Advice for behaviour improvement managers in local authorities

extratıme Supporting out-of-school-hours learning LEAs are always under pressure to provide the best for the children in their areas and to meet government education targets. But funds are limited, and identifying the most effective ways to tackle key issues can be confusing. Study support (also known as out-ofschool- hours learning, extended, informal or extra learning) is a single approach that can help address many of these issues simultaneously. It offers informal, imaginative ways to help pupils learn by participating in clubs, outdoor activities and community projects. Study support benefits children in many ways, such as reducing behavioural problems, improving their attainment, and increasing their motivation and selfesteem. The government recognises that study support and informal learning can make an important contribution to educational strategies, including the development of extended schools. It increasingly wants to see schools and LEAs embedding study support firmly within their development plans. This guide will help you to do that. This guide will help you meet your behaviour improvement strategy objectives and incorporate study support into your work. It will show you how study support can be used to add value to the support that you give schools. Advice for behaviour improvement strategy managers in LEAs Strategy Guide Meeting strategic education goals in England through study support What is study support? Study support (also known as out-ofschool- hours learning, extended or extra learning) can include: • breakfast clubs – nutrition, a sociable atmosphere, learning opportunities and improved attendance and concentration levels • homework clubs – help with homework in a calm, informal atmosphere • subject-based activities – such as reading or science clubs • creative activities – such as DJ workshops, street dance, steel bands • physical education and sports – working on young people’s skills ranging from numeracy and literacy to behaviour improvement, through activities in schools and in the community. The benefits of study support Evaluations of many study support projects have shown that it can help raise standards, improve behaviour and attendance, encourage parental and community involvement, and tackle social exclusion. It can help raise attainment for all students, and be especially helpful for those with particular needs. The relaxed out-of-class atmosphere can help teachers engage with children who are very shy, for example and also include parents or carers. The grid on the next page showing the key elements of the behaviour improvement strategy gives more information. For more information about study support evaluations visit www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/studysupport and www.continyou.org.uk/onlinereference Study support can improve pupils’ attitudes to learning Study support recognises the connection between children’s educational achievements and what they learn through their informal pastimes when these are linked to core learning and activities in their classrooms and communities. A key point about study support/out-ofschool- hours learning programmes is that they are strategically designed to focus on meeting the needs of individual pupils and to tackle issues such as exclusion and low self-esteem. Children can be involved at every level, which increases their learning opportunities: deciding which activities take place, choosing what to participate in, and being consulted in how the activities or schemes run. How does study support help behaviour improvement managers? Study support is a key part of the government’s strategy to raise achievement. Between 1999 and 2004, it allocated over £150m in Standards Fund and £200m Lottery funding to local education authorities (LEAs) and schools to strategically develop their study support activities and programmes. As a behaviour improvement strategy manager, you can help develop and sustain study support activities that will contribute towards achieving your targets. You might support activities targeted towards particular groups of children, or you may find ways to incorporate study support into your mainstream strategy. About study support How can study support help improve pupil behaviour and attendance? Key issues for improving pupil behaviour and attendance How study support fits with these issues or complements them Study support schemes can be designed to meet the particular needs of children with emotional and behaviour problems. Clubs often have a higher ratio of adults to pupils than classes during the school day, with more opportunities for one-to-one interaction. Schemes that involve adults from outside the school or family, such as mentoring, can give children a valuable new perspective on life. Intervening early to address emotional and behavioural problems Some truants stay away from school because they experience failure there, and study support can help them catch up, thus eliminating their motivation for truancy. Study support enables pupils to experience success in something they are interested in and have chosen for themselves. It increases their enthusiasm and confidence, which in turn raises their attainment. It also enables children to interact with other children and adults in an informal environment, which gives them a sense of belonging in a smaller group, thus boosting inclusion. Preventing truancy, to strengthen inclusion and attainment Study support activities help pupils realise that learning can be fun. Enabling young people to choose what activities they take part in, and involving them in decisions about how these are run, gives them a sense of control over their learning and helps them value themselves more. Through working together, the pupils and adults increase their mutual respect and understanding. Re-engaging pupils in learning through extracurricular activities, and developing a more diverse curriculum Study support can use innovative ways to extend curriculum learning or offer revision sessions that can help pupils catch up with what they are doing in class. Because it is often informal and fun, it can provide a unique, positive experience to help pupils break down barriers and start building better relationships with their schools. If the activities are designed around their interests, ideally with their involvement, they stand a far higher chance of success. Re-integrating pupils who have been excluded Parents can easily become detached from schools, especially at secondary level. Inviting parents to family study support helps them develop a stronger connection with the school community. This gives them a better understanding of the school’s expectations of their children, and makes them more likely to encourage positive behaviour and attendance. It also offers them a shared experience with their children, strengthening their relationships. Working with and supporting parents Black achievement Northampton County Council ‘Take 30 black kids from year 10, work intensively on challenging their negativity, and after just four days you can spot the difference in their demeanour from the other end of the corridor,’ says Danielle Stone, Study Support Strategic Coordinator for Northamptonshire. The ‘black achievement’ project focuses on black children, who are statistically less likely to achieve good grades than their peers in schools across Northamptonshire. ‘It’s a taboo subject, but the national figures show the difference in achievement. If race is an issue, you need to focus on that,’ says Danielle. There is a high curriculum content in the scheme, and pupils work on English, Maths and Science. It also offers outdoor activities and effective learning strategies. And, black guest speakers help pupils learn about cultural awareness and black identity issues. The scheme can help prevent children from putting themselves at risk because of engaging in gang behaviour, rudeness, bullying and erratic attendance. It also involves an evening activity session for parents, which is run by a study support trainer and a black University of the First Age trainer. This offers parents information about learning methods, and suggests easy ways they can support their children. The project tackles behaviour strategy objectives: • Intervening early to address emotional and behavioural problems • Re-engaging pupils in learning through extracurricular activities, and developing a more diverse curriculum The effect Because these young people are personally addressed on this scheme, and the co-ordinators are patient, they quickly develop the confidence to be more assertive and ask questions, so their level of engagement is rising. ‘The feedback was extraordinary,’ says Danielle. ‘The kids told us how they wanted revision in school: they wanted their teachers to be trained in the methods our trainers had used, and they wanted shorter sessions. They were assertive about how their needs could be met. It was a delight.’ Focusing on at-risk transition pupils Buckingham Young People’s University When school breaks up for the summer, a few lucky ones get to become ‘Super Sleuths’ in a scheme run by the local Young Person’s University in partnership with Thames Valley Police. The scheme focuses on children in Year 6 who are about to start secondary school. It particularly encourages those who are at risk of offending or of being excluded by their schools or their peers. Four police officers, a youth worker and local sixth-form volunteers run the scheme, which is very informal, with everyone on first-name terms. It is based on the scenario of a mobile phone being stolen. The children go to the police station, have their fingerprints and a mug shot taken, and run a court scene. ‘The aim is to tackle problem behaviour and help the children move on in their year of transition,’ says police schools officer Paul Sorensen. ‘We discuss the fears of the victim and how the crime affects others, so we can address emotional issues and try to empower the children. A lot of them have problems with social skills, so we are constantly very subtly challenging certain types of behaviour.’ Super Sleuths tackles these behaviour improvement strategy objectives: • Intervening early to address emotional and behavioural problems • Re-engaging pupils in learning through extracurricular activities, and developing a more diverse curriculum • Preventing truancy, to strengthen inclusion and attainment The effect As the children’s trust gradually increases, the staff sometimes become aware of problems at home or in a child’s behaviour, and can flag up the attention of the secondary school. ‘The scheme works on many different levels,’ says Paul. ‘We see a dramatic increase in their confidence. The staff team feels it’s extremely valuable.’ Partnership working Mount Pellon Junior School and Himmat Year 5 boys at Mount Pellon Junior School, Halifax, have jumped at the chance of extra sport on Saturday afternoons with some learning thrown in. The resulting effect on their behaviour and achievement has been impressive. The sessions are run by Himmat, an Asian voluntary organisation that supports local young people, especially but not exclusively in the Asian community. Himmat set up a partnership project with Mount Pellon Junior School (one of the Halifax Excellence cluster) to run lessons on Saturday mornings in order to reinforce pupils’ understanding in a different context, followed by sport in the afternoon. The support is open to all but focuses on boys with behavioural difficulties who are underperforming. Himmat has particular experience in this field and has strong links with the probation service and youth justice initiatives. The scheme set out to achieve a change in attitude among Year 5 children to help them overcome problems such as poor concentration and unruly behaviour. The Himmat workers paid particular attention to encouraging team-working and enjoyment. The Saturday sports sessions tackle these behaviour improvement strategy objectives: • Intervening early to address emotional and behavioural problems • Preventing truancy, to strengthen inclusion and attainment Continued on next page Case Studies The effect There was a dramatic difference in the boys’ attitudes to learning. Their behaviour changed and their performance improved. Himmat has now expanded the Saturday scheme to include children from other schools. It is also providing out-of-schoolhours learning for behavioural issues in a number of schools in Halifax, including Halifax High School, which it helped make terrific strides from near the bottom of the table to National Standard in three years. Adventure-based learning Bexley (Trinity) School Sports Partnership The Bexley School Sports Partnership is using adventure-style team-building and problem-solving exercises to improve children’s behaviour. The exercises, such as carrying out group tasks blindfold, focus on helping the children recognise what good communication skills are, and whether they are using them. The ‘adventure-based learning’ scheme is run after school once a week for six weeks, in three schools in the partnership where behaviour is an issue. The schools identify children who will most benefit from it – mainly those with behaviour problems and difficulties around social interaction. This has included young people who have been excluded, as well as those who have difficulty in communicating in class, who will attend the club even if they are not attending school. More than 60 per cent have special needs. Partner Development Manager Lorraine Everard, a former head of PE, co-ordinates and delivers the scheme. She works with schools for six weeks before the programme is delivered, and returns the following term to evaluate it. There has been support for the project from the behaviour support consultant in the LEA as well as some funding and support from the LEA’s sports development leisure services. This project tackles these behaviour improvement strategy objectives: • Intervening early to address emotional and behavioural problems • Re-engaging pupils in learning • Re-integrating pupils who have been excluded • Ensuring that pupils understand the impact that their behaviour has on others The effect ‘The results have been fantastic,’ enthuses Lorraine. All the schools report improved attitudes, improved behaviour and better communication with their peers and staff. Some schools also report a reduced need for learning support mentors, and one boy was taken off report after three years. The children can only succeed in each activity if they use the skill, such as ‘negotiation’, being targeted. They learn how to deal with failure and realise that if they amend their approach they can achieve success. ‘This scheme is different because the kids are not just carrying out activities – they’re thinking about how they do it, and how this impacts on their strategies for doing things around school,’ says Lorraine. The scheme used NOF funding, but the partnership is training the local pupil referral unit, behaviour support service and teachers in partner schools to become facilitators so that it can become self-sustaining. Government thinking about study support Because study support has such a positive impact on students and schools the government is encouraging local education authorities and schools to incorporate and embed it into their mainstream strategies, rather than thinking of it as an ‘add-on’ to their core activities. It can help schools: • improve and raise standards • improve pupil behaviour and attendance • develop full-service extended schooling • nurture creativity and enrichment • tackle workforce remodelling • ease transition between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 • foster parental and community involvement • tackle social exclusion • personalise learning • meet the Every Children Matters children’s services agenda • build schools of the future. Study support is an important strand of the breadth of services delivered by extended schools. The Government wants all schools (primary and secondary) to develop as extended schools. Its Five Year Strategy for Children and Learners, published in July 2004, sets out a core offer of extended services that it wants all schools to develop over time. These include study support activities. Many LEAs have proactively implemented study support in their strategies. Examples have included: • embedding study support within plans for education development • appointing local authority officers responsible for study support or extended learning • briefing advisors, training inspectors, and strategic staff across the education service to support schools in their outof- hours work • developing a long-term strategy and action plan for study support that supports and enables schools in equal measure. Study support benefits pupils in a range of ways so it is good for schools and ultimately helps to raise standards. It has been described as a ‘viral strategy’, which is a good way to look at it: it embeds itself in, and adds value, to key government strategies. What you can do next • Contact your study support or out-ofschool- hours learning co-ordinator. • Include study support activities in your behaviour improvement strategy plans. • Find out what study support activities schools in your area provide now and how these can complement your behaviour improvement strategy plans. • Consider how community partners could add value to study support provision to help improve your pupils’ behaviour. • Support schools in embedding study support by including it your INSET provision. • Host a workshop for headteachers to discuss how to develop study support that helps improve behaviour and to share good practice. Useful websites and resources ContinYou’s Extra Time services and resources ContinYou supports the strategic development of study support activities in schools, local authorities and their communities. There is a wide range of information and advice available on www.continyou.org.uk/extratime or telephone 020 8709 9900. Department for Education and Skills Study Support Team www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/studysupport DfES Behaviour Improvement Programme (BIP) www.dfes.gov.uk/behaviourimprovement Don’t suffer in silence www.dfes.gov.uk/bullying/ Anti-bullying Alliance www.ncb.org.uk/aba/intro.asp ChildLine in Partnership with Schools (CHIPS) www.childline.org.uk Quality in Study Support (QISS) www.qiss.org.uk Tel: 020 7093 3905 University of the First Age (UFA) www.ufa.org.uk Children’s University www.childrensuniversity.org Progress on England’s Children’s Rights Commissioner www.therightssite.org.uk 4 Nations Child Policy Network For information on latest policy developments relating to children and young people across the UK www.childpolicy.org.uk teachernet www.teachernet.gov.uk OTHER COUNTRIES Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Department of Education www.deni.gov.uk Northern Ireland Children’s Commissioner for Children and Young People www.niccy.org Scotland Scottish Study Support Network 76 Southbray Road Glasgow G13 1PP Tel. 0141 950 3186 or 01968 678 985 Scotland’s ‘National Priorities In Education’ For more information visit: www.nationalpriorities.org.uk Scottish Commissioner for Children and Young People www.cypcommissioner.org Wales National Assembly of Wales (children and young people pages) www.wales.gov.uk Children’s Commissioner for Wales www.childcom.org.uk European countries The European Network of Ombudsmen for Children (ENOC) www.ombudsnet.org UN Convention on the Rights of the Child http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm PUBLICATIONS 14–19 Curriculum and Qualifications Reform, DfES, 2004 Code of Practice (England), DfES, 2004 Building the Future of Learning, Big Lottery Fund, 2004 Learning Pathways, 14–19 Guidance 37/2004, National Assembly for Wales, July 2004 This publication was researched and written by Eleanor Stanley www.eleanorstanley.co.uk Design: Navig8, www.navig8.co.uk ExtraTime Strategy Guides are published by ContinYou, a charity dedicated to building learning communities and promoting lifelong learning. ContinYou produces a variety of publications that support people working in the field of study support/out-of-school-hours learning. These are available through subscription. Find out more from ContinYou at 17 Old Ford Road, London E2 9PJ Telephone 020 8709 9900 Facsimile 020 8709 9933, Email info@continyou.org.uk www.continyou.org.uk Registered charity 1097596 Where to now...