They found that in all of
activities the schools studied pupils who
participated in study support did
As John MacBeath and others have
better than would have been
noted: ‘… study support related to
expected from baseline measures in
curriculum subjects shows strong
academic attainment, attitudes to
effect on attainment’ (2001). This
report also uses study support
school and attendance at school.
They also noted that study support
synonymously with OSHL.
appeared especially effective for
Homework clubs have been shown students from minority ethnic
by Ofsted to have a good effect: ‘In communities and that subject-
some schools the provision is very focused activities in Year 10 and
well publicised, carefully organised Easter revision in Year 11 had the
and closely linked to the largest and most consistent impact
maintenance of a helpful homework on GCSE results (2001).
regime across the school’. However,
In particular there was strong
the report also notes that quality can
evidence of the effect of OSHL on
be variable.
GCSE performance.
Most secondary schools also arrange
‘We had an eight per cent positive
subject-based activities and holiday
swing in our GCSE results last
revision sessions especially for Key
year, and we believe several per
Stage 4/Year 11 and Ofsted
cent of that can be attributed to
reported positively on these, noting
the Easter School.’
that subject-based study clubs were
(Deputy Head Birchwood
provided by the majority of
Community School, Lancashire)
secondary schools and that the
quality of them was good in four out
of five of the schools in the survey
(2002).
Activities more broadly related to the
curriculum, including creative arts
and science clubs, can extend and
enrich the curriculum experience:
‘They [pupils] are able to use the
National Curriculum creatively and
extend it around their own interests.
For example, the work they did with
circuits could never have been done
in the classroom.’ (Teacher, Boots
Company Family Science Learning Project.)
37
 PART 2 CHAPTER 5
GCSE performance
Study support has effects which
are significant and substantial for
GCSE performance especially on
Best 5 scores, on the number of A-
C passes and on Maths and English
GCSE.
The overall effect of participation
in study support is on average
three and a half grades on Best 5
score or one A-C pass more than
for students of equal ability who
did not participate.
Study support can improve
attainment in Maths and English by
half a grade (MacBeath and others,
2001).
38
There are many great examples of
OSHL activities in subjects such as
literacy and numeracy.
The Playing for Success scheme
(PfS) aims to improve literacy,
numeracy and ICT skills, while raising
pupil motivation. The scheme
established study support centres in
sports’ venues, such as football and
rugby stadiums and cricket grounds.
Currently more than 100 clubs are
already operating or being planned,
with a target to open a further 40
centres. National evaluations of PfS
have shown that it is having a
significant impact on the pupils who
attend.
Key findings from the fourth PfS
evaluation are:
G On average primary pupils
improved their numeracy scores
by an average of 17 months, and
secondary pupils by 24 months
G Whilst improvements in primary
pupils' reading comprehension did
not quite reach statistical
significance, secondary pupils'
performance improved by 8 months
G Pupils ICT skills improved
significantly
G Pupils made significant progress
in their independent study skills
and self image, and parents and
teachers noticed particular
improvements in their attitudes
to education
G PfS reached its target group of
underachieving pupils with
improvements regardless of
gender, deprivation, ethnicity
or fluency in English.
(NFER, 2003).
Out of school hours reading and
maths clubs that encourage pupils to
enjoy the subjects while supporting
those who are underachievers have
been highly successful. Networks
and membership organisations (such
as Book-it! And Sum-it!, run by
ContinYou) have been set up to
support these clubs by providing
games, resources, advice and
discounts on products (see case
study 15). Organisations such as the
National Literacy Trust and Volunteer
Reading Help also provide support.
Find out more from:
www.literacytrust.org.uk and
www.vrh.org.uk
www.continyou.org.uk
 PART 2 CHAPTER 5

Case study 15: increasing participants’ skills- Arts activities

base – Deutsche Bank Maths Clubs project There is a huge range of examples of
Maths clubs at Sydenham Girls School in south London are a good example of arts-based activities in OSHL, many
how a strong funding partnership with a private company can lead to effective related to the curriculum. There is a
out of school learning, which in turn leads to better attainment among pupils. wealth of creative activity, from the
traditional school performance in
The school runs two weekly lunchtime maths clubs, aimed at girls in Years 7 and drama and music, through working in
8, which are wholly funded by Deutsche Bank. The school received funding of
partnership with commercial
£1,000 in the maths programme’s first and third year, and £1,500 in its second
theatres and dance companies, to
year, from the Bank’s corporate social responsibility strategy. The funding is used
visual arts and photography.
to pay for staff time and resources.
Important developments in this area
Kieron Nolan, maths clubs development officer at education charity ContinYou, include: the setting up of Creative
says: ‘the project targeted girls who should be achieving higher results in maths, Partnerships and Artists in Schools,
but were not. The aim was to bring up their scores by making maths more fun.’ which carry lists of artists who are
About 16 girls attended the clubs and each term a different group of girls was
happy to work with schools.
invited, either by their form tutor, or via a letter to their parents. As an incentive Find out more from:
to attend, fresh juice and treats are provided at the club. www.creative-partnerships.com and
In the clubs, after relaxation exercises and ‘get to know you’ games, the girls play www.discover.tased.edu.au/arts/artistsi
maths-based board games, and use maths computer software. One game, called nschools
Nubble, involves throwing four dice and attempting to arrive at a pre-set result The NFER evaluation of the Fund
by adding, subtracting, dividing or multiplying the thrown numbers. Small
programme found that in this area
rewards are provided to those who win games.
OSHL activities were successful in
A teacher who is particularly relaxed in his teaching style arranges informal introducing young people to new skills:
classes. This helps to make the clubs distinctive from classroom learning,
‘In a “non-academic” sense (ie in
significantly increasing their appeal to participants.
relation to young people’s skills in
‘These girls have always thought doing maths meant sitting down and writing out such areas as arts and craft and
long sums, but the games show them maths can be fun and how they can use sports skills), many young people
maths in their daily lives,’ says Kieron. ‘As a result they’ve increased their taking part in
confidence, and are actually having fun while they’re learning.’ enrichment/extension activity
The clubs also encourage Year 10 pupils to act as mentors to their younger peers. had developed particular skills in
‘The project showed that the girls often preferred to be shown what to do by these areas through their
people closer to their own age, rather than by a teacher,’ says Kieron. involvement in projects.’
(Mason and others, 2004)
Bank funding pays for staff time, as well as decent maths-based games and
computer software. It also pays for the small rewards participants get when they The SPARK project in Leeds is an
win games. This school’s management is in the process of confirming that excellent example of a successful
participation has improved grades; so far, teachers report that the girls are more partnership delivering arts and
attentive in class and have more confidence with the subject. sports (see case study 16).
Find out more from:
Kieron Nolan, Continyou Development Officer
Tel: 020 8709 9924
Email: kieron.nolan@continyou.org.uk

39
 PART 2 CHAPTER 5

Case study 16: learning outcomes, Many arts organisations across the
UK are willing to work with young
the arts – SPARK people: most national museums and
The Leeds-based Sport and Arts Towards Knowledge (SPARK) was described by galleries having an educational
the former Secretary of State for Education David Blunkett as ‘A national commitment in addition to their
example of excellence in after-school activity’. other work. The Museums, Libraries
and Archives Council (MLA), which
The scheme, which is run by the West Yorkshire Playhouse, co-ordinates after-
covers the English regions, received
school arts and sports sessions for students in 42 primary and secondary schools
an additional £7m funding in 2004
across three deprived areas in Leeds. SPARK aims to re-engage pupils who are
for museums and galleries education
under achieving and those who are at risk of being excluded.
work. Local arts councils can also
It offers a menu of activities drawn up after consultation with a group of children offer much valuable information.
from the area. Sessions include anything from making music to creative dance,
screen-printing to netball. Find out more from
www.artscouncil.org.uk.
Artists are paid centrally by SPARK, which is funded for three years with
£490,000 of Big Lottery Fund money for out of school hours activities across
the three areas.

‘SPARK brings out something in the child that the normal school day just doesn’t,’
says Ruth Hannant, Creative Communities Manager at the Playhouse.
‘Participating teachers also have an opportunity to see a different side of the
children.’

Schools have reported that pupils’ engagement has improved and local artists
have become more confident about working with schools. One participant’s
parent says: ‘my child is more outgoing. I didn’t think she would have had the
confidence to get up and dance in front of people, but now she does.’

SPARK has always had an exit strategy: to develop participating teachers’ ability
to continue running after-school programmes without central co-ordination,
and to help schools find alternative sources of funding for their programmes.

SPARK received further regeneration funding from the Neighbourhood Renewal

Fund so that it could run the programme in schools that are outside the original
Big Lottery Fund project. However, some schools have not been able to continue
their clubs. The Playhouse offered to continue low-level co-ordination of
activities for schools that lack the capacity, but was unable to continue paying
for instructors and providers.

‘Our role now is to help the schools to network, and to share useful information
with them,’ says Ruth.

Find out more from:

Ruth Hannant, Creative Communications Manager
West Yorkshire Playhouse
Tel: 0113 213 7295
Email: ruth.hannant@wyp.org.uk

40

PE & Sports activities
There is plentiful evidence that
engagement in PE and Sport confers
real benefits. A PE and School Sports
investigation by the Qualifications
and Curriculum Authority (QCA)
found:
G Increased inclusion in PE and
school sport
G Higher attainment in PE
G Improved progress in PE
G Higher attainment across the
curriculum
G Improved behaviour
G Improved attitudes to learning
G A healthier lifestyle for pupils
G Improved citizenship and
leadership qualities
G Improved attendance.
Find out more from:
www.qca.org.uk/pess
PART 2 CHAPTER 5
The new ways in which out of school
hours sport can be provided include:
Creating independent
learners
G As part of transition programmes
One of the longest-lasting impacts
linking primary and secondary
schools of OSHL is its ability to help pupils
become independent learners. OSHL
G Joint programmes of activities can help develop techniques that
developing junior sports leaders improve revision and memory skills
G Gifted and talented programmes for external exams; can help young
between schools. people to identify different learning
modes; and can help them to explore
The advent of Specialist Sports which learning mode they personally
Colleges and the School Sports Co- prefer. The individual attention and
ordinator (SSCo) Partnerships has freedom from classroom restraints
impacted greatly on the provision of means pupils can work at their own
sports and physical activities. A PE speed and in their own way on
and sport OSHL guide that includes activities of particular interest to them.
monitoring and evaluation materials
is available. This publication, co-
authored by The Youth Sport Trust
(YST), specifically supports the
OSHL/School Sports Co-ordinator
programme and the development of
sport and physical activity more
generally.
Find out more from:
www.youthsporttrust.org
Read more about the background
to PE and Sports OSHL in Part 1,
page 13.
Read more about PE and Sports in
the community in Part 2, page 52.
Read more about promoting health
through PE and Sports in Case Study
28 in Part2, page 67.
41
 PART 2 CHAPTER 5
Thinking or ‘How-to-learn’
skills
Case studies recorded as part of the
Study Support National Evaluation
and Development Programme
evaluation revealed that in twelve
schools studied, ‘teachers attached
particular importance to the value of
study support as a means of
consolidating learning and providing
opportunities for new learning to occur.’
Courses that focused on
metacognitive skills exposed pupils
to a range of different learning
styles, and encouraged pupils to
experiment with different styles and
adopt a style best suited to them.
Comments from pupils after
attending a session on ‘braintrees’
and the use of mnemonic
techniques, included:
‘It’s an easy way to remember
things.’
‘I’d never realised that there
are different ways of revising
things other than reading
information off the page!’
(Sharp and others, 2001)
42
OSHL and social
development
Most OSHL activities have an element
of socialising. It could be a physical
activity where children are in groups, it
could be a reading club discussing
books or it could be a breakfast club
where children sit together and eat.
The informality of the clubs contribute
to the social development of pupils,
they learn how to form relationships
with adults that are not based in the
classroom and they learn how to get
on with and help each other. OSHL can
also be used to address specific issues
such as citizenship, inclusivity and
regeneration, these all contribute to
developing more rounded young
people who are aware of others and of
their environment.
The Deutsche Bank example, in case
study 15, demonstrates the use of
mentoring: older pupils or adults
other than teachers helping younger
pupils with their work or behaviour.
This is proving to be a very positive
way of influencing pupils’ engagement
with school.
Using pupils as mentors provides an
extra resource for the clubs as older
pupils can take on some of the
workload involved in running a club,
and it is also a beneficial experience to
those who become mentors. As year
11 pupils who assisted in the Alderney
Arts summer project in the Borough of
Poole noted, it’s important to ‘know
that you’ve achieved something and
been there to help’, but also that the
younger children gained ‘more
confidence in themselves’ (New
Opportunities Fund, 2002a).
OSHL can also help the development
of pupils with special educational
needs. When working in small
groups, or participating in team
activities, pupils can learn new ways
of interacting while learning
together. As a pupil at Richard
Cloudesley School noted:
‘I think we all learn when we play
games to be good natured and it is
not the winning that matters but the
taking part’ (DfES, 2001). Learning
outside school hours allows time for
a more measured approach —
proceeding at an individual’s own
pace, with good feedback. The
greater degree of interactive learning
in out of school environments allows
further development of
communication and social skills.
‘Performance art, debating
societies, school councils,
volunteer work in the community
and mentoring situations are just
some of the areas where pupils
develop communication skills as a
result of participating in OSHL.
[The children] explained their
work to the museum staff. They
[showed them] how to use the
digital camera and computers…
this has empowered them to
understand how to represent
themselves and the way they
want to be represented by others.’
(Education Extra, 1999a)

OSHL and transition
Monitoring and evaluation of the
earliest government summer schools
initiative in 1997 and 1998
demonstrated that the opportunities
to visit and learn in secondary
schools greatly eased pupils’ fears of
transition from their primary schools.
There are two main patterns for
activities that help with transition: all
year after-school clubs and summer
schemes. The NFER evaluation of the
Fund’s OSHL programme found that:
‘Term-time and summer school
schemes that had aims relating to
supporting transition from
primary to secondary school
were particularly successful in
reassuring young people about
aspects of the secondary school
that most would shortly be
joining… Participants gained
from having the opportunity to
visit the secondary school, meet
some of the teachers, experience
‘taster’ activities in new subject
areas, and work alongside pupils
from other schools.’ (Mason and
others, 2004)
Activities focused on easing
transition particularly lead to
increases in motivation, which link to
long-term effects on achievement.
NFER also noted:
PART 2 CHAPTER 5
‘What was clearly demonstrated
was that contact during the
summer holidays with the schools
that pupils were transferring to,
together with a combination of
good, fun-based educational
provision and opportunity for
“treats” and trips had a very
positive effect on pupils’ ability
to settle in at secondary school.’
(Mason and Pye, 2003)
The Big Lottery Fund Activities for
Young People programme, worth
£38.75m in England, focuses on
targeting school leavers who are at
risk of social exclusion and of
becoming out of touch with
education, training and employment
opportunities. An interim evaluation
by SQW Ltd shows that there are
benefits, even though retention was
difficult:
‘The aim of the programme is to re-
engage young people at risk of social
exclusion with education,
employment or training by offering
them a programme of challenging
activities, backed by professional
information and guidance. Most of
the young people who completed
the [interim] survey have remained
in contact with the
education/training system beyond
the summer. This is the key aim of
the programme and so is to be
welcomed’ (SQW, 2003).
School improvement
School improvement is a very broad
issue but OSHL appears to play a part
in many schools’ success. Improved
attitudes, behaviour, attendance and
attainment are some of the effects
of OSHL on pupils. These effects,
when widespread, can influence
overall school improvement.
In their extensive three-year study
John MacBeath and others looked at
the effects on the school as a whole
and they found:
‘… study support has an impact
at whole-school level when
participation rates are high.
The effects of study support are
cumulative, incremental, and
widespread: Cumulative – the
more different forms of activity a
student takes part in, the greater
the effect on attainment, attitudes
and attendance; Incremental –
participation in study support in
one year influences attainment,
attitudes and school attendance
in later years; Widespread – both
subject-focused activities and
non-subject-focused ones such
as sport and aesthetic activities
influence attainment, attitudes
and attendance.’ (MacBeath and
others, 2001)
Self-confidence that comes from
success in out of schoolactivities can
transfer into a sense of self-
competence in the formal classroom
setting:
‘You take part more in lessons,
whereas before you’d stand back in
case you got it wrong.’
43
 PART 2 CHAPTER 5
‘I didn’t used to like asking questions,
but I don’t mind so much now as I am
more confident’ (young people quoted
in Sharp and others, 2001).
MacBeath found that pupils’
motivation to attend OSHL activities
is closely influenced by how much
they enjoy the experience. Pupils
consistently refer to their
commitment and willingness to
attend OSHL activities:
‘I will never miss it’
‘I wish I came more’
And in some cases motivation
transfers from the club environment
to school-related settings:
‘Participation in study support has a
favourable effect on attitudes to
school. While Drop-in and Subject-
focused study support in Year 11
have the biggest effect on attitudes,
there are also effects from sport and
aesthetic activities’ (MacBeath and
others, 2001).
‘My child now wants to do his
homework. He wouldn’t have done it
of his own accord before’
(parent quoted in Education Extra,
2002b).
44
Impact on pupil
behaviour and
attendance
The voluntary nature and often non-
competitive atmosphere of OSHL
can impact positively on behaviour.
Rewards and incentives may be built
into schemes and linked to the
schools’ behaviour policy. OSHL can
also improve behaviour by giving
pupils opportunities to form new
relationships:
‘(A named pupil) in Year 6 was
constantly in trouble in class and
in the playground because of
arguments with other children.
Her work suffered. After one
week of sharing breakfast with a John MacBeath also found that
group of girls in her class, she was ‘Irrespective of students’
never referred to the backgrounds or school attended,
headteacher again. She achieved participation in some forms of study
Level 4 in her sats.’ (supervisor, support has a positive impact on
Applegarth Junior School, LB school attendance’
Croydon Extra Special Breakfast (MacBeath and others, 2001).
Clubs)
The Quest Initiative at Our Lady
In other cases, out of school hours Queen of Peace School in
learning activities are used as an Skelmersdale, Lancashire aims to
incentive to encourage good provide extra opportunities for
behaviour in school: ‘These (arts) disaffected young people with
activities are an incentive for pupils problems of attendance to develop
to behave themselves and get on their skills. The club, funded through
with it during the day because most the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
of them don’t want to miss out on Extra Skills project, has been running
the extra things that go on’ for two years and has had profound
effects on attendance, with the
average attendance increasing by
six percentage points (Education
Extra, 1999b).
 PART 2 CHAPTER 5

(teacher quoted in Education Extra, 2001).

Learning outcomes
Case Study 17: OSHL’s impact on behaviour: of OSHL: Issues and
Astley Burf challenges
Astley Burf Outdoor Education Centre is a local authority project that has OSHL contributes to raising
combined physical regeneration with out of school hours learning for pupils from achievement, and funds available
deprived areas of Dudley in the West Midlands. to the school for that purpose can
legitimately be used to support
The Centre, deep in the Worcestershire countryside, has log cabins, toilets and
OSHL activities – even more so now
washing facilities and, more recently, central heating and double-glazing.
that OSHL is explicitly encouraged
More than 30 schools in the local education authority use the site for residential in the Key Stage 2 and 3 strategies.
learning weeks and activity holidays. Many take the opportunity to bring
children who are struggling with normal lessons, or are at risk from exclusion. When planning OSHL provision,
school staff, potential funders and
‘Children experience sharing at the centre, and have the chance to sleep over OSHL partners should consider:
with their friends for the first time. They learn skills like teamwork and gain
confidence,’ says Stuart Harris, Centre Manager. ‘For many from Dudley's areas G How can the idea of developing
of deprivation, it's the first time they have ever been to the countryside.’ pupils’ motivation be built into
any case being made for more
The site's recent regeneration came from a £324,400 Big Lottery Fund PE and OSHL resources?
Sport grant. It has meant the Centre can open longer each year, serving more
schools. G How can you use OSHL more to
meet your own aims for raising
Some schools use the Centre to further curriculum science learning, but others
motivation, improving self-
opt entirely for an adventure programme. Outward-bound activities are offered,
esteem, attainment and school
including climbing, canoeing and orienteering. Children who behave disruptively
improvement?
and hinder their classmates on Monday mornings are, by midweek, often helping
their peers to achieve their goals. G How can we use the lessons
Stuart: ‘Children who have never excelled at anything in their lives, can come
from the best practice we see
here and achieve. The experience actively changes them, and in school, their around us to more effectively
whole attitude improves.’ benefit the pupils who are
hardest to reach?
The education programme has become sustainable through fees paid by parents
who can afford it, while the local authority covers the costs for those receiving
free school meals.

Find out more from:

Stuart Harris, Centre Manager, Astley Burf Outdoor Education centre
Tel: 01384 813 800
Email: stuart.harris@dudley.gov.uk

45
 PART 2 CHAPTER 6
Chapter 6:
Engaging with the
community
OSHL and community
relationships
Since 1997, schools have been
encouraged to engage more closely
with their communities. Here we
take ‘community’ to mean all those
in a school’s neighbourhood with
whom it might work to mutual
benefit. This can mean working with
individuals, parents, faith leaders, the
police, or with other organisations,
such as the local museums service or
wildlife trusts. The development of
Extended Schools has also
emphasised the importance of
closer collaborative working
relationships between the school
and the wider community.
OSHL activities that connect schools
with their communities give young
people opportunities to broaden
their horizons. Success of such
activities depends on a shared
understanding between all
participants of the role that OSHL
can play.
46
OSHL can contribute significantly to
these community relationships because:
G No-one ‘owns’ the out of school
time – partners can work together
to decide what takes place
G There is a voluntary air in out of
school hours learning situations,
which encourages expression and
experimentation
G There is no curriculum in OSHL –
pupil needs can be the main focus
G Learning can be interpreted very
broadly
G School facilities are under less
pressure outside school hours
G Special interests can be
encouraged
G Adults who are not teachers have
a valuable contribution to make
G Community organisations often
provide complementary skills and
approaches to working with
young people, while the school
has facilities and spaces that can
be a valuable asset to the
community.
Community-linked OSHL projects
can help young people to develop
their skills, and increase parental
involvement. The key to unlocking
these opportunities is well-managed
community partnerships (see also
CEDC, 2003 & Jones, 2002).
Developing citizenship
skills
OSHL schemes offer very practical
ways of developing citizenship skills
that complement curricular
approaches. Such schemes range
from school councils, community
involvement, through school
newspapers and charitable
volunteering, to work on the local
environment and mentoring.
OSHL can involve students in
organising community events and
leading activities. Students learn that
they can make a difference through
their own will power and motivation.
Encouraging pupils to take
responsibility and assume a
leadership role is often an overt
objective of OSHL schemes where
consulting pupils can give them
maximum ownership and help them
develop key skills. At St Gabriel’s
College in Belfast the pupils led the
consultation, drafted suggestions to
solve problems, and with the
guidance of staff, became
instrumental in drawing up plans to
bring about the projected
improvements to the school.
At Benjamin Britten High School,
pupils in Year 12 ran a mentoring
‘listening ear and information
service’. As the community tutor
noted ‘… It helps protect those 9-13
year olds who are lost in the
evenings with nothing to do and
nowhere to go.’

At the Firs Farm Primary School
‘Triangle Club’, students from the
local secondary school mentored
more vulnerable students in Year 6:
‘You’ll [see the impact] in years
to come when these children
start to join things like village hall
committees, local youth club
committees, parochial church
councils, and begin to move and
shake and activate for better
facilities, more access, things to do,
and a better deal for young
people.’ (teacher quoted in
Education Extra, 2002b)
PART 2 CHAPTER 6
Case study 18: developing citizenship skills –
Hackney Wildlife. A low-cost OSHL experience
A growing number of schools across the London Borough of Hackney have a
lunchtime and after-school environment or wildlife club, run by a specialist worker
from the London Wildlife Trust.
The clubs are for up to twenty pupils and are designed closely with the participants,
so that the children feel they have ownership. The clubs cover anything from
building a wildlife garden to starting a school recycling scheme, mapping the local
area or cleaning a brook. The clubs are designed to support school lessons on
science, citizenship and education for sustainable development.
‘The clubs provide a lot of the practical investigative work there may not be time
for in school,’ says Sandi Bain, education manager at the Wildlife Trust.
A Trust worker costs approximately £600 a term. In keeping with the ethos of the
clubs, there is an emphasis on consuming few resources – the workers cycle rather
than drive there. This low cost and adaptable model has meant the clubs are easy
for schools to fund. The success of a few clubs in a handful of schools, using Big
Lottery Fund out of school hours money, acted as a lever both to get other schools
interested in running clubs, and in enabling them to access funds to pay for them.
The Learning Trust, which runs Hackney’s education service, was instrumental in
the sustainability of the model. It contacted all schools in the borough, informing
them about the environment clubs, and encouraging them to use their own Big
Lottery Fund out of school hours entitlement to set one up.
The Trust also supported schools to successfully apply New Deal for Communities
money or Single Regeneration Budget funds for the clubs. From an original six
schools in 2002, the Trust had since enabled another six to start clubs.
‘Schools could see a successful model of how to use the New Deal and
regeneration money, and with us working with them, they could adapt that model
for themselves,’ says Sue Matthews, the Learning Trust’s OSHL co-ordinator.
The environment clubs had both education and regeneration outcomes. Children in
a borough where most pupils are from deprived backgrounds started attending
school more frequently.
They also paid more attention in science and environment subjects because the
club has given them environment related knowledge and confidence to impress
their peers. Surveys have also shown that participating pupils were more likely to
recycle in school and at home.
Find out more from:
Sue Matthews, Out of school hours learning co-ordinator, The Learning Trust
Tel: 020 8820 7448 Email: susan.matthews@learningtrust.co.uk
Sandi Bain, Education Manager, The London Wildlife Trust
Tel: 020 7921 5468 Email: Sbain@wildlondon.org.uk
47
 PART 2 CHAPTER 6
Developing
partnerships
There is a range of potential partners
to work with in every community.
The Big Lottery Fund grants for out
of school hours learning seeded
many new community partnerships,
for example between schools and:
G Other parts of the local authority,
eg leisure services
G The Further Education Sector
G Youth Services
G Libraries
G Museums
G National Charities such as
Barnardo’s, Business in the
Community, and Reading is
Fundamental
G Sports clubs, professional football
and cricket clubs
G Police and emergency services
G Arts in Education organisations
theatres, choirs, music groups
G Regeneration agencies
G City Learning and Playing for
Success centres
G Other schools
G Transport companies (Mason and
others, 2004).
48
Benefits to partner
organisations
Partner organisations have also
gained many wide-ranging benefits
from working in OSHL projects, the
major ones include:
G Reaching a new young audience
G Generating better understanding
and partnerships with schools
G Generating new resources
G Making better use of space
G Raising community profile
G Providing project experience on
which to build
G Clarifying and improving
educational strategy
G Gaining better understanding of
schools and their agendas
As a result of this project, there
has now developed a real
engagement between the centre
and the local community – which
didn’t exist previously.’
(manager of the National Trust’s Stackpole
Centre Project, Wales)
The range of benefits to other
organisations is exemplified in the
Alive with Learning project. Museums
and galleries traditionally had low
attendance around the end of the
school day. Encouraging schools to
partner with them to provide study
support and broader activities has
had real benefits all round (Education
Extra, 1999a).
Involving adults other than
teachers
Developing partnerships with others
in the community can also involve
adults other than teachers. Pupils can
benefit from the experience of
interacting with adults who are from
different walks of life and who are
passionate about their professions,
be it art, music, or sport. Involving
adults other than teachers can also
take some of the staffing/supervising
pressure off teachers.
A successful project that relied on
using community partnerships and
adults other than teachers was the
‘From Street to Green’ project in
Gwynedd County Council, Wales. In
this ten-week project six primary
schools from the most disadvantaged
areas in the Council were linked to
their local golf club. The project relied
on golfing enthusiasts from each of
the areas. These willing volunteers
were trained to lead the pupils
through Levels 1 to 6 of the Golf
Foundation’s Merit Award Scheme.
The pupils were also invited to the
Welsh Open Seniors Golf
Championship, where Brian Hugget,
former Ryder Cup Captain, provided
a coaching clinic.
Read more about OSHL and
sustainability, creating partnerships in
Part 1, Chapter 3, page 21; see also
New Opportunities Fund, 2000 and
Elliot and others, 2003.

Meeting the needs of
different groups of
pupils
The flexibility of OSHL has been used
to engage many different groups of
children in learning. One of the
cornerstones of OSHL policy is
inclusivity and as an informal
enjoyable forum it can prove an
effective way of integrating children
from different backgrounds, cultures
and levels of physical and mental
ability. It can also prove effective in
providing extra help in learning, be it
learning English or catching up on
general school-work.
Examples of different groups of
pupils include those from black and
ethnic minority backgrounds,
traveller families, children with
disabilities, those with learning
difficulties, and children and young
people who have religious
commitments that can limit their
after school learning and socialising.
Moat College in Leicester has
established an intranet that links the
school with local mosques and the
local library so that Muslim children
with such commitments can access
OSHL.
St Lawrence CE School in York has
been recognised by OFSTED for its
work integrating traveller families.
The school has encouraged traveller
children to take part in OSHL
sporting events and drama. It also
encouraged parents to lend their
support at competitive games and
performances.
PART 2 CHAPTER 6
Case study 19:
meeting the needs of
Chinese pupils
‘Chinese children in Northern Ireland
are faced with a number of
disadvantages’, says Chinese Welfare
Association chief executive Anna Lo.
Many face an uphill struggle at school
because of poor English skills, socially
isolated parents who themselves have
a poor grasp of English, and exposure
to racism.
The out of school club launched last
September by the Chinese Welfare
Association of Northern Ireland aims
to combat this, with the aid of a Big
Lottery Fund Grant. It offers help with
language skills, homework and social
interaction. Children are also taught
about Chinese culture and made to
feel valued within their local
community. ‘We see tangible results
even within months,’ says Lo. ‘The
teachers remark on it and can see a
difference.’
Find out more from:
Anna Lo, CWA chief executive
Tel: 0289 0288277
Email: annalo@cwa-ni.org
Web: www.cwa-ni.org
Pupils in the London Borough of
Bexley are learning about cultures
other than their own through the
medium of dance. The scheme,
which encourages practical dance
and cultural awareness, has seen in
excess of 700 children in twelve
primary schools learn street dance
and African dance. Partnership
development manager Lorraine
Everard says feedback has been
excellent: ‘the African dance in
particular was very much about
linking culture and history through
dance with kids role playing and
learning as they went along,’ she
says. ‘Asian dance is next up, and
although the project is in its first year
it looks set for a bright future.’
Find out more from:
lorraine.everard@bexley.gov.uk
A project in Sandwell organised by
the Smethwick Bangladeshi Youth
Forum addresses the high
unemployment and low educational
achievement of Bangladeshi young
people. The forum offers activities,
games and homework support
classes as well as careers advice,
information and training and IT
courses.
Find out more from:
www.sbyf.org.uk
49
 PART 2 CHAPTER 6

Case study 20: OSHL and Reggae culture: All Falinge Park High School in Rochdale
identified a need to make better
hands on decks provision for Bengali boys. Funded by
Reggae star Pato Banton, a legend in his hometown of Birmingham has decided Education Extra and the Big Lottery
to give something back to his community. Fund, the Extra Skills project aimed to
develop the self-esteem and
‘I reached a point where I was fulfilled with my career and considered slowing
confidence of Bengali boys in Years
down,’ says Pato. ‘My studio here in Birmingham was next to the local
10 and 11 through out of school
community centre. Every day kids would knock on the door wanting to come in
hours courses in car maintenance,
and see what I was doing. I wanted to work with them, to teach them and give
football, karate and ICT. One Year 11
them opportunities to make music.’
student who took part in the ICT
Pato is one of the driving forces in Musical Connexions, a consortium of groups programme decided to study ICT at
and individuals promoting music in North West Birmingham. Funded via the City college and another particularly
Council’s Single Regeneration Budget 4 community safety team, it aims to disaffected student continued to
increase young people’s life chances and to promote a positive attitude to life. attend the football sessions after he
Pato co-ordinates the summer school project which offers an eclectic mix of had left the school (Education Extra,
musical training, ranging from traditional to the cutting edge. Vocal and guitar 2002b).
lessons sit in harmony with DJ mixing and sound engineering courses. A grant of Fairfield High School in Bristol
£83,202 from the Fund’s out of school hours learning programme covers the
demonstrates the value of targeting
cost of providing the classes to local 13-16 year olds.
in case study 21
The classes began running in May 2002 and the uptake has been impressive.
Some children have very specific
This is the only facility of its kind in Birmingham, and it is easy to see why local
needs. The flexibility of OSHL has led
teenagers are flocking there during their school holidays. Already, several
Marcella Olive at Asperger Norfolk to
students have gone on to complete their teacher training and another is setting
run two projects specifically for
up his own music production company.
children with Asperger’s Syndrome.
‘We are tapping into what is inside the students already, bringing it out,’ says An after-school club for young
Pato. ‘We are working with some outstanding talent. It’s so rewarding. Music children of 5-8 deals with
gives them something to focus their energy on.’ coordination, awareness and team
Find out more from: building skills, while a family support
Big Lottery Fund Initiative magazine (issue 13) from www.nof.org.uk group provides for the whole family.
The latter has now been replicated
elsewhere.

50
 PART 2 CHAPTER 6

Case study 21: Targeting minority ethnic Activities include arts and crafts,
social skill training, cooking and
groups – Fairfield High School Maths Club teambuilding as well as educational
The school is a small 11-16 mixed comprehensive in Bristol’s culturally and advice and dealing with the local
socially diverse districts of Montpelier, St Paul’s, Easton and St Werburgh’s. In authority. ‘The self-esteem of these
these areas 58 per cent of students are from ethnic minority backgrounds, 24 children is in most cases extremely
per cent speak English as their second language, 30 per cent have been low and we try and build this up so
identified as having special educational needs and 37 per cent qualify for free they become more confident,’ says
school meals. an organiser, ‘We have regular
feedback and involve the members
The club, funded by Clerical Medical, runs at lunchtimes on Wednesdays,
although there are some difficulties fitting the clubs around pupil eating times.
with any decision making. During the
The head of maths staffs the club with two other maths teachers. However, the summer months we organise and
club is run by the students themselves. Students of Somali, Pakistani, African- subsidise whole-day outings to
Caribbean and White English backgrounds attend the club sessions. On average, places of interest. The results of
about 15 students who need help with maths attend the club. Refreshments these are that children exhibit better
(mostly fruit) are provided. voice control; they follow
instructions better and display
The club runs a buddying system in which Year 9 pupils (13-14 year olds) from improved confidence as well as being
the top set of maths play maths games with Year 7 pupils (11-12 year olds)
more patient in taking their turn to
from the bottom set in their year. This has worked especially well, while the use
speak or in queues.’
of games is also a good lead-in for students who are otherwise afraid of maths.

The staff have noticed an increase in the confidence of the students who take
part and in the responsibility exercised by the older Year 9 pupils. The students
are now having fun with maths and like the relaxed club atmosphere. Internal
report from Education Extra.

Find out more from:

Jane.murijon@continyou.org.uk

51
 PART 2 CHAPTER 6
Extended Schools
The DfES defines an Extended
School as ‘one that provides a range
of services and activities often
beyond the school day to help meet
the needs of its pupils, their families
and the wider community’ (DfES,
2003c). The focus is strongly on
raising achievement. Legislation has
made it easier for schools to provide
facilities and services, make
agreements with local partners and
charge for some services. The
guidance requires schools to consult
widely and work in partnership, and
provides advice on a number of
practical issues such as staffing and
charging (see also Part 1 page 31).
In 2000 A DfES-funded Schools Plus
Teams pilot, the precursor to the
Extended Schools pilot, showed clearly
that, when included alongside other
interventions, OSHL can help in raising
pupil attainment and engaging the
community with the school.
Examples of the kind of extended
OSHL this pilot generated included:
G Revitalised breakfast club
provision including a family
drop-in breakfast
G Family learning initiatives
G Lunchtime reading and film clubs
G Lunchtime dance sessions and
half-term events
G Family and pupil based ICT
projects
G Integrated holiday and care
provision.
52
Partnership was the key to success in
the pilot (CEDC and Education Extra,
2002). The Extended Schools
Pathfinders, which ran in 25 LEAs
from December 2002 to August
2003, tested out various
approaches used by schools to the
development of family and
community facilities and services on
school premises.
At the time of writing this guide,
some 106 Full Service Extended
Schools are being funded with a
requirement that they deliver extended
activities across eight key themes,
each of which may link with OSHL:
G Lifelong learning
G Health and social care services
G Parenting support
G Study support (OSHL)
G Access to ICT
G Access to sports and arts facilities
G Family learning
G Childcare.
The programme has been extended
to all LEAs and gives a good base
within which OSHL can flourish. The
principles behind the programme
have since been enshrined in the
policy document Every Child Matters
(DfES, 2003f).
PE and Sports in the
community
Government policy and funding has
enabled schools to work closely with
their communities in the provision of
sports and physical activities. The
Government strategy for PE and
Sport (See also Part one: OSHL and
policy – sport and physical
education), backed by Big Lottery
Fund grants, includes capacity
building within communities and
linking pupils into local sports clubs.
Three initiatives offer opportunities
for OSHL:
G The OSHL/School Sports
Co-ordinator programme provides
funding for School Sports Co-
ordinator Partnerships to provide
and deliver OSHL activities
G Step into Sport is an initiative to
increase the numbers of young
people and adults volunteering as
sports leaders within the
community
G The Club Links Programme
encourages pupils to join local
clubs in major sports, such as
tennis, cricket, athletics,
badminton, canoeing, cycling,
golf, judo, orienteering, rowing,
table tennis and volleyball. The
programme, which is being
developed in conjunction with
government and the NGBs of the
sports concerned, aims to
increase the percentage of five to
16 year olds who are club
members from 14 per cent to 20
per cent by 2006.
 PART 2 CHAPTER 6

Case study 22: OSHL and community, sport – Education at your feet
Charlton Athletic Football Club, through its community work, is an excellent example of how the appeal of professional
football can be utilised to deliver effective educational and community programmes for schools, at the same time raising the
profile and appeal of the club in the community. It has been recognised for the success of its work with a series of awards
including a European award for best practice in promoting sport in Greenwich.

The club is involved directly with Greenwich schools through a variety of initiatives:

Eighteen schools operate after-school clubs consisting of a structured programme of 6-10 weeks coaching followed by a
numeracy and literacy session, usually for children in Years 2 to 6. Many schools have supported these clubs with Big Lottery
Fund grants.

Club coaches also run coaching sessions with primary school children during school time. Sessions usually run for
45 minutes, for both boys and girls, and approximately 95 per cent of Greenwich primary schools are involved.

Education At Your Feet is a football-related learning initiative, supported by Barclaycard. Year 6 pupils from Greenwich
schools have the opportunity to enjoy a day of lessons in subjects such as English, history, maths and geography. Lessons are
related to the National Curriculum. Each child is given an educational study pack, including software to work through in the
club’s ICT suite at the Study Support Centre.

The club was the first in the country to run an anti-racist campaign. CARE (Charlton Athletic Race Equality) Partnership is run
jointly with Greenwich Council and was established in 1993. CARE staff go in to many Greenwich schools where young
people learn about racism, their own cultures, identity, citizenship and respect for others. CARE projects also work with
parents, for example Family Matters allows parents to trace their heritage and history.

The club runs a Playing for Success study support centre that aims to raise achievement, motivation and self-esteem,
through the medium of football. It also focuses on other areas such as digital technology, music, art, drama and core learning
from the National Curriculum documents. It works with both children and adults.

The club is now developing a range of new initiatives for the benefit of Greenwich schools.

Healthy Schools Award aims to increase awareness and develop a greater understanding of health issues for children aged 7
to 11. Structured sessions in schools will include football coaching as well as discussions on health issues. A health awareness
learning initiative pack, to be completed by pupils and parents, will help parents to be involved and gain a greater
understanding of health issues.

Kick into Reading and Numeracy Scheme is being developed with Greenwich Council to start up in Greenwich schools in the
near future, following its successful operation in Bexley schools. The scheme is a National Literacy Trust initiative, which
works with professional football clubs to promote literacy and lifelong learning. Under the community scheme, the club has
produced a Reading Partners Handbook.

Find out more:

Jyoti Marwah
Email: jyoti@marwah.fsnet.co.uk

53
 PART 2 CHAPTER 6
Travel to sports activities is often an
issue. In Cumbria the Copeland
Partnership has set up new PE and
Sport opportunities for pupils aged
7 to 19 years living in isolated
villages.The scheme provides
transport and initial opportunities in
familiar local settings to increase
pupils’ confidence and motivation so
they will go on to attend out of
school learning activities in local
community sports clubs. The Big
Lottery Fund and Cumbria County
Council fund the project, which is
designed to support the
development of high quality sports
and physical activity provision, with a
particular emphasis on pupils who
would not normally be expected to
participate in physical activities.
Read about the background to PE
and Sports OSHL in Part 1, page 13.
54
Case study 23: OSHL and the community,
crime – Super Sleuths
The Super Sleuths scheme was developed by Buckinghamshire Young People’s
University to develop relationships between the police and disadvantaged children.
The programme, involving Thames Valley Police and the Youth and Community
Service has enabled Buckinghamshire’s education authority to develop and sustain a
project that engages vulnerable young people during the long summer holidays.
We asked the police offers to think of a scheme that could engage children at risk of
perpetrating crimes, which would also give them information about the
consequences of crime,’ says Sue Little, director of Buckinghamshire Young People's
University.
About 26 year 6 pupils who have been identified by head teachers come together
for a weeklong summer programme based around crime and policing. The children
are transported to and from the project free of charge by minibus; the project is
based at a youth club, provided at very low cost by the Youth Service. They also
receive a nutritious breakfast. Thames Valley Police provide four officers to run the
course, and a youth worker is also employed.
The week is based around the fictional crime of a stolen mobile phone, and pupils are
taken step-by-step through the investigation, arrest and prosecution process. They
do role-plays, such as enacting arrests and court scenes, and visit the local police
station where they can try out finger printing and see the cells. They also learn about
restorative justice.
The programme has given the young people a clear idea that police don’t just go around
arresting and charging people all the time, but have a community policing and crime
prevention role too,’ says Sue Little. ‘And the police have benefited from learning what
the lives of some of the young people they’ve come across are really like.’
The scheme was first run in 2002, using a Big Lottery Fund grant, and then with
support from the Children’s Fund, which had allocated funding to tackle street crime.
Because the youth service provides the building, and the police force cover the
officers’ time, it is a cheap scheme to run, at around £500 each summer, and is
therefore easy to make financially sustainable.
Find out more from:
Sue Little, OSHL co-ordinator, Buckinghamshire Young Peoples University
Tel: 01296 424 652
Email: slittle@buckscc.gov.uk

Helping prevent
youth crime/
anti-social behaviour
through OSHL
OSHL activities can attract young
people away from anti-social and
criminal activity after school, a time
when the majority of problems
occur. Big Lottery Fund money has
been able to demonstrate success to
partners outside education, which
has led to continued funding from
other sources.
One source of funding is the Big
Lottery Fund’s Positive Activities for
Young People scheme which aims to
contribute to the Government’s
Street Crime and Robbery Initiative
(SCRI).
Read more about Big Lottery
Fund’s Positive Activities for Young
People in Part 1, page 15 and see
SPLASH case study 30, page 71.
PART 2 CHAPTER 6
Community Recognising
regeneration achievements
Schools can access funds for There are many awards available to
community regeneration, for example young people for their work in the
the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund. community. These include the
The extent to which schools are able ASDAN awards, which are accredited
to contribute to wider community by QCA and which accredit young
regeneration depends very much on people for learning key and life skills,
the approach they take, according to and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
a report by the Joseph Rowntree scheme which has a section that
Foundation. The report How schools specifically recognises work in the
can contribute to area regeneration community.
(2003), found that schools had
Find out more from:
‘important small scale and local
www.asdan.co.uk
effects’ and that ‘much depended on
www.theaward.org
the views of the head teacher’.
However the views of the schools The Diana, Princess of Wales
themselves were very varied, some Memorial Award for Young People
seeing the community as a distraction also recognises and celebrates the
from the school’s main purpose while inspirational qualities and
others see themselves as a resource outstanding achievements of young
for the community. people aged 12 to 18. Award
holders include young people who
The potential exists to make other
have acted as peer listeners, young
links into OSHL. For example the
carers, fundraisers, campaigners,
Young Leaders in the Community
school council members and anti-
awards, which is funded through the
bullying mentors.
Neighbourhood Support Fund, is
targeted at school leavers but has Find out more form
potential to join with OSHL at KS4. www.continyou.org.uk
Find out more from:
www.continyou.org.uk
The Rowntree report concluded
that schools might have more effect
on the neighbourhood and pupils if
they were able to operate with
stronger support from the local
authority and local community
organisations and with a more
clearly defined, holistic role.
Read more about community
regeneration and crime reduction
in Part 1.
55
 PART 2 CHAPTER 6

Engaging with the The opportunities are increasing for

Community: principles
The activities in this part of the
guide exemplify the importance of
the following principles:
G Thinking outside school
boundaries
G Recognising that organisations,
issues and events in the
community touch pupils’ lives and
can be a source of funding or
partnership-working
G Sharing the ‘ownership’ of and
importance of learning beyond
the classroom
G Planning jointly by taking into
account both school and
community agendas
G Networking widely across local
authorities: involving the FE and
youth sectors
G Using local agencies to research
local funding opportunities
G Looking for other bodies who
may support, eg local trusts, CVOs,
arts organisations, faith groups
G Sharing understandings of the
benefits and potential outcome
G Considering developing LEA-
wide schemes, possibly using
external facilitation.
schools. The extended schools
legislation offers one such
opportunity, as does the re-
organisation of children’s services,
which will provide for cross-
departmental structures that can be
exploited to form useful
partnerships.
OSHL’s impact will always be greater
if provided in partnership with
others, maybe in a consortium of
schools, for example, which can
provide significant opportunity for
young people or can allow schools to
engage in schemes where OSHL is a
part of bigger overall programmes.
Engaging with the
Community: issues
and challenges
G What changes are needed in the
policies of LEAs and local
partners to use the proven
value of OSHL to support
raising achievement aims for
communities and parents?
G How can LEAs work with others,
both within the local authority
and beyond, to channel
resources into OSHL?
G How can existing structures for
planning and action be used?
What opportunities can new
delivery mechanisms for
education and children’s
services contribute?

56

Chapter 7:
Involving parents
and families
The value of involving
parents and families
When parents become closely
involved with their children’s
learning, the results can be
extremely rewarding. Charles
Desforges looked at how to promote
family involvement and found a high
level of creativity and commitment
among parents:
‘When parents engage with their
children in activities that extend
and complement what they are
doing in the classroom, the added
benefit in terms of raised
achievement can be as much as
15 per cent. In order to maximise
this opportunity schools need to
work with parents and enable them
to link with the child’s work at
school.’ (Desforges and Aboucher,
2003)
PART 2 CHAPTER 7
The Social Exclusion Unit Policy A review of OSHL involving parents
Action Teams looked at the ‘best identified the following benefits for
ways of involving parents in their pupils and for parents:
children’s education and how these
G Greater confidence to develop
can be extended to improve adults’
their own learning
skills’. They noted that ‘poor
attainment by young people in G Higher self-esteem
disadvantaged areas is often
G More enjoyment/interest in
reflected in parental achievement
learning
and expectations’. They quoted
positive effects of parental G Higher motivation/commitment
involvement, especially in literacy,
G Positive attitudes
numeracy and special educational
needs, but noted: ‘research also G For parents – better relationships
suggests that schools experience with their children (Education
difficulties in managing these Extra, 2002b).
partnerships alongside other
priorities and that some parents can
feel marginalised’.
Their recommendations include:
G Hold meetings to explain what is
being taught and how parents
might contribute
G Run adult classes and make
leisure and sports facilities
available to the local community
G Visit local ethnic minority groups
to forge links with parents and
help to tackle any problems
G Hold multi-cultural days and evenings
(DfES, 1999).
57
 PART 2 CHAPTER 7

Case study 24: Involving parents – Joys Green

Joys Green, a tiny primary school of just 25 pupils, is situated in a rural hamlet in the heart of the Forest of Dean. The
surrounding area of natural beauty masks the fact that many of the pupils are in local authority housing, and that the area
experiences high unemployment levels and socio-economic hardship.

Teachers at the school identified that many parents often played only limited roles in their children’s education. A Big
Lottery Fund grant supported out of school hours club aimed to tackle this gap.

‘The project recognised that the relationship between parents and their children can be important in terms of tackling
social exclusion and disadvantage for both the young people and the parents,’ says Abi Paterson, out of school hours
learning co-ordinator at Gloucester County Council.

The project at Joys Green was part of a larger collaborative out of hours scheme organised between four schools, which
applied jointly for a Big Lottery Fund grant. Each head teacher took responsibility for a different aspect of the bid and its
delivery.

The Joys Green project was a one-hour after school club for pupils and their parents every second Tuesday during term
time. The participating pupils, who could attend if one or other of their parents (or other carer) came, were identified by
teachers as coming from families with domestic difficulties or economic hardship.

Children and parents were provided with refreshments at the beginning of each session to 'break the ice'. A joint activity
then followed, such as making fabric puppets, paper flowers or tray-gardens. Occasional weekend and holiday day-trips
were offered in addition to the fortnightly session. A nature walk was held and there were day sessions on cookery and
collage making.

This approach encouraged parents and children to work together towards a common aim, and helped them nurture
relationships, as well as encouraging an interest by parents in their child's learning. The scheme also aimed to contribute to
the lifelong learning of parents and grandparents, by giving them new skills, both in parenting and in craft activities.

‘The arts activities were particularly effective because it gave the participants something to repeat, or continue working
on at home, meaning the better relationships between parents and children could also be continued at home,’ says Abi.
The day trips helped to encourage parents to attend, where they might not otherwise have done, and provided
opportunities parents and children had not had before.

Evaluations concluded that the scheme was extremely successful. The tutors described how pupils attending the scheme
were able to communicate more effectively with each other and their parents, and that this enhanced their learning. The
head teacher noted that it led to enhanced parental confidence in working with their children, and better relationships
with the school.

The clubs have enabled parents to see there are many ways of doing things, and they don't have to have a relationship with
their children that they feel frustrated by,’ says Abi. ‘It has achieved parental engagement in learning with their children,
and positive learning experiences for both the parents and children for themselves.’

Find out more from:

Abi Paterson, Out of Hours Learning Co-ordinator, Gloucestershire County Council
Tel: 01452 425467
Email: abi.paterson@gloucestershire.gov.uk

58

Parental support schemes include:
G SHARE – a parental involvement
programme run by schools and LEAs
G Active Dads (a scheme to help
fathers to develop meaningful
relationships with their children
and to examine their own roles as
parents/educators
G YMCA Dads and Lads project
funded by the Home Office
Find out more form
www.continyou.org.uk
www.ymca.org.uk
The National Institute for Adult and
Continuing Education (NIACE)
defines family learning as ‘learning,
which engages whole families in
learning and raises basic skills’. It
embraces a huge range of activities.
Schools often use family learning as a
way to support children and young
people in their learning, and it can
also help to break cycles of
underachievement by engaging
parents directly in their children’s
education.
This lifelong learning context sets up
opportunities for OSHL to access
money from Learning and Skills
Councils and Connexions services.
There is strong support for family
learning from government and a
range of support networks and
organisations, for example Campaign
for Learning and NIACE.
Find out more from:
www.campaign-for-learning.org.uk and
www.niace.org.uk.
PART 2 CHAPTER 7
The Walking Ten Feet Tall toolkit
(NIACE, 2001) contains a
Outcomes for parents
framework for family learning and Many family schemes report the
benefits to participating parents.
contains much advice and help for
setting up family learning, including Schemes have included:
materials used by practitioners, Literacy
activities that help you get started
‘Before coming here I was just a
on practical tasks; case studies, and a
dinner lady. I used to be a secretary
literature review. One example in the
until I started my family twelve years
pack shows how Leicester College’s
ago. This class has given me the
Family Learning project has accessed
confidence to apply for office jobs
funding from the Learning and Skills
again’ (Education Extra/Roald Dahl Family
Council, Sure Start, Single
Literacy Initiative).
Regeneration Budget Standards
Fund and DfES. ICT
There is strong evidence that ‘We haven’t got a computer at home
activities for families do make a and are never likely to afford one. But
difference. Through increased the teacher was really helpful and
contact with the school, parents are now I’m looking for a night class if I
able to gain a deeper understanding can find one for beginners’ (Education
of the school and the curriculum, and Extra 2001).
how they can contribute to their Numeracy
children’s learning. ‘I’d never have
‘Many parents began the sessions
approached any of the staff [before].
with bad memories of learning
I’ve always been a bit nervous of
maths. Parents really saw the benefit
speaking to a teacher. I now think
of a problem solving, fun, mental
they are brilliant; I look at them as a
maths emphasis’ (DfES, 1998a).
friend. I feel more confident to
approach them’; ‘It helps me keep up Family Science
with the school’ (Parents at Walker ‘I’ve never been creative or confident.
School, Newcastle quoted in Education Extra, It’s given me ideas and made me
2002b). more confident. In other words, it’s
The Boots Company Family Science never too late to learn’
Learning Project provides additional (parent, Boots Company Family Science
evidence of improved relationships: Project).
‘it brings parents in on a totally
different level. It builds on the
school’s partnership with parents.
Parents and teachers are mixing on a
different level’
(Headteacher quoted in Education Extra, 2002b).
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 PART 2 CHAPTER 7

Additionally, parents may

themselves return to learning:
‘Parental involvement in, for
example, family literacy classes and
ICT classes in school has led to …
adults re-engaging with education
and having confidence to take up
courses in local colleges’
(DfES 2003b).

Read more about the development

of OSHL and lifelong learning in Part
1, page 7

Involving parents
and families: Issues
and challenges
Changes in the legislative framework
and integration of services affecting
children and young people offer
real opportunity for schools and
LEAs to use OSHL to benefit
children and their families.
G How can schools better access
the funding available to support
families and encourage adult
learning so that family learning
and parental involvement can
be properly resourced?
G How can the structures
introduced by LEAs ensure that
the needs and opportunities for
family learning/parental
involvement are recognised and
resourced?
G How can schools and potential
partners, for example FE
colleges and adult learning
organisations, work together to
integrate family learning
provision?
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Chapter 8:
OSHL and health
OSHL and the health
agenda
The 2003 government paper Every
Child Matters (DfES, 2003f)
reported a survey in which young
people placed ‘being healthy’ as one
of the five most important concerns
for them. They wanted ‘good
physical and mental health and to live
a healthy life’. Improving the nation’s
health is also an increasing concern
of local and national government.
The integration of education, health
and community policies is complex.
This is a huge field in which OSHL
plays a small but important part by
offering significant health learning as
part of the outcomes. Recognising
this can release much needed
support and funding. For example,
young people can learn about diet
and exercise while enjoying
interesting and stimulating activities.
OSHL can also support health
developments by improving mental
well being through: mentoring
schemes, offering interventions to
prevent bullying, or through
breakfast and healthy eating clubs.
PART 2 CHAPTER 8
Opportunities for Targeting health needs
funding health As Ofsted noted
improvement ‘A healthy school is one
There is funding available to support
that…promotes physical and
emotional health by providing
health improvement, for example
accessible and relevant
through sports and physical
information and equipping pupils
education activities, and healthy
with the skills and attitudes to
eating initiatives. Health
make informed decisions about
improvement goals for OSHL can
their health. (It) understands the
include:
importance of investing in health
G Activities which provide to assist in the process of raising
information, improve social skills levels of pupil achievement and
and raise self-esteem for those at improving standards. It also
risk of teenage pregnancy recognises the need to provide both
a physical and social environment
G Supplying healthy-eating
that is conducive to learning.’
opportunities, mainly breakfast
(see A review of evidence of the
clubs
impact on schools of the
G Improving diet through cookery implementation of the National
activities Healthy School Standard drawn from
the Ofsted Database of schools in
G Increased family learning for
England, inspected September 2000
health improvement
- July 2001)
G Increasing access to health
services – for example, through
extended schools
G Reducing obesity by increasing
physical activity
G Developing emotional intelligence
and literacy among pupils.
The benefits of these kinds of
initiatives include: a healthier
population, reduced health care
costs and effects on community
regeneration and crime reduction
(New Opportunities Fund, 2002b).
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 PART 2 CHAPTER 8

Case study 25: OSHL and health – Manor The National Healthy School
Standard is a well-established
Friday Five initiative with greater possibilities for
A project at the Manor School in Nottingham is targeting girls at high risk of stronger links with OSHL. It aims to:
teenage pregnancy and truancy. The project makes innovative use of the last
G Reduce health inequalities
period on Fridays to gather young women into a ‘good gang’ called the Friday
Five. G Promote social inclusion
The club, which is named after the last school period on a Friday when most G Raise educational standards.
pupils have either gone home or are having extra sessions with teachers, has its
The target is that ‘all schools in
own logo, t-shirts and caps. A firm identity is important to encourage the fifteen
or so young women participants to feel they belong.
England continue to be provided with
the opportunity to access the
‘The girls are learning to co-operate and share with each other, improving services of a nationally-accredited
integration into their own groups and the wider school environment,’ says one local healthy schools programme
teacher. ‘We wrote to each girl and asked them to attend a meeting and bring a [by] 2003-2006’
friend along if they wished – they were given ownership of the group and joint
planning took place between the students.’ In healthy schools the review noted
positive effects of health on:
The school has been able to engage girls who were not attending traditional
physical education lessons and were generally excluding themselves from school. G Pupil standards
It has done this by giving the club a firm identity and offering alternative health
G PHSE policies
related activities like reflexology, Tai Chi and martial arts.
G The involvement of pupils
Friday Five sessions also enable the girls to receive sex education and drugs
information from outside agencies in a confidential and trusting atmosphere. G Personal and social development.
This is an important feature as they were failing to attend similar health and
These are central aims for healthy
social education lessons as part of the curriculum. There is a strong food element
to the club too, with the girls trying exotic foods and new ways to cook healthily.
schools and ones that can be
advanced by the strategic use of
Original funding was from the Big Lottery Fund out of school hours programme. OSHL.
The project is now sustained from the extra statutory funding the school
receives because of its sports college status. The school is committed to Find out more from:
continuing the club, which has improved the health and attendance of www.hda.nhs.uk
participants, and will continue to pay for it out of core funds. However, the www.wiredforhealth.gov.uk
school is approaching local partner agencies and businesses in the hope of
receiving extra money.

Find out more from:

Barbara Bakewell, Director of Sport, The Manor School
Nottingham
Tel: 01623 425 106
Email: sbowring@themanor.notts.sch.uk

62

Food and schools
The impact of breakfast
clubs
National evaluation of Breakfast
Clubs concluded that they had ‘a
positive impact on the school day
and many have been reaching many
families whose members were at risk
of or actually experiencing social
exclusion’ (UEA, 2002). This view is
supported by the New Policy
Institute (2002), which showed that
breakfast clubs could help improve
health and nutrition and give a better
start to the learning day.
Use of these findings in applications
and bids for grants may help schools
to find sustained funding from both
health and regeneration sources.
School breakfast clubs serve a
number of different purposes. They
provide an opportunity for improving
social interaction and support
parents and family life, especially
through early morning childcare.
Some aim primarily to ensure pupils
get to school on time and have
something to eat well before the day
begins. Others exist more specifically
to encourage more healthy eating
habits. Some schools manage to
combine these purposes effectively.
PART 2 CHAPTER 8
Much expertise is available on how
to develop breakfast clubs and there
has been funding from a variety of
sources such as Kellogg’s and local
NHS Trusts. Many local companies
support clubs by offering discounts
on food.
In 2004 ContinYou, building on
Education Extra’s previous work
launched a new ‘Breakfast Club Plus’
network supported by Kellogg’s.
Plans include a funding guide for
clubs.
Find out more from:
www.breakfastclubs.net
www.nutrition.org.uk/education/healthy
schools/breakfastclubs.htm
www.educationextra.org.uk/projects/pa
ges/breakfast.html
Breakfast clubs can incorporate a
huge variety of different OSHL
activities. For example, some include
a bit of exercise (such as
trampolining) or reading and
numeracy activities.
The UEA study of breakfast clubs
(2002), serving an estimated
30,000 breakfasts a week, gave an
idea of the scale of the operation.
This report had an extensive section
on funding, partnership and charging.
Findings from this report showed that:
G While secondary schools were
more likely to gain extra funding,
the scale of funding gained was
higher in primary schools
G One in seven clubs had obtained
additional, non-financial support
from local businesses, often the
supermarket or donations, eg
toasters
G
The use of volunteers reduced costs
but there was a need for additional
training to ensure good order.
There was a high level of use
amongst families reporting
emotional stress and by pupils with
considerable overall levels of
difficulties; and, ‘overall there was
evidence that school breakfast
clubs provide a service capable of
reaching families most likely to be
in need of support, including
some families at risk of or
experiencing social exclusion.’
A notable success of the clubs was
the lack of stigma attached to
attendance.
Whilst the writers remained
‘cautious’ about the outcomes at a
statistical level, schools noted a
number of improvements:
G Enjoying a meal in a calm
atmosphere contributed to
improved behaviour – but this
was not universal
G A real increase in numbers of
pupils having breakfast, although
these pupils did not always
choose to eat healthy foods
G Increased socialisation and
learning
G Increased educational activities in
the clubs.
The report concludes that breakfast
clubs have ‘a positive impact on the
school day’ and pointed to a number
of ways forward based on the good
practice of the best clubs (UEA,
2002).
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 PART 2 CHAPTER 7

Case Study 26: OSHL and health –

Dinnington Breakfast
Five years ago, staff at Dinnington Comprehensive School decided to address the
issue of children who were coming to school early.

‘Pupils were coming to school early, then having to hang around the school grounds
in the cold and wet until we opened up the buildings, and had no way to keep warm,’
recalls assistant head Dr Alan Hewitt. ‘Research carried out nationally was suggesting
that an increasing number of children were having nothing to eat before school. It
also showed this could affect their attention span and learning in class.’

With the support of the head teacher, Dr Hewitt and the new catering team at the
school established a school breakfast club so the children could have a warm space to
come into from the cold and get breakfast – and also have extra opportunities to
read and communicate with their friends and with adults.

The half-hour breakfast club is held each morning in one of the school’s dining areas.
Catering staff and the school learning mentor oversee proceedings. The atmosphere
is informal and relaxed and teachers often join in for breakfast themselves, which
gives pupils another chance to talk to them outside a classroom setting.

‘It’s run like a café rather than a school breakfast club. It’s a nice environment;
somewhere comfortable to come to start the day positively, says Dr Hewitt. All
pupils can come to the club, and in the winter it provides up to 180 breakfasts
regularly to around 12 per cent of the school’s pupils. Daily newspapers are
provided, which help pupils to improve their reading and communication skills
informally, as well as learn about current events.

Crucially, breakfasts are sold as part of the school’s normal catering, and children pay
for their food on a swipe card. This takes away the stigma for those who are
receiving free meals, and gives pupils an opportunity to plan and budget their eating.

By charging for breakfasts, the club has been able to become sustainable, using only
the original £250, £500 and £2,000 grants the school received from Education
Extra to establish the scheme. As long as the atmosphere remains cheery and
informal and the food continues to be good value for money and tasty, children will
keep coming.

Over the last five years, school attendance and the student performance have
significantly improved. Among other initiatives at the school, the breakfast club is
credited with playing a role in these improvements in standards. Parents say it has
given them peace of mind to know their children can eat at school, and evaluations
have shown that pupils enjoy the chance to be somewhere out of the cold everyday,
eating good food and talking to school-based adults outside of lessons.

Find out more from:

Dr Alan Hewitt, Assistant Head,Dinnington Comprehensive School
Tel: 01909 550 066
Email: alan.hewitt@dinnington-comp.rotherham.sch.uk
64
 PART 2 CHAPTER 8

The Food in Schools
programme
The Food in Schools (FiS)
programme encourages schools to
establish healthy-eating tuck shops,
install vending machines with less
sugary products and encourages
parents to improve the nutritional
content of packed lunches. There are
eight pilot FiS project themes, which
follow pupils through the school day
and therefore have several OSHL
components:
G Breakfast clubs: to improve the
nutritional content of food and
drink provided and consumed at
breakfast. Pilots are being run in
42 schools.
G Cookery clubs: to increase pupil
and family awareness and
understanding of how important
a balanced diet is, and also the
importance of food hygiene.
Pilots are being run in 42 schools.
G Growing clubs: providing
children in schools with the
opportunity to learn and
participate in (food) growing
activities, linking the food chain,
nutrition and health. Pilots are
being run in 15 schools.
Find out more from:
www.doh.gov.uk/foodinschools
Mental health
According to a 1999 survey, The
Mental Health of Children and
Adolescents in Great Britain, 10 per
cent of all children aged 5-15 years
suffer from mental health conditions.
These include significant conduct
disorders, anxiety and depression,
and hyperactivity. (National
Statistics, 1999).
Results show that mental disorders
were more prevalent among children
from families in poor economic
conditions and where adult
relationships had broken down.
Find out more from:
www.statistics.gov.uk
Dr Katherine Weare of the University
of Southampton has researched
emotional health and is an advocate
of the ‘whole-school’ approach to
mental health. She observes that
social and emotional health strategies
are generally better in primary
schools than secondary schools.
Undoubtedly however all schools can
play an important role in shaping a
supportive environment where
emotional resilience can be fostered.
Find out more from:
www.mentalhealth.org.uk
In 2002, the National Healthy School
Standard commissioned The National
Children’s Bureau (NCB) to collect
comments from primary school
children that describe the kind of
emotional culture they want in
schools:
‘The children would be kind, helpful,
caring, funny and they would listen
to people and not fight’
‘The adults wouldn’t be rude as they
have to respect the children’
Older students identified how to
make schools emotionally healthy:
G Inclusion and involvement of all
pupils in school decisions and
development
G Focusing on pupils’ personal
needs as much as on academic
success.
G A range of extra-curricular clubs
and activities are important and
youth and community workers
should be involved in some of
these.
Find out more from:
www.youngminds.org.uk
Learning to handle stress
Exams, bullying, peer pressure and
problems at home are just a few of
the many stressors that children and
young people can experience.
However young people are not
always equipped to recognise the
signs of stress and are often not able
to deal with it themselves. This can
deeply affect their ability to learn.
Ysgol Yr Ynus Infants School in
Llanelli has adopted a technique to
deal with pupil stress. Pupils at the
school are boosting their brain power
by using Brain GymTM during the
school day, at Breakfast club and in
after-school activities. Headteacher
Delyth William says that Brain
Gym can support children with
learning blocks by calming and de-
stressing them.
65
 PART 2 CHAPTER 8
Case study 27:
OSHL and mental
health: The Cheiron
Project
The Cheiron project in Liverpool began
in 1999 as part of an experiment by
the University of Liverpool education
department to help alleviate stress in
children at an early stage. Teachers at
Millwood School and Stocktonwood
Infant School referred children to
stress therapy units, or Quiet Places,
based at the schools’ premises.
Children and their families attended
the units three times weekly and
children received hand massage,
counselling, psychotherapy,
aromatherapy – all in an environment
that used light and music to create a
relaxing atmosphere.
Parents remarked that their children
were calmer and more able to talk
about what bothered them. They also
appreciated the fact that problems
were being dealt with immediately, at
the school, without their having to
seek outside help. There are now over
30 Quiet Places across the country.
Find out more from:
cheiron@liv.ac.uk
66
Managing emotions Promoting health
The work of Daniel Goleman and through PE and sports
others on emotional intelligence and
When a powerful combination of
emotional literacy (1996), has led
schools to offer more to help young
community agencies work together,
as on the Sport Linx programme in
people in this area of learning.
Liverpool, sports programmes with
Managing emotions is an important
real impact on young people’s levels
part of developing mental well-being
of health can be achieved. (See case
and OSHL is used by some schools
study 28).
specifically to help with this. Two
examples are: Read about PE and Sports in the
community in part, page 52.
Morriston Comprehensive in
Swansea has a Muay Thai Kickboxing Read about the background to PE
Club to help pupils with anger and Sports OSHL in part 1, page 13.
management. The students are
Read about the learning outcomes
taught how to use their arms and
of PE and Sports OSHL in part 2,
legs in punching and kicking
page 41.
techniques in order to channel their
negative energy constructively and
positively. Taijiquan, an ancient
Chinese method of self-defence and
self healing, is also used. The basic
breathing techniques help students
to relax, become focused, gain
confidence and respect for life.
Valley School in Stevenage is a school
for pupils with moderate learning
difficulties. It provides a Chill Out
Zone for pupils, which came about
after two support assistants
suggested that the children needed a
quiet space when they were not in
class. The Zone, staffed voluntarily
by the two support assistants, runs
at lunchtime and provides music,
jewellery-making, reading, toast, hot
chocolate and fruit and veg. As a
result the children have become
more sociable, more accepting of
others and calmer (Education Extra,
2003b).
 PART 2 CHAPTER 8

Case study 28: OSHL and health – Sports OSHL and health:
Linx Issues and
The Liverpool Sports Linx project took a wider approach to physical fitness, challenges
combining sport with healthy eating.
The contents of this section have
At stage one, pupils were asked, during their curriculum health and social only scratched the surface of
education lessons, about what they ate and what exercise they did. By the end of health provision for young people.
stage six, teachers, classroom assistants and community leaders had been However it demonstrates that
trained to run the after-school sports and nutrition clubs. Local agencies and funding from many sources other
private providers were engaged to support them. than education is available to
The programme was rolled out across 120 schools, including many from the support OSHL, provided applicants
region’s most deprived neighbourhoods, using Neighbourhood Renewal Funding. make the links to local and national
‘We found out what children wanted from their health and eating,’ explained Liz priorities for health improvement.
Lamb, health and physical activity officer at Liverpool City Council.
Ask these broad questions
Every school then ran after-school clubs for between six and eighteen weeks, all
when considering how this
aimed at improving the health and nutritional status of participants. The Big
can be done:
Lottery Fund grant enabled schools in the very poorest areas to receive 30
sessions at their clubs. G To what extent can schools be
the vehicle for the delivery of
A range of activities were offered, designed to improve pupils’ diets in a creative
health and broader social
way. Pupils learned to make fruit kebabs and exotic juices to make healthier
eating fun. An estimated 28,000 pupil-sessions have now taken place.
policy?
G How best can schools with
Sustainability is a priority. Schools receive new sports and cooking equipment
during the programme that they can keep for future clubs. Adult participants limited resources access the
also receive free certificated courses, in fitness or food technology, so they can information and funding from
continue to deliver sports and nutrition clubs. health and regeneration?

Local agencies, including the Primary Care Trust, Sure Start and local authority G What mechanisms, eg working
community health programmes are linked into the schools. with other schools, might be
effective for improving the
‘We don’t just leave them stranded in their schools,’ as Lamb goes on to say. ‘We
health of pupils?
give them additional ideas and support, and link them in with LEA funding
programmes, with the community dietician or sports development officers: G How can the LEA help to join up
anyone who can help them in the work.’ thinking locally with other
partners and offer schools a
The approach allows Sports Linx to be a cross-community, multi-agency
package of contacts and
programme, involving the local authority, local sports clubs, schools and private
initiatives that could potentially
companies. Liverpool John Moores University takes part by collecting and
interpreting statistics on child health. They show a significant reduction in
provide funding?
obesity and poor child nutrition since the project began – which provides
evidence to support for further funding applications.

Find out more from:

Liz Lamb, Health and physical activity officer, Liverpool City Council
Email: Liz.Lamb@liverpool.gov.uk

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68