Advice for early years and childcare strategy managers in local authorities

Strategy guide Meeting strategic education goals in England through study support Advice for early years and childcare strategy managers in local authorities Local authorities are under increasing pressure to deliver the five outcomes of Every Child Matters, extended services in and around schools, and other initiatives designed to raise standards, such as healthy schools and personalised learning. Study support (also known as out-of-school-hours learning – oshl) can help to address many of these initiatives simultaneously. Study support offers children the opportunity to take part in a range of informal and imaginative activities and projects outside normal lesson time, and has been shown to offer a range of benefits – for example, improving pupils’ attendance and levels of achievement. The government recognises the important contribution study support can make to a range of educational strategies. It is, therefore, working with key partners to embed study support within strategy documents and planning at both local authority and school level. This strategy guide highlights how: • • study support can assist the delivery of the early years and childcare strategy • • study support can be built into the support you, as a strategy manager, already offer to schools/children’s centres • • settings can use study support to benefit pupils, schools/children’s centres and communities. About study support What is study support? ‘Study support is learning activity outside normal lessons which young people take part in voluntarily. Study support is, accordingly, an inclusive term, embracing many activities – with many names and guises. Its purpose is to improve young people’s motivation, build their self-esteem and help them become more effective learners. Above all it aims to raise achievement.’ (DfES, 1998; quoted in Study support: a national framework for extending learning opportunities, DfES, 2006) ‘Study support’ is a broad term that includes almost all activities that happen outside normal lesson time, including: • breakfast clubs • creative/performing arts and crafts • design technology and ICT • special interest groups or clubs • homework, revision and drop-in sessions • activities linked to the curriculum • peer mentoring and peer tutoring schemes • summer schools • residential experiences • visits to museums, galleries and heritage sites • modern foreign languages • environmental projects • volunteering. This is not an exhaustive list, and a key factor should be what engages and interests children and young people. There should be scope for the members to suggest, run or lead particular activities. The Study Support ETC pages of the ContinYou website provide more information on how to develop and sustain study support activities (www. continyou.org.uk/studysupportetc). The benefits of study support Study support is recognised as a key contributor to school improvement and the development of the whole child/young person. The greatest impact is seen when study support is strategically rooted, valued, planned and evaluated at both school and local authority level. For more information about study support and evidence of its impact, visit www.continyou.org.uk/studysupportetc and www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/studysupport. Study support has been shown to help to: • raise standards • improve behaviour and attendance • encourage parental and community involvement • ease transition • improve motivation, and attitudes towards, and engagement in, learning • increase self-esteem and confidence • tackle social exclusion. The grid on the next page, showing the key elements of the early years and childcare strategy, gives more information on how study support links to its delivery and implementation. Funding study support programmes Although there is not one ring-fenced source of funding for study support, money can be used from a number of sources to support the delivery of activities. These include the core budget, the school standards grant (SSG), and money attributed to personalised learning. Schools that apply for designation as specialist schools are now required, as part of their strategic planning, to show how their activities contribute to the achievement of Every Child Matters and the core offer of extended services – thereby enabling the money associated with this designation to be used to support extended learning opportunities. How study support can help early years and childcare strategy managers As an early years and childcare strategy manager, you can help develop and sustain study support activities that will contribute towards achieving your targets. You might support activities aimed at particular groups of children, or you may find ways to incorporate study support into your mainstream strategy. How does study support help the early years and childcare strategy? Key issues related to early years and childcare strategy How study support fits with these elements or complements them Choice and flexibility – parents to have greater choice about balancing work and family life Good-quality childcare provides a range of study support and other activities for children to choose from, and offers children fun, safe activities that also have clear learning outcomes. Study support can also include opportunities for the family to learn together, through accredited and non-accredited schemes. It can provide opportunities for parents, members of the community and a wide range of staff (teaching and non-teaching) to develop their skills, qualifications and training in a variety of areas, thereby increasing motivation and retention. Quality – high-quality provision, with a highly skilled childcare and early years workforce, among the best in the world Parental support has a major impact on the quality of study support provision. Study support can bring younger children together with their parents and other family members, and can support parenting skills through activities such as family breakfast clubs, structured playtime, and activities based around common interests. Availability – for all families with children aged up to 14 who need it, an affordable, high-quality childcare place that meets their circumstances The flexibility of study support means that activities can be tailored to the needs of individual children. Within a caring environment, it can be designed to develop their personal, social, emotional, cognitive, language and learning skills, and improve behaviour. For older children, facilitators can work closely with educators to make sure that activities complement what children are learning in the classroom. Affordability – families to be able to afford flexible, high-quality childcare place that meets their circumstances The core offer of extended services in and around schools requires schools to provide or signpost parents to year-round high-quality childcare opportunities (for those aged up to 11 years old) and ‘a safe place to be’ for those aged 11 to 14. Working family tax credit can be claimed back against each of these ‘offers’. This means that, increasingly, schools will be using study support to deliver this aspect of the core offer in secondary schools. Helping schools make partnership arrangements with other schools, and with voluntary and private-sector providers Study support activities can provide an opportunity for schools, local communities, other providers and key partners to come together to develop accessible, integrated services, by sharing facilities, co-ordinating timetables, and taking a joint strategic approach – for example, through school PE and sport partnerships. Case studies Busy Bees Queensmead School, Leicester Parents are learning how to interact more with their children through fun activities such as pirates’ tea parties. The parties are part of Queensmead School’s weekly Busy Bees club. This focuses on parents who the school was finding it difficult to build a relationship with, and their children. The children were invited to bring a friend and their family too. ‘Initially only the friends’ parents attended,’ says headteacher Steve Boyce. ‘But slowly most of the target parents were drawn in too.’ There are currently four invited children and four friends attending, along with their parents and six siblings, who are invited too. The club fits in with the nurturing and inclusive culture of the school, and is a good way of reaching parents. ‘The fact that their parent is coming into school, spending quality time playing and working with them on a fun project boosts the children’s confidence,’ says Steve. ‘And the parents like it because it’s not threatening. It’s not run by teachers, but by skilled and trained local learning support assistants.’ Steve says that the local authority has been generous with support and has helped with funding. Queensmead School is tackling this early years and childcare strategic objective: • develop wider services, including parenting support. The effect The scheme has a major effect on family relationships. Steve says: ‘We’re in the top three deprived areas in Europe. The relationships between our pupils and their families is often difficult because the parents are often young and inexperienced themselves. But in Busy Bees we’re modelling ways of behaving with kids, and we’re seeing much closer relationships developing – much more tender, caring and loving.’ As far as Steve is concerned, the scheme will run ad infinitum: ‘It fits in perfectly with our creativity and enjoyment strategy, and we’re expecting a long-term rise in attainment. Parenting support is slowly becoming part of the school’s role, and parents are starting to see our school as a place where they can have fun. It’s a very small outlay for such a large benefit.’ Family early years activities Boundstone Nursery School, Lancing Grandparents, parents and siblings are very much part of school life at Boundstone Nursery School. As well as caring for young children during the day, the school runs a range of out-of-hours activities to support and involve families. These include Saturday workshops, home visits and the Families Together project, which develops family literacy and helps with interactive play. The Saturday workshops involve a variety of activities set up in different areas of a room. The families move around from one activity to the next and staff are there to help them participate effectively. Home visits enable staff to get to know the children, to explain how the nursery works, and to make the parents feel included and part of the process. The nursery also runs a toddler group. The nursery was traditionally for 3 to 4 year olds, but it now includes under 3s too. Does caring for these very young children differ from the nursery’s approach to early years education? ‘We don’t see the two as being separate,’ says one nursery worker. ‘We’re working with families right from the very beginning. It’s about recognising the family’s role in the child’s learning. Looking after a child is about being there for them and providing them with a sense of entitlement, and that is a prerequisite for their future learning.’ Boundstone Nursery School is tackling these early years and childcare strategic objectives: • develop wider services, including parenting support • provide parents with access to good-quality early education and childcare. The effect Staff see the children and their parents becoming more confident. The nursery’s toddler group has helped parents across the community to develop friendships with each other. Study support and government policy on children and young people Study support plays a key role in a range of national policies and initiatives, including: • extended schools – study support contributes extensively to the delivery of the ‘core offer’ of extended services in and around schools to which every community should have access by 2010. The ‘varied menu of study support activities’ can also contribute to the delivery of the other four areas: childcare; community access, including adult learning; parenting support, including family learning; swift and easy referral; and shared use of facilities (www.teachernet.gov.uk/extended schools) • Every Child Matters (www.everychildmatters.gov.uk) • Personalised Learning (www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/personalisedlearning) • Department for Culture, Media and Sport strategies (www.culture.gov.uk) • DfES Five Year Strategy for Children and Learners (www.dfes.gov.uk/publications) • Healthy Schools (www.healthyschools.gov.uk) • Learning Outside the Classroom (www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/resourcematerials/museums/ outsideclassroom) • Ofsted (www.ofsted.gov.uk) • PESSCL (www.youthsporttrust.org/page/pesscl/index.html) • Youth Matters (www.dfes.giv.uk/publications/youth) • 14–19 Strategy (www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/14to19) • Playing for Success (www.dfes.gov.uk/playingforsuccess). More information on how study support meets the challenges and targets presented by other initiatives can be found at www.continyou.org.uk/studysupportetc. Childcare and transition years support Sion Manning RC Girls School, Kensington, London Childcare often focuses on younger children, and older teenagers can go to youth clubs, but children in between are often left out. That’s why Sion Manning, Kensington’s extended school, is piloting an after-school and holiday club for 9 to 13 year olds. The scheme, funded by the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP), provides good-quality childcare. It also helps Key Stage 3 transition, supporting pupils from upper primary into the first two to three years of secondary school. Sessions take place in a clubroom in the school that has a kitchen and cosy armchairs. Children can get a snack there, use the computers, and take part in activities ranging from games to mentoring schemes or accelerated learning sessions. ‘When pre-teen latchkey children make their own way home, they often just hang around and that’s a lost opportunity,’ says Nick Holt, study support consultant in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. ‘Childcare is often associated with younger children, but childcare funding is available for children up to the age of 14. So if you can come up with self-sustaining childcare for 9 to 13, it’s a powerful service for the local community. And with the working families tax credit, parents earning up to £24k can claim back two-thirds of childcare costs, so it is affordable.’ Sion Manning is tackling these early years and childcare strategic objectives: • make sure childcare is available out of school hours and during the holidays between 8am and 6pm • help schools make partnership arrangements with other schools and with voluntary and private-sector providers. The effect The transition aspect of the scheme helps Sion Manning build close relationships with its feeder schools. Extending childcare services Bowbridge Primary School, Newark Eight years ago teachers at Bowbridge Primary School realised that children were not eating breakfast, so they set up a breakfast club. Now, with the school’s extended school status, the breakfast club is just one of a palette of activities providing childcare and other services to benefit children and their families. This school has Quality in Study Support (QiSS) ‘established’ status, and provides breakfast for up to 100 children every day, an after-school club providing care until 6pm, and numerous study support clubs that any pupil can attend. These include sports teams, arts activities, dance, drama and games clubs. As well as its nursery provision, the school offers wraparound care for additional children who can stay for meals, for a fee. There is a crèche on site for adult learners at the school’s extensive adult education programme, which is funded by the European Social Fund in partnership with Nottinghamshire Family Learning and the local FE college. Adults can also benefit from the school’s family learning centre. The local authority works closely with the school and is funding headteacher David Dixon to spread the word on extended schools. The local authority is also sponsoring David to undertake a doctorate course in extended activities and schools as community regenerators. Bowbridge Primary School is tackling these early years and childcare strategic objectives: • help schools make partnership arrangements with other schools, and with voluntary and private sector providers • make sure childcare is available out of school hours and during the holidays between 8am and 6pm. The effect David believes that the school’s childcare provision and work with early years children and their families is a vital part of its extended school ethos. ‘We carry out a lot of home visits and have established a toy library and community library. We work closely with parents to help them understand how the way they behave affects their children.’ He is clear about how this integrated approach benefits the school’s relationship with parents. ‘Because of our open-door policy, parents have confidence in us where they might not have before. They can see we’re working for them – not for our own agenda. We want to find out what parents’ needs are and offer them options to help improve everyone’s lives.’ Where to now... What you can do next • Contact your study support (out-of-school-hours learning) and/or extended services co-ordinator. • Include study support activities when planning/reviewing your childcare strategy. • Find out what study support activities schools in your area provide, and identify any opportunities to link with/signpost provision. • Consider how community partners that are providing study support activities could add value to your childcare provision. • Support schools in embedding study support by including it your INSET provision, detailing the links between study support, childcare and becoming an extended school. • Host a workshop for headteachers to discuss how including study support within your childcare provision will benefit all involved. • Link with your children’s information service to ensure they have details of those study support activities in your area that are recognised as providing a ‘safe place’ for 11 to 14 year olds to be beyond the main school day. Useful resources Websites 4 Nations Child Policy Network www.childpolicy.org.uk The Childcare Act www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/earlyyears/tenyearstrategy Children’s University www.childrensuniversity.org DfES Extended Schools Support Team (part of the Sure Start Unit) www.surestart.gov.uk DfES Study Support Team www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/studysupport Progress on England’s Children’s Rights Commissioner www.unicef.org.uk/youthvoice Quality in Study Support (QiSS) www.canterbury.ac.uk/education/departments/professional-development/ centres/quality-in-study-support/ teachernet www.teachernet.gov.uk Training and Development Agency for Schools www.tda.gov.uk University of the First Age (UFA) www.ufa.org.uk Publications 14–19 curriculum and qualifications reform, DfES, 2004 Building the future of learning, Big Lottery Fund, 2004 Learning outside the classroom manifesto, DfES, 2006 Study support: a national framework for extending learning opportunities, DfES, 2006 The study support code of practice (England), DfES, 2004 For information about useful resources for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, see www.continyou.org.uk/strategyguides. Acknowledgements Extra Time Strategy Guides are published by ContinYou, 17 Old Ford Road, London E2 9PJ. Tel: 020 8709 9900 Fax: 020 8709 9933 Email: info.london@continyou.org.uk Website: www.continyou.org.uk Copyright © ContinYou 2007 Edition 2. First published 2006. Revised 2007. ContinYou uses learning to tackle inequality and build social inclusion. ContinYou is one of the UK’s leading community learning organisations. Registered charity 1097596 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 at www.continyou.org.uk/extratime – or phone 020 8709 9900.