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New funding for leading champion of supplementary education

ContinYou’s National Resource Centre for Supplementary Education (NRC) has received further funding from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) in order to continue with its work helping to further develop supplementary schools in England.

The estimated 3,000 supplementary schools typically run after school during week days and on Saturdays, and are often staffed by volunteers, some of whom may be qualified teachers, others of whom will be committed parents and carers. They provide a valuable extra dimension to the formal schooling of children from a wide range of communities and there is evidence that supplementary education has a positive impact on raising educational achievement.

Operating from community halls, through faith organisations and in school classrooms, supplementary schools offer a wide range of educational opportunities such as first language classes, cultural studies, a range of extra activities such as sport and drama, and national curriculum subjects. They can also be hugely beneficial in developing confidence, self-esteem and a sense of identity for the young people who attend.

Schools Minister Lord Andrew Adonis said 'A national survey found that 8 out of ten pupils who attended a supplementary school said it helped them with their mainstream school work. Supplementary schools activities can bring a tremendous sense of achievement and can boost children's confidence and motivation both in and out of the classroom.'

The NRC is the first national agency ever to work with supplementary school leaders, teachers, parents, volunteers, local Authority education professionals and other partners such as museums and libraries to:

  • raise standards in supplementary education
  • raise the profile of supplementary schools and what they can achieve
  • campaign on behalf of supplementary education.

Paul Morrish, Director of External Affairs for ContinYou said 'We are delighted that the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and DCSF have provided the NRC with the funds to continue supporting and celebrating the extraordinary work that supplementary schools do. Over the next two years the NRC will be particularly focusing on establishing a more robust and self-sufficient supplementary sector, one able to boast of high quality provision and able to provide evidence of making a difference to ‘Every Child Matters’ outcomes and locally based community cohesion.'

The new funding will enable the NRC to continue:

  • encouraging more supplementary schools to commit to its ‘code of practice’ for supplementary schools and so to become members of the organisation
  • training more representatives from supplementary schools in aspects of its quality framework – emphasising teaching and learning and good quality management and governance
  • publishing its ‘How to guides’, ‘Case studies of Best Practice’ and regular bulletins (also accessible on its website www.supplementaryeducation.org.uk)
  • developing its regional support network through its regional strategic adviser’s work with local authorities and other partners
  • further developing its partnership arrangements so that supplementary schools can gain access to enhanced provision in libraries, museums and through the arts and connectivity with local community enterprises.

Robert Dufton of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation said: 'Supplementary schools have an important role in the education of young people and their families, and in building community and intergenerational cohesion. The Foundation aims to increase the learning opportunities for people in the UK and currently we support innovation in the supplementary school movement. We are pleased to be a founding supporter with DCSF of ContinYou's National Centre for Supplementary Education. Our grant will help the NRC to maintain the independence, vitality and distinctiveness of this movement, and to enable the movement to grow in influence'.

Media enquiries contact Laura Luxton, Communications Manager for ContinYou on tel: 07970 891694 or email: laura.luxton@continyou.org.uk