PE and OSHL guide

PE and Sport: Out-of-School-Hours Learning Guide PE and Sport: Out-of-School-Hours Learning Guide ContinYou www.continyou.org.uk ContinYou is a community learning charity that uses learning to tackle inequality and build social inclusion. We work to bring new opportunities for learning to people of all ages, especially those who have gained least from formal education and training. We work together with the Youth Sport Trust specifically to develop PE, school sport and out-of-school-hours learning (oshl). We are involved in: • extended services in and around schools • oshl/study support, including breakfast clubs and Pyramid clubs • parental support and family learning • healthy, active learning communities • raising the standards and profile of supplementary schools across England. Acknowledgements This guide was produced by staff at ContinYou. Photographs were provided by the Youth Sport Trust. Copyright © ContinYou 2008 Unit C1, Grovelands Court, Grovelands Estate, Longford Road, Exhall, Coventry CV7 9NE Tel: 024 7658 8440 Fax: 024 7658 8441 Email: info.coventry@continyou.org.uk Website: www.continyou.org.uk Registered charity number: 1097596 Company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales: 4652378 Youth Sport Trust www.youthsporttrust.org The Youth Sport Trust is a registered charity, established in 1994 to build a brighter future for young people through sport. Our mission is to develop and implement, in close partnership with other organisations, quality physical education and sport programmes for all young people aged 18 months to 18 years in schools and their communities. Big Lottery Fund www.biglotteryfund.org.uk BIG is the largest distributor of lottery money and was formed through the merger of the New Opportunities Fund and Community Fund in 2004. BIG funds a number of good causes; in particular, we have committed approximately £67 million since 2002 to the School Sports Co-ordinator Out of School Hours Learning programme. Introduction 4 Programme management and delivery 6 Planning 7 Targeting 9 Consultation 11 Learning objectives 14 Activity design 16 Linking target groups and activities 18 Oshl for young disabled people and those with special educational needs 19 Activity staffing and resources 24 Monitoring and evaluation 28 Examples of learning objectives and measurable targets 31 Sustainability and working in partnership 35 Budgeting and financial management 38 Celebrations 40 Practical tips for running out-of-school-hours learning activities 41 Useful websites and publications 42 Appendix 1: Background to tools for monitoring and evaluation 43 Appendix 2: Questionnaire 1 46 Appendix 3: Questionnaire 2a and 2b 48 Appendix 4: Questionnaire 3a and 3b 51 Appendix 5: Questionnaire 4a and 4b 54 Appendix 6: Questionnaire 5 57 Appendix 7: Questionnaire 6 59 Contents Study support, also known as out-of-school-hours learning (oshl), 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.’ (DfEE, 1998; reaffirmed in Study support: a national framework for extending learning opportunities, DfES, 2006) The terms ‘oshl’ and ‘study support’ are used interchangeably in this guide, and reflect the above definition. Oshl forms part of the core offer of the Extended Schools agenda, through which it may also be referred to as a ‘varied menu of activities’. Oshl activities can take place before school, during breaktimes, at lunchtime, after school, in the evenings, at weekends, and during school holidays. Study support/oshl sessions can be delivered within a reorganised timetable, and at one-off events or celebrations. Research and studies, for example, by MacBeath et al (The impact of study support: a report of a longitudinal study into the impact of participation in out-of-school-hours learning on the academic attainment, attitudes and school attendance of secondary school students, DfES, 2001), have demonstrated that oshl can make a difference to young people’s learning. It can improve behaviour, attendance, self-esteem and motivation – and subsequently attainment and achievement. This research is further supported by Ofsted. According to their report on oshl, inspection evidence indicates that: ‘where the activities are well focused and well run, they can significantly enrich pupils’ experience and improve their attitudes to learning’. (Learning out of hours: the quality and management of study support in secondary schools, Ofsted, October 2002, HMI 466) Oshl forms part of the government’s vision for educational excellence, engaging young people in activities that they enjoy and in environments in which they feel safe. Oshl is a key contributor to securing school improvement, and to enabling a number of key government agendas to be fulfilled, including: • Every Child Matters • The Children’s Plan: Building Brighter Futures • Youth Matters (Positive Activities for Young People) • Extended Schools (Extended and Integrated Services) • Personalised Learning • Healthy Schools • Community Regeneration and Community Cohesion. Oshl also plays a significant role in the PE, School Sport and Club Links (PESSCL) strategy, contributing to the public service agreement (PSA) target for 85 per cent of school children to receive two hours’ of high-quality PE and school sport by 2008. In 2007, the challenge was further increased when the government announced its ambition for all school children to take part in two hours within, and three hours beyond, the curriculum every week by 2010. The role of oshl is, therefore, fundamental to achieving this ambition. Introduction 4 About this guide ContinYou, the Youth Sport Trust and BIG have produced this guide to help people working across the school sport network to develop the quality and the impact of their oshl programmes. Principally, this guide is aimed at supporting people involved in designing and delivering the Big Lottery funded School Sports Co-ordinator (SSCo) programme, but it is equally relevant to all physical education and sport-based oshl programmes. The purpose of an oshl programme is to provide learning activities to encourage and motivate targeted groups of pupils, build their self-esteem, and help them reach higher standards of achievement across the curriculum. For PE and sport-based oshl, a key additional aim is often to increase participation in an active lifestyle. It is important to remember that BIG-funded activities are specifically targeted at young people who are the most disadvantaged or disaffected, and young people who do not currently participate in PE and sport. Oshl programmes offer the opportunity to reach a range of young people who might not otherwise be engaged with the curriculum or mainstream school. This guide is intended to act as a starting point for designing oshl activities and programmes; by no means is it comprehensive. Many more sources of information, research and guidance are constantly being developed in this field, some of which are signposted in this guide. Keep referring to the ContinYou and Youth Sport Trust websites for updates on the latest information in this area (see the ‘Useful websites and publications’ section on page 42). The guide also contains background information on tools that can be used for monitoring and evaluation, together with six different questionnaire templates (see appendices 1 to 7). These templates and supporting information on oshl can be downloaded from the Youth Sport Trust’s website via the School Sport Xchange (www.youthsporttrust.org) or from ContinYou’s website (www.continyou.org.uk). 5 6 According to an Ofsted report on oshl/study support: ‘where the activities are well focused and well run, they can significantly enrich pupils’ experience and improve their attitudes to learning’. (Learning out of hours: the quality and management of study support in secondary schools, Ofsted, October 2002, HMI 466) One feature of effective practice outlined in the report is that ‘particular encouragement to participate is given to involve those pupils with the greatest need’. This guide focuses on the steps that need to be undertaken as part of effective programme management and delivery to develop a programme of oshl activities that meets these pupils’ needs. The diagram above represents how each element of design, delivery and management is linked and interdependent. At the core of the process is the target group, whose needs drive the programme. Linked to the target group are the themes of learning objectives, consultation, and monitoring and evaluation. These come together to form the basis of activity design and delivery. Financial planning and management underpin the overall success of a programme. This is not a linear process. For example, consultation will help to identify the target group, and is also one of the methods that can be used to evaluate the programme. Similarly, the results of monitoring and evaluation may lead to changes in programme design, a reassessment of learning objectives, or even a refocusing of the target group. This guide looks at each element in more detail and explains how they are linked. Programme management and delivery There are a number of questions you should be asking when planning an oshl programme, and again when progress is reviewed. Who? (Target group) Who is the target group? To answer this question you need to find out who is not participating in activities which are currently on offer, and why. Once you know the target group, you can build up your plan around them. See the ‘Targeting’ section on page 9. Why? (Learning objectives) What is the aim of the programme and what do you want your target group to achieve? See the ‘Learning objectives’ section on page 14. You need to talk to people in your target group, and to people who may already work with them, to find out more about their needs and their expectations. Think about how the objectives of the programme may fit with other relevant agendas. See the ‘Consultation’ section on page 11. What? (Activity planning and development) What activities can you put on to support the target group in achieving the learning objectives? See the ‘Activity design’ section on page 16. Again, you need to refer back to your target group to make sure that the activities are appealing, engaging and appropriate to their needs. How? (Identifying resources, management and financial planning) You know what activities you want to deliver, but how do you make them happen? See the sections: ‘Activity staffing and resources’ on page 24; ‘Budgeting and financial management’ on page 38; and ‘Practical tips for running out-of-school-hours learning activities’ on page 41. When? (Timetabling) You know when you want to start the activities, but what do you need to do to ensure they start at the right time? It is helpful to build an action plan. This might include dates for recruiting staff and volunteers, training, booking venues and purchasing equipment. You may also need to build in dates for staff supervision meetings and for reviewing costs and activities. What is working well and what can you do better? (Monitoring and evaluation) Even the best plans don’t always work out as originally envisaged, and there are always ways of improving a project. See the ‘Monitoring and evaluation’ section on page 28. The best programmes continually review the impact of their activities and make changes as they go along. It is also worth taking a step back and reflecting on the programme as a whole. How do you sustain the benefits? As funding for programmes is often time-limited, you need to think about how the benefits can be sustained beyond the lifetime of the funding, as this can influence activity and programme design. For example, some programmes set up exit routes from their activities to those run by local clubs and participating schools. Others develop the skills of young people through the Community or Junior Sports Leader Awards (CSLA and JSLA) and the Step into Sport project so that they can help deliver future activities. Collecting evidence on the benefits of the programme can support applications for additional future funding. Planning Delivering a successful programme 7 St Lawrence’s Primary School, York As part of their oshl programme, St Lawrence’s Primary School ran a karate club. To support the club, the karate teacher developed a general fitness and health programme called Freddy Fit. Children who took part received a booklet, access to a website and vouchers for free access to the local leisure centre. By introducing children to sports facilities outside the school, it is hoped that the children will continue to participate in physical activities. 8 How do you celebrate your achievements? It is a great idea to plan to celebrate in order to recognise achievements of participants and organisers of the programme, milestones achieved and challenges that have been overcome. This can be done on an individual basis (for example, by rewarding attendance or achievement) or on a programme-wide basis (for example, arranging celebration events or festivals). Manchester Sale Rugby Club The club ran a range of sporting activities for pupils who had low self-esteem or who were negative about PE. Each phase of activity culminated in a festival or meeting a local club. The rugby phase ended with a tag rugby festival at Preston Grasshoppers Rugby Union Football Club, and gave children who took part the chance to meet people from the club. Top tips! • Knowing the target group is the starting point when planning your activity. • Know what you want to achieve and with whom. • Allow plenty of time to plan, organise and deliver activities; think about the timescale implications of carrying out consultation, recruiting, training appropriate staff, • and so on. • Use an action plan and set realistic timescales. • Integrate sustainable strategies at the initial planning stages of your programme design. Abbey Park Middle School, Worcestershire The school introduced a reward system for pupils who reached set activity targets by giving them play equipment bought through sponsorship from local businesses. Pupils recorded their progress in their school diaries, enabling parents to share their success. Targeting What is targeting? Targeting is the process of identifying a specific group of young people who have needs that you hope to address through your oshl programme. It is a means of identifying how to engage with different groups of young people; it also allows activities to be designed around the needs of the particular groups to maximise the potential for positive benefits. In order to work out who to target, you first need to analyse who is not currently participating and why. This will enable you to identify particular trends and characteristics of the young people that could form your target group. When you target an activity, you are including others, not excluding them. It may also help to think back to what you want to achieve from the oshl programme beyond increased participation – for example, improved attitude, attendance, behaviour, health, or skill levels. Data and records within the school, such as registers, incident/behaviour log books, test results or conversations with colleagues, could help you identify a group of young people with a specific need that a well designed oshl programme could address. Remember, participation alone is not sufficient for many pots of funding, particularly BIG funding. Who do you target? Target groups might include: • children aged 3 to 5 years with physical development delay • young people who are economically disadvantaged • those who are rurally disadvantaged • young people who have behavioural problems • those who are disaffected with school • disabled young people and/or young people with special educational needs • young carers • young people from disadvantaged ethnic groups and minority cultures • refugees and asylum seekers • looked-after young people • those at risk of exclusion from school/those who have been excluded (pupil referral units) • underachievers • young disabled people • young people with low self-esteem and/or low confidence • young people with poor communication or social skills • young people who do not normally participate in PE • young people who are gifted and talented (not eligible under BIG oshl/SSCo funding) • young people who are at risk of obesity/ health-related problems. This list is not exhaustive and your research and consultation may identify other groups who do not participate in existing activities or programmes. Identifying and encouraging young people to take part 9 Axe Valley Community College, Exmouth Community College and Sidmouth College To improve transition links between primary and secondary school, and to target underachieving boys in Years 5 and 6, these schools from the East Devon School Sport Partnership designed a cross-curricular oshl programme using the development of personal health and fitness as a stimulus for numeracy, literacy and ICT. The young people were invited to attend fitness-based fun activities, which were linked to study skills workshops to encourage speaking and listening skills, including: personal fitness powerpoint presentations; webpages; and sports personality hotseating. The sessions ran after school for six weeks, and were delivered by secondary staff involved in PE, maths, ICT and literacy. Leon School Sport Partnership The partnership established a Saturday morning sports club for young people aged 8 to 13 with ‘hidden disabilities’. Key Stage 2 students identified as having autism, dyspraxia or motor/balance/co-ordination difficulties, ADHD, specific learning difficulties, or low self-esteem or self-confidence were targeted. Activities were chosen that would develop students’ balance, co-ordination and gross motor skills. 10 Individuals may not always fall neatly into categories; the reasons why people choose not to, or are unable to, participate in activities can vary enormously within or between groups. How do you decide who to target? To identify the target group, you need to find out which groups of young people have needs that are not being met by the activities currently on offer. Resources such as the authority’s Children and Young People’s Plan, extended services audits, school development plans, school Ofsted reports, school self-evaluation forms and the SSCo partnership development plan will provide evidence of those needs, and will help you to select target groups that have been identified locally as a priority. How do you reach the target groups? Target groups can be accessed by talking to a range of other organisations and professionals. These could include: schools; local authority contacts, including extended schools co-ordinators, school improvement advisers, study support co-ordinators, looked-after children co-ordinators; community or voluntary groups; other professionals who work directly with young people you would like to take part in the project (tutors, teachers, special educational needs co-ordinators, youth workers). These organisations and professionals have expertise in reaching people who may not ordinarily put themselves forward to take part in a project, and are an essential resource when planning and thinking about your target groups. For further information on attracting the target group and tackling potential barriers to attendance, see the ‘Activity design’ section on page 16. Hartshead Sports College The college ran an oshl Indian dance project, which targeted Asian girls who rarely attended PE, and aimed to increase their enjoyment of physical activity and raise their self-confidence. Many of the girls targeted had expressed a reluctance to take part in team games, but all showed enthusiasm to take part in a dance project. A ten-week programme was established, led by a specialist teacher of Indian dance. This culminated in a performance at the local dance festival. The girls went on to perform at the school’s ‘Sporting Achievement’ evening, with future projects planned, including Bhangra dance. Westcroft School Sports Partnership Following a meeting with the authority’s Looked After Children in Education (LACE) team, it was highlighted that children in care did not access oshl for a number of reasons, including frequent change of address. Using Big Lottery funding, the partnership addressed this need by establishing a multi-skills club for eleven Key Stage 1/2 children in care who attended partnership schools, none of whom had accessed any oshl provision previously. Top tips! • Map your existing provision and the groups you currently provide for to help you consider any gaps and groups that do not currently take part. • Think about the barriers to participation in order to help you identify target groups, such as transport, cost, location. Consider the reasons why some groups are not participating. • Speak with a range of adults who are involved in working with young people to help you identify target groups. • Consider the underlying objectives of the oshl activity/programme and the potential to combine target groups. • Find out the local priorities for the school, cluster, partnership, authority, and so on. Consultation Why consult? Consulting with young people and key partners can inform programme planning and development. Consultation is a required element in ensuring oshl activity is eligible for BIG funding, which aims to give young people more ownership of their lives. Consultation can: • encourage ownership of the programme for young people, and help to build self-esteem, confidence and a sense of responsibility • ensure that activities are appropriate, appealing and engaging for the young people being targeted – by finding out what’s been successful/unsuccessful before and why • provide valuable information about the needs of the target group • ensure that plans fit with the strategic aims of the children’s authority, schools and other local organisations, and that plans complement existing activity • help to establish networks of support, information and resources, and identify possible sources of additional funding. Who do you consult? The primary focus of consultation should be the young people. By involving young people, activities provided will be more effective, better targeted and better received as a result. However, parents, schools and other key partners should also be consulted before final plans are put into place. Some key partners for consultation might include: • the young people • community groups • community police officers • Connexions Service • directors of PE and sport disability/ inclusion officers • early years advisers • early years development and childcare partnerships • early years settings, such as nurseries and pre-school • extended schools co-ordinators • family learning co-ordinators • further education institutions • headteachers • healthy schools co-ordinators • LA study support co-ordinators • LA travel plan co-ordinators • LA sports development officers • NGB sports development officers • other providers • parents • PE advisers • pupil referral units • school study support co-ordinators • schools (teachers and school councils) • SEN co-ordinators • sports clubs/leisure centres • supplementary schools • youth service/clubs and groups. Consultation can be linked to other activities within the curriculum, such as citizenship and personal, social and health education (PSHE) classes. Feltham School Sports Partnership, Greater London To discover why Key Stage 4 girls didn’t want to participate in PE and school sport, questionnaires were given to the girls in the cohort to find out what they wanted to do and whether or not they would like to run or assist in coaching any of the sessions. Schools in the partnership were asked to approach the school councils and started to find out more about the girls’ likes/dislikes. Consultation predominantly took place with girls from the sports college, but, in addition, SSCos were asked to sample students in other schools. The results from the questionnaires were collated and the evidence not only informed the Big Lottery bid, but has also been disseminated across the schools. This has given them some issues to start tackling around non-participation – for instance, the surveys highlighted intimidation by boys as a reason for the girls not taking part. Talking to participants and key partners about plans and programme development 11 12 When to consult? We usually think about consultation as part of the planning process, for example, consulting can be used to identify the target group and to ensure planned activities are appropriate for that target group. However, many of the methods used for consultation in the initial stages of planning can also be used when activities are up and running. Keeping in touch with participants and key partners ensures that activities remain relevant. This makes ongoing consultation one of the key factors in delivering a successful programme. Different approaches to consultation There are a range of approaches that can be adopted when considering how to consult with young people. (Most importantly, it should be remembered that consultation does not have to be a lengthy, paper-based exercise.) While this is not an exhaustive list, some examples of consultation approaches include: • questionnaires • surveys • interviews • one-to-ones • focus groups • group discussions • suggestion boxes • graffiti walls • forums/chat rooms • videos and TV-based simulations, such as the Big Brother Diary Room. Things to think about when planning consultation Not only is it advisable to consult with young people in the design and delivery of oshl programmes; increasingly, the active participation of young people and recognition of student voice should also be an underpinning value of wider school practice. When actively involving young people, the following principles should be considered: • a visible commitment is made to involving young people (underpinned by appropriate policies) • children and young people’s involvement is valued • children and young people have an equal opportunity to get involved. In the same way that you need to think about access to the activities themselves, you also need to ensure that your approach to consultation does not inadvertently exclude sections of the target group. You need to ask yourself who you want to consult and how they can best respond. The participants need to be comfortable with the approach. Consider whether the chosen method of consultation is appropriate to the age group and interests of participants, as well as where the consultation takes place, who leads it and how this might affect responses. Caterham School Sport Partnership, Essex SSCos from the partnership were directly involved with the consultation process and were provided with two questionnaires to collect feedback from primary and secondary students. The questionnaires were returned centrally to record the data and analyse the results. The Woodford County High School Cluster, with the help of the ICT department, established an online questionnaire, which requested all pupils to respond over a threeweek period when they logged onto the school’s private site. The data was recorded automatically and then converted into an Excel spreadsheet. This proved a very efficient method of collecting feedback; 97 per cent of Key Stage 3 students, 50 per cent of Key Stage 4, and even some Key Stage 5 students completed the online questionnaire. A mainstream school found that young disabled people did not respond to their questionnaire, and that when involved in group discussions with non-disabled people they often appeared to either agree with everything or not fully engage with others due to a perceived lack of confidence. Realising that they were not engaging young disabled people, more diverse mediums were used for all pupils, such as diaries, storyboards and collages of images, videos and pictures of experiences (positive and negative) that could then be expanded to identify pupils’ aspirations and barriers to accessing the opportunities being planned. 13 What are your questions and how are you asking them? For very specific questions, a questionnaire or interview may give you the information you need. To generate ideas, a group-based approach may be more appropriate. Consider the way questions are asked and the way young people might respond. Are you using a suitable means of communicating for your target group? For instance, a questionnaire used for young people with English as their first language may not be suitable for use with other young people with English as an additional language. How long have you got? A questionnaire will take some time, but getting five to ten people together to generate ideas through an activity may be organised quickly. Requesting ideas on a graffiti wall or through a suggestion box could provide responses in relatively short timeframes. Access and timing If a venue is difficult to get to, or the timing is unsuitable for participants, they may not turn up. Broader access issues need to be considered so that people with disabilities or who have English as an additional language can participate. Who will run the consultation? If you are working with a specific target group, you may need to enlist the help of someone who is trusted by, and has experience of, working with that group. Also think about using peers to run consultation sessions. How is consultation going to affect what you do? Consultation can generate a wealth of information. The difficulty is in deciding how to use it. Some messages will be very strong and will need to be considered to ensure that the programme is successful. Some ideas will be easily incorporated into plans, while others will be more difficult or inappropriate. Feedback to consultation participants is important because the reasons for including or excluding ideas from plans may not be obvious. It is important to ensure participants walk away from the consultation exercise feeling it was worthwhile them taking part and that their views were valued, even if they were not acted upon. Top tips! • Make it easy for people to participate in consultation – think about what you are asking. Where are you carrying out the consultation? How are you asking for information? Is this appropriate for the target group? • Use a range of consultative methods and ensure the process is inclusive. • Keep the consultation simple. It will be easier for participants to undertake and for you to collect and analyse the feedback. • Provide appropriate briefings to explain why you are consulting, and the extent to which this will influence provision (to avoid creating false expectations). • Provide meaningful feedback to young people after the process. • Remember to ask parents/carers and others what they think too (see page 11). What are learning objectives? Learning objectives define what you want young people to achieve by participating in a particular activity, so they should be linked to the needs of the target group and/or the young person. They describe the specific skills, behaviours or attitudes you want the young people to acquire. ContinYou has identified four types of achievements, or outcomes, for participants: • Personal outcomes which impact on pupils’ attitudes and how they feel about themselves, others, learning or school. They include raising aspirations and developing creativity. Physical activity can help young people to develop confidence, self-esteem and a sense of self-worth. • Learning outcomes which lead to the expansion of knowledge, development of thinking and learning skills, acquisition of basic and key skills, and improvements in levels of academic attainment. Learning outcomes could be related to the increase in skills relating to physical competency or to cross-curricular outcomes. • Practical outcomes such as access to additional resources or overcoming specific social barriers. This may include transition from Year 6 to Year 7, integration of pupils with special needs, or breaking down barriers associated with gender, ethnicity or culture. • Life skills, including communication and social skills, teamwork, leadership and citizenship. (Outcomes of out-of-school-hours learning: a framework for analysis, Education Extra, October 2002). How do you set learning objectives? When setting learning objectives, you should ensure that they: • address the specific needs of the target group • focus on what you want young people to achieve through an activity • are specific and measurable. Some examples of learning objectives can be found in the ‘Examples of learning objectives and measurable targets’ section on page 31. Keeping learning objectives relevant Learning objectives are usually set in the planning stages of the programme so that you can monitor progress as a programme develops. However, it doesn’t mean that they are set in stone. The success of programmes partly depends on your flexibility to respond to changes. When monitoring and evaluating the programme, learning objectives can be revisited to see if they are still relevant. Learning objectives What you want the young people’s achievements to be Mark Hall School, Essex The school wanted to improve poor behaviour at lunch and breaktimes through its oshl programme. It decided to run a Play Leaders programme to support this objective. Evidence has demonstrated the success of the Play Leaders programme – incidents of poor behaviour have significantly reduced and the programme will continue through the rest of the partnership. St Edmunds Sports College, Wiltshire The college identified a need around pupils with low spelling and reading ages, and with low self-esteem. They targeted this group and agreed that their learning objectives should be to improve self-esteem and literacy scores. The activity they designed to meet these objectives was held three mornings a week; twenty minutes of physical activity were followed by a healthy breakfast to improve concentration and then twenty minutes of literacy. This has led to a huge increase in self-esteem, a feeling of belonging to the club, and an increase in spelling and reading levels. 14 A special school developed an oshl club for Key Stage 2 pupils to access sport and ICT opportunities. Through a rolling programme of activities and links to rewards, such as playing for the school team, pupils’ self-esteem has improved, along with attendance in PE curriculum activities (based on an attendance register). Attainment has also increased and pupils are showing signs of improvement in areas such as handwriting, due to increased fine motor skills. Top tips! • Learning objectives should translate what you want the young person to achieve by taking part in the activity. • Think about the wider whole-school priorities that oshl can support, and how these might translate into learning objectives, such as to improve behaviour or attendance. • Think about the diverse needs of your target group and the differentiated learning required; this is particularly important when planning activity for young people with special educational needs. • Build in flexibility so that learning objectives can be adjusted throughout the course of the programme. 15 Activity design 16 Activities should be designed to support the achievement of learning objectives that have been set for the target group. The table on page 31 gives examples of activities that may be appropriate for certain target groups. You also need to consider, through the design of the activity, how to attract and retain the target group, and how to tackle potential barriers to attendance. Attracting and retaining the target group Consultation with the young people and key partners provides information that will help you to design attractive activities. It is also important to remember that activities need to be appropriate for all children, so activities may sometimes need to be differentiated. Understanding the ‘Inclusion Spectrum’ will help with this (see page 21). Other ways to attract and retain the target group include: • giving ownership – encourage participants to join in activity design and delivery • offering a menu of activities – this will allow young people to pick and choose the activities which interest them most (Some projects have chosen a ‘carousel’ approach, offering different activities each term to help maintain interest and motivation.) • providing a comfortable environment – ensuring that all young people can access activities, and feel safe and relaxed when taking part, will encourage them to return for the next session • marketing – to raise the profile of the programme in a general way, you can use notice boards, flyers, local papers or radio stations. To reach the target group you could work through other organisations or individuals who already have contact with them. Some programmes have sent marketing materials to their target group in advance, while others have encouraged everyone interested to sign up for the activity and then prioritised the allocation of places to people in their target groups. Personal invitations to young people have also proved to be successful. Also think about marketing the activity to parents and carers • recognition – rewards and prizes can encourage participation and retention. Achievements can be acknowledged both during the activity and in celebration events or festivals, which will add to the prestige of the programme • responding to feedback – keeping the activity under continual review through ongoing consultation with participants allows you to make adjustments as you go along and will help you to retain the target group. Barriers to attendance There are many reasons why young people do not access activities. It is helpful to address barriers to participation when designing or reviewing activities. These might include: • Location Some young people will respond more positively to activities arranged in venues outside school; others might prefer the comfort of a venue they know. Consider taking the activity to your target group, which may mean providing oshl in a local park or community setting. • Deliverer The programme may be more attractive to some young people if it is delivered by a teacher they know; others may prefer an adult who is not a teacher. Some might respond better to peer mentors or young leaders. Planning activities to meet the needs of the target group Oadby and Wigston School Sport Partnership The partnership became involved in kite-flying activities after learning of some pioneering work that had taken place in one of its primary schools. One of the school’s parents was a member of ‘Midland Kite Fliers’ and had run a very successful kite club for pupils at the school. The club had been very popular and had resulted in notable gains in pupil confidence and fitness. The SSP subsequently decided that kite flying would be a very effective way to address the needs of some of the key target groups in its application to the Big Lottery Fund. In addition, it was an opportunity to introduce a new activity to pupils in the partnership. 17 • Transport This is a particular issue for schools in rural areas and young people with special needs, so organising lunchtime activities may be more appropriate. Liaising with school travel plan advisers is particularly important where transportation may be an issue. • Outside commitments Some young people have childcare responsibilities for younger siblings or are themselves young carers. Some young people from faith backgrounds may attend supplementary schools after their mainstream schooling, which could prevent them from taking part in oshl at certain times. • Lack of support for disabled people An activity may not be designed in a way that supports young people with disabilities taking part. • Other participants The presence of some members of the group can either stop or encourage others to attend. This could be for a range of reasons, for example, ability, gender, confidence, ethnicity, culture or religion. High quality Oshl activity will only be effective in achieving the learning outcomes and targets set if the programme delivered is high quality. In the activity design stages, think about how your oshl programme is integrating the ten high-quality outcomes, as defined by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), and how these support your learning objectives: • show commitment • take part in different activities • understand what they’re doing • think for themselves • be active and healthy • be keen to improve • show confidence • build up strength, suppleness and stamina • develop skills • enjoy what they’re doing. Page 24 provides more detail about staffing and resources, which will underpin the quality of your programme. Islington School Sport Partnership The partnership engaged Year 5 and 6 girls from two families of schools with physical activity after school by establishing Futebol de Salao (Brazillian Football to music) clubs. The activity provided a chance for the girls to learn new skills and to interact with children from other schools. The children were regularly given quick skills tests to see how they were progressing, which kept motivation levels high. All participants received a Level 1 Futebol de Salao Award. Due to the success of the club, the partnership is planning to implement this energetic and fun initiative into more schools. Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council The council runs a summer school programme, which it markets as Summer Slam. Brochures listing all the courses and activities are distributed through school link workers, leisure and community centres, high-street stores, the YMCA, the youth service, social services and children’s homes. All the secondary schools in Blackburn and Darwen have link workers, who promote the activities within the schools and identify young people who would benefit most from the activities. The council allows groups of friends to be booked onto activities together, which has been a successful way of recruiting the target group. Top tips! • Be conscious of potential barriers to participation and consider how your proposed oshl activity will overcome these. • Use the consultation process to establish what type of activity your target group would most like to participate in. • Think outside the box and beyond traditional team sports, for instance, kite flying, surfing, speed stacking, snowboarding, or Crown Green bowling. • Think about community clubs and groups that can help you deliver oshl activity. Target group Brief description of the activity 3 to 4 year olds within a nursery/pre-school setting who have limited physical activity opportunities Key Stage (KS) 1 and reception pupils who find lunchtimes difficult, some with behavioural problems KS1 pupils who have poor co-ordination and poor attainment in PE, literacy and/or numeracy 5 to 6 year olds and 8 to 9 year olds Pupils who have poor co-ordination skills, who are below the expected norm in PE Year 3 and 4 pupils who are often late arrivers Year 5 pupils, supported by Year 7 pupils, who are underachieving and who have low self-esteem and confidence Year 6 pupils, with support from Year 7 pupils For pupils who do not interact within a group, who have poor communication and social skills 12 to 13 year old boys who are at risk of exclusion, disaffected with school and who have behavioural problems linked to poor communication/social skills KS3 boys who have behavioural problems Year 6 and 7 pupils, particularly Asian girls KS3 and KS4 pupils with poor attendance and who are at risk of exclusion Link with local community police KS3 and KS4 pupils – disaffected boys, inactive girls, pupils with disabilities KS3 and KS4 pupils who truant when ‘the surf’s up’! KS4 girls who are non-participants or who forget their kit in curriculum PE Year 11 girls who are underachieving academically KS4 girls who have low self-esteem, particularly relating to body image Those not interested in ‘traditional’ sports Pupils with disabilities, based in a special school Linking target groups and activities The following table gives examples of activities that partnerships have selected to meet the needs of their target groups. The activities were selected as a result of consultation, but other activities could meet the same needs equally well. Physical activity session around TOP Tots and TOP Start, Start to Play Lunchtime games – Huff and Puff, physical activity using TOP Start and TOP Play Gymnastic activities, Wake and Shake, Brain Gym Fit for fun – dance, gym, multi-skills clubs, speed stacking, TOP Activity Breakfast basketball Outdoor and adventurous activities, including orienteering, climbing, sailing and canoeing Tag rugby, TOP Activity Street dance, Parkour, Capoeira, team-building activities Outdoor and adventurous activities Dance Skateboarding, midnight basketball Basketball, street dance, skating, TOP Sportsability Surfing Health-related activities, including step, aerobics and yoga Football, martial arts Aerobics, yoga, pilates Lunchtime activity – TOP Play, TOP Sport, TOP Dance and TOP Sportsability, Rebound Therapy (trampolining) 18 19 The steps outlined so far in this guide will be equally relevant when planning and designing a programme for young disabled people or for those with special educational needs (SEN). There are, however, some additional areas for consideration to ensure oshl activities better meet the needs of these young people and those attending special schools. A 2007 report by the DfES stated that ‘disabled children are less likely to achieve as much in a range of areas as their non-disabled peers. Improving their outcomes, allowing them to benefit from equality of opportunity, and increasing their involvement ... in society will help them to achieve more as individuals’. (Aiming high for disabled children: better support for families, HM Treasury/DfES, May 2007) Oshl has the ability to improve outcomes, to raise achievement and, particularly when developed collaboratively, to promote inclusion. Access to oshl opportunities is increasingly important, therefore, for young disabled people and young people with SEN. Support required It’s essential to ensure that the right support and resources are available for delivering a successful oshl programme for young disabled people or young people with SEN. With such a diversity of need there cannot be a ‘one size fits all’ approach. The diagram below defines four key areas that contribute to the support required for a successful oshl programme. Content The activities provided need to be fun, exciting and relevant to the young disabled people and to the learning outcome that the opportunity is trying to develop. Feedback has demonstrated that the most successful oshl clubs have been those designed around the needs of the pupils. Oshl for young disabled people and those with special educational needs Improving access to oshl activities Below are some examples of different oshl activities that have been provided. • A multi-sports club where pupils choose from a range of activities. • Activities that follow the content of curriculum PE, for example, pupils with learning disabilities practise activities before they are introduced in school time. • A specific sports club focusing on recreational participation, but looking at a key theme, such as leadership or PSHE. • A specific sports club encouraging inter-school competition. Local exit routes may assist in choosing – for example, a local cricket club may want new members and might send a coach to help introduce cricket to the children. • Activities that build confidence and self-esteem and support interaction and build friendships, for example, team-building games, non-competitive games or activities that promote sports leadership. • Activities that are sports related but with a physical/health perspective, for example, fitness, lifestyle, or safety when exercising. • Activities that relate to wider inclusion in society such as wheelchair skills, for example, turning, going up and over objects. Burleigh Community School and Maplewell Hall Special School, Leicestershire Maplewell Hall Special School caters for pupils of secondary age with moderate learning difficulties. The school also includes a unit for autistic pupils. In partnership with Burleigh Specialist Sports College, a multi-sports club was held every Monday from 4pm to 5pm. The club was located at the sports college as a mechanism to ensure that all pupils engaged fully in activities and had the opportunity to learn in a mainstream environment. Training and resources for volunteers, coaches and JSLA students delivering the sessions were made available, in particular the application of The Inclusion Spectrum. This ensured that pupils could access a range of open games, for example, football, athletics, badminton, dance and gymnastics, as well as modified and adapted games using STEP (Space, Task, Equipment, People), such as zone hockey, tee ball and polybat. A separate strand of sports and activities was also provided, including boccia, table cricket and goalball. The programme has since provided links with community sports clubs for the young people attending. 20 21 Delivery When pupils of mixed ability are participating in sporting activities together, it is essential to vary the type and methods of delivery to ensure all young people experience sport in a positive way. The Inclusion Spectrum provides a model that ensures variety, focusing upon the activity, rather than upon the person’s impairment. Open activities are simple and fun, and it is easy to set up games that immediately get the whole group involved. They are based on what the whole group can do, so everyone feels equally included. They are vital to establishing a feeling of group inclusion. An example would be a mass target throwing game where everyone can achieve a degree of success. Modified activities see pupils all doing the same activity but in very different ways (differentiation). For example, a young disabled person may be practising badminton skills using a balloon and a lightweight racket alongside other young people practising with more traditional equipment. An oshl session will allow pupils to practise and progress their skills in a relaxed environment, with appropriate support and less pressure to achieve targets quickly. Parallel activities allow pupils to play the appropriate level of game alongside other games. For example, table cricket may be played alongside kwik cricket with the leader coaching the same rules, skills or tactics, or tee ball alongside rounders. (Both table cricket and tee ball are part of TOP Sportsability. Telephone the Youth Sport Trust on 0150 922 6600 for further details.) Disability sport activities are an excellent way to introduce non-disabled pupils to sports that are designed for disabled people. They raise their profile within the school and expose non-disabled pupils to a range of new activities. Pupils could take part in a mixed boccia tournament or special school pupils could introduce disability sports into local primary schools. Separate activities may give pupils the option to practise for an event that is different to what the group is doing and get specialist support or coaching. INCLUSION SPECTRUM Disability sport activity Reverse integration: non-disabled people take part in disability sport activities Parallel activity Separate activity A group of people play separately, eg preparing for a disability sport event Everyone doing the same, without adaptation or modification Everyone doing the same task but with changes to rules, area or equipment Everyone plays the same game, but different groups play the game in different ways and at different levels Open activity Modified activity The STEP framework offers a format to help adapt activities so that all young people can achieve success and have fun. STEP stands for: 22 Brookfield High School and School Sport Partnership – Rebound Therapy Programme Rebound therapy uses the trampoline to achieve a wide range of physiological and therapeutic effects. It is aimed at pupils with severe physical disabilities, complex learning and behavioural needs, pupils displaying poor gross motor skills and pupils with low self-confidence. The partnership decided to target secondary schools that had a trampoline or had access to a neighbouring school and could utilise facilities. SSCos liaised with school staff regarding timetabling and accessibility. Pupils were targeted on the basis of those displaying low self-esteem, poor co-operation levels, little interest in team games, poor attendance, poor communication skills and challenging behaviour. The programme was designed to last six to eight weeks, depending on the needs of the target group. It was delivered by the SSCo for inclusion and/or the sports development trained rebound coach, watched and supported by the class teacher. After the programme, participating pupils had the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and deliver rebound to primary-aged pupils in the special and primary sector in an oshl setting. The leadership programme was delivered at lunchtimes and an application to the Healthy Schools initiative helped fund staffing costs during the oshl element of the scheme. Following the programme, each school planned to introduce a rebound oshl club for targeted pupils. Top tips! • Think about developing family-friendly oshl provision that sees children and young people with SEN and disabilities in the wider family context of their parents, carers and siblings. • Recognise the anxieties and fears, frustrations and barriers, misunderstanding and prejudice that many disabled children and their families experience, which need to be understood and addressed, particularly when developing inclusive activities. • Recognise the additional barriers many young disabled people and young people with SEN face in relation to transport to and from school. Liaise with transport officers to negotiate appropriate travel arrangements for after-school activity. Alternatively, consider breakfast, lunchtime, weekend or holiday provision if after-school activity is not accessible. • Due to high levels of adult support required for young people with complex needs and the potential need for specialist equipment, the costs of running an activity are likely to be higher than usual. Ensure this is factored into any budgeting. 23 Activity staffing and resources Who will deliver the oshl programme? It is not always necessary to employ extra staff to run activities. Many schools have found innovative and relatively cheap ways of staffing oshl activities. The development of the Extended Schools agenda and the government’s emphasis on the development of sports coaches has provided scope to try different approaches to staffing oshl activity. Staff could include: • community groups and organisations • mealtime assistants, lunchtime supervisors • parents, carers • sports coaches and people from community clubs • teachers • teaching assistants • volunteers • young people • youth workers, police and other local service providers. Schools should consider carrying out an analysis of all staff and adults other than teachers to establish who could support the facilitation of oshl activity and make the best use of existing resources. In some schools, the receptionist and caretakers have been involved in delivering oshl activities – it doesn’t always have to be a teacher. It’s important to remember that staffing and delivery can act as a barrier to participation for some target groups, so all staff need to be motivated, enthusiastic, and committed to the oshl ethos. When auditing staff involvement, consider: • Who is already involved in providing and delivering oshl/study support? • Who is not and what deters them? What opportunities are there for them to find out more about oshl? • How are the needs of oshl staff determined and what training is provided to meet those needs? • How is oshl featured within job descriptions/ policies/person specifications? Where schools really value the benefits of oshl in achieving whole-school improvement, the school budget has been used to pay staff. Schools should consider the need for a policy regarding reward and remuneration in relation to oshl. The implementation of such policies has become increasingly prevalent, with oshl activity forming part of the core offer of extended services, and the need for consistency across the breadth of study support/oshl provision. Here are some examples of different ways to staff activities. • Haddon Primary School trains its Year 6 pupils as play leaders. These pupils then organise games and activities for younger pupils at lunch and breaktimes. • Deptford Park Primary School expects its staff to do some oshl activity. Staff are rewarded by being given a day off after they have completed ten to twelve hours. The school then employs a supply member of staff for that day; this is paid for through the Standards Fund (now incorporated into the School Development Grant) which all schools receive. • The Manor School trains JSLA/CSLA pupils as part of their Step into Sport project. These pupils then gain experience by coaching in local primary schools. • Abbey Park Middle School employs an extra lunchtime supervisor to organise their Huff and Puff lunchtime activity. This is paid for out of the school budget. • Many schools are now providing their lunchtime supervisors with additional training to allow them to organise games and activities. • Some schools have formed links with local clubs that provide after-school coaching activities. Local sports development units may also be able to help form those sorts of links. • Some schools have used parents, other relatives and local volunteers, with appropriate expertise, to run activities. 24 Blackburn with Darwen SSP In Blackburn, with Darwen SSP, the community police run after-school clubs in cricket, handball, Crown Green bowls and street dance in target schools/areas. The project was developed with Lancashire police community beat officers, and aims to specifically address anti-social behaviour and juvenile nuisance. The oshl clubs were established once a week for targeted groups of 7 to 11 year olds, including children at risk of developing behavioural problems. The clubs promote a positive attitude and help to build trust in the communities towards the local authorities, and to enhance community cohesion. Providing activities for young people with special educational needs may require more specialist support. Parents and carers can be particularly valuable in supporting delivery, and additional help may come from SEN co-ordinators and local special schools. Specialist advice and support may be sought from physiotherapists, who may be able to help identify complementary activities, and disability sports clubs. Organisations such as the English Federation for Disability Sport may also be able to help you with appropriate training, and so on. Quality A report by Ofsted in 2002 indicated that appropriate briefing and training for staff, volunteers and adults other than teachers should be provided to maximise the impact and quality of study support. Are staff aware of the ten high-quality outcomes and strategies to achieve these? How do staff ensure links are made from achievements in oshl back into the curriculum? Is this built into school development/ improvement planning? External staff Training is particularly important where external staff, such as sports coaches, deliver oshl activity. It is essential that all staff have a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) disclosure, and they should hold the relevant qualifications to work with young people and to deliver the activity to a high standard. Other key areas to include within their training include: • health and safety policy • risk assessment procedure • child protection policy • code of behaviour for pupils and adults. (Safe keeping: a good practice guide for health and safety in study support, DfES, October 2000) 25 Durham University and Easington School Sport Partnership Durham University runs a comprehensive community sport outreach programme working with, and providing opportunities for, young people from 40 primary schools and seven secondary schools in the local area. Working with the Durham and Easington School Sport Partnership, university students have supported their summer camps as mentors and sports coaches. The university provides a range of activities through its community programme, including: lunchtime mentoring; dance and drama clubs; multiskills academies; and football clubs for young people. The university financially contributes to some of these projects, in addition to providing its facilities and deploying students to deliver activities. The community programme also includes opportunities post-16 and for adults; approximately 4,000 clients are involved in the range of projects in the programme. Top tips! • Carry out an audit of existing school staff to make the best use of resources. Who is involved in oshl, who isn’t and who could be in the future? • Make the most of young people. Those undertaking leadership awards or similar programmes could help support the delivery of activities for younger students or peers. • Consider relevant training opportunities to support the staffing of oshl. • Ensure that you carry out checks on any external staff or organisations providing activity for young people, including CRB disclosure and appropriate qualifications, and so on. Resources There are many resources and training opportunities that can support oshl, some of which may already be in schools. Some examples are listed below. Youth Sport Trust resources TOP Programmes The TOP series of resources provides young people of all abilities from 18 months to 18 years the chance to make the most of the opportunities that PE and sport can bring. The programme combines high-quality training with practical resource cards that can used by deliverers in both a curriculum and/or oshl environment. TOP Start – to encourage 3 to 5 year olds to learn through physical activity. TOP Play (+) – to support 4 to 9 year olds as they acquire and develop core games skills. TOP Sport – to provide 7 to 11 year olds with opportunities to develop skills in a range of sports: invasion games; net and wall games; and striking and fielding games. TOP Athletics – to help 7 to 11 year olds develop athletic skills. TOP Dance – to be used with 4 to 11 year olds to support the development of a wide range of dance skills. TOP Gymnastics – to be used with 4 to 11 year olds to provide opportunities to develop a wide range of gymnastic skills. TOP Outdoors – to use with 7 to 11 year olds to develop a range of skills under the broad heading of outdoor and adventurous activities. TOP Sportsability – to support the inclusion of young disabled people in oshl opportunities. TOP Activity – an exciting new programme of ‘alternative’ sport and physical activities designed for use in an informal oshl club aimed at 7 to 11 year olds. Activities include hula, skipping, cheerleading, and many more. TOP Link – aimed at 14 to 16 years old students to organise and manage sport or dance festivals in local primary schools. Other YST programmes and resources Coca Cola Personal Best Challenge Parks – transforming secondary school playgrounds, making them more active, enjoyable, healthy and safe for young people to take part in physical activity before, during and after school. Elements – resource cards providing sport opportunities for young people with complex impairments. Get Active, Get Results – a DVD resource and toolkit showing how schools have integrated ten-minute physical activity sessions, and their impact on attendance, punctuality and performance. Norwich Union Girls Active – an initiative designed to encourage more girls to take part in physical activity. Foundation and Key Stage 1 Participation Awards – developed with the British Heart Foundation, the awards recognise the amount of physical activity undertaken by each pupil through a full week, both in and out of school. Multi Skill Clubs – activities which use a variety of approaches that impact upon the FUNdamental Movement and FUNdamental Sport Skills of a young person in a fun but challenging environment, bridging the gap between school and community sport. Nestlé Exercise Your Choice – an alternative activities programme for 11 to 16 year olds which takes place in an informal out-of-schoolhour’s recreational setting. The initiative is part of the Make Space Campaign. Playground Leadership – a DVD resource and case study cards designed to support playground leaders. Schools on the Move – designed to encourage young people to be more active; a cross-curricular learning programme using pedometers. Start to Play – The new early years programme to support the key outcomes and goals in the framework for the new Early Years Foundation Stage. Zoneparc/Sporting Playgrounds – in partnership with Nike, this is a playground improvement project aimed at tackling social exclusion and increasing activity levels. It includes a Primary Playground Resource Pack. The Innovation and Development Programme at the Youth Sport Trust is constantly striving to find new and exciting ways to engage young people through sport. Visit the Youth Sport Trust website to keep updated with the latest developments: www.youthsporttrust.org/ www.ystdirect.org. 26 NGB Resources Many NGBs have skills awards, support packs and training programmes that are suitable for primary and secondary age pupils. Contact the relevant NGB for details. Visit the ‘Useful links’ section of oshl pages on the School Sport Xchange (www.youthsporttrust.org) to find direct links to information on NGB resources. Other resources Active Playgrounds and Active Schools – The British Heart Foundation www.bhf.org.uk Breakfast Club Plus (including the Breakfast Movers Essential Guide) – ContinYou www.breakfastclubplus.org.uk Huff and Puff – Davies Sports www.daviessports.co.uk On Your Marks – London 2012 www.london2012.com OwnZone – ContinYou www.continyou.org.uk/ownzone Sport and Maths Mini Guide – ContinYou www.continyou.org.uk/miniguides 27 What is monitoring and evaluation? • Monitoring is the regular and systematic collection of quantitative and qualitative information. • Evaluation is the reviewing of information gathered and using it to inform future delivery and confirm good practice. This section will help you to establish the process of planning for your evaluation: • Evaluation questions – why are you collecting the information? what are you trying to evidence? • Source of information – who will be able to provide you with the information you need? • Method of collecting information – what sort of information will help you evidence the outcomes? • When to collect information – before? after? at a single point in time? at intervals throughout the programme? Why do you need to monitor and evaluate your project? Monitoring and evaluation helps you to see what works and what does not work, and to manage the programme more effectively. It allows you to respond to changes, ensuring that the programme of activities is still meeting the needs of the target group. It allows you to see if oshl is making a difference to these target groups – their attainment and achievement. Where projects are externally funded, for example, the oshl/SSCo programme, providing feedback is often required as a condition of funding. The evidence collected through monitoring and evaluation can support applications for future funding, in addition to informing senior leaders within schools and partner organisations about the success and effectiveness of your programme. Who do you need to involve in monitoring and evaluation? It is likely you will need to involve a range of people in the monitoring and evaluation process, such as the young people, key partners, teachers, coaches, parents and the steering group or management committee. Think about who will have an opinion on the programme and if they can or should contribute. Deliverers of activities are often key, so it is important that expectations are made clear at the start of the project, and that monitoring and evaluation is defined as part of their role. It is worth taking the time to discuss your plans with everyone involved. People tend not to mind providing information if they know why it is needed and how it will be used. They may even be able to help analyse and review the information. What information do you collect? Information should only be collected if you know how it is going to be used. You should collect information from a sample of young people from each activity to get an indication of whether learning objectives are being achieved. Feedback and data can be collected using the following methods: • comment boxes and books • graffiti walls • drawings, charts and diagrams • photographs or videos • interviews • observation • websites • small-group discussions • tape recordings/video recordings • participatory techniques • written diaries • analysing surveys and questionnaires • analysing standard attainment test results • existing school data systems, for instance, attendance. St Catherine’s College, County Armagh St Catherine’s College targeted students who were underachieving or at an educational disadvantage. Following consultation with the target group, the college chose to run a horseriding activity. Many openly expressed reservations about participating, but the tutors were able to help them overcome their fears. The tutors were also able to demonstrate that fears and apprehensions experienced in daily life could be addressed in the same way. The college monitored this activity through attendance figures, which proved to be good, and through a qualitative evaluation, which showed improved levels of motivation and a sense of achievement. Monitoring and evaluation What are you doing well, what can you do better and how are you making a difference? 28 How do you collect the information? Collecting basic information from the young people who take part relies on setting up a system for recording it. A simple example: attendance registers will tell you the number of people who participate in each activity. When collecting information on whether learning objectives are being achieved, you need to be precise about how you define the achievement. This means setting targets that can be measured, and that are clearly linked to the planned outcomes. For example, if the learning objective is to develop a positive attitude to school, the targets might be a reduction in unauthorised absences and/or improved behaviour in class. A quantitative or ‘hard’ target has a number next to it. A qualitative or soft target does not have a number. Observations and ‘anecdotal’ evidence of increases to self-esteem and self-confidence, as well as individual case studies, are useful in showing the effects of a project. A mix of quantitative (hard) and qualitative (soft) measurements helps to build a comprehensive picture of how the activities are supporting the achievement of learning objectives. Here are some examples: Hard targets/quantitative • 40 per cent reduction in unauthorised absences • 80 per cent of pupils achieve NGB award Soft targets/qualitative • Improved behaviour in class • Increase in positive participation in PE Page 31 features a table titled ’Examples of learning objectives and measurable targets’. It shows examples of targets, how they relate to the learning objectives and what monitoring information you can use to show your progress towards meeting those targets. When to collect the information and how do you use it? Procedures for collecting and recording information need to be in place before the programme starts so that you can build a complete picture of how progress is being made. Recording information should be an ongoing process so that, when progress is reviewed, you can compare the current position and the position at the start. Using St Catherine’s College as an example (page 28), you initially need to think back to your learning objectives. These could be: 1 to increase school attendance by 20 per cent 2 to improve confidence and self-esteem. To help determine if you have met these learning objectives, you will need to collect baseline information, which you will compare and contrast to the data collected at the end of the activity. This comparison will tell you if your project has made a difference, and has had an impact upon the target group. For learning objective 1, you could collect the attendance data/unauthorised absences from the school records for the target group of pupils before the activity starts. For learning objective 2, you could devise an attitudinal questionnaire for the target group on how they feel about undertaking certain activities and how they feel about school. At the end of the programme, revisit the attendance/unauthorised absence data. Has attendance increased for the target group since the programme has been running? Have unauthorised absences decreased and by how much? Re-survey the students with the same questionnaire. How do the responses compare from the start to the end of the activity? Does this information indicate an improvement in students’ confidence and self-esteem? It can be more difficult to make comparisons between qualitative information as it involves people’s feelings, opinions, thoughts and ideas, but this does not make it any less valid. Indeed, qualitative information can be more effective at illustrating changes and can help you to understand the reasons why. Longslade School Sport Partnership The partnership has designed a monitoring and tracking form that is completed by all primary link teachers (PLTs) running oshl activities to help them collect data for their Big Lottery Annual Monitoring Review. The form ensures the partnership development manager (PDM) receives the necessary information back to analyse the impact of the programme. SSCos support PLTs to complete the forms, which request information on: when the club runs; who runs it; evidence from the target group; and evidence against the targets set. The form provides guidance on the types of evidence that can be collected and included. The form also provides easy to complete boxes to indicate beneficiary numbers. By providing a template for collecting monitoring information to all PLTs, the collation of information and evaluation process has been made much simpler as data are returned in a consistent format. 29 Focus on the information which shows change, progress and development. A useful way of presenting an overview of qualitative information is by completing a SWOT analysis, listing the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of the programme. When reviewing your progress against targets, be aware that factors beyond the activities may have contributed towards success or failure at reaching those targets. You cannot prove that activities caused a change; you can only show how they may have contributed towards that change. It is, therefore, important to consider what the qualitative or quantitative data is not saying, as well as what it is. What do you do with the results? You can use the results of your evaluation to inform the future delivery of the programme. It may mean changing activities, locations, deliverers or timings. You may also have identified areas of real success that should be celebrated and shared. Results can be shared with those that were involved with collecting and providing monitoring information, and can also be shared more widely with other programmes, other funders and, of course, headteachers, governors and key decision makers within schools. Celebration events or festivals can be a good way of involving participants in demonstrating the success of the programme. Appendix 1 on page 43 provides some background information to tools that can be used for monitoring and evaluation. Top tips! • Set realistic goals, targets and outcomes from the outset. • Make monitoring and evaluation systems as user friendly as possible. • Be consistent – use the same measurement tool each time you ask the same group for information, so you can compare like with like. • Don’t forget to ask pupils to review and reflect on what they’ve done. This helps raise awareness of what they have learnt and how to apply it in other areas. • Ask your local authority study support co-ordinator/statistics department for help with evaluation. Speak with colleagues who may be running similar clubs and find out what works for them. • Sometimes the easiest way to collect feedback is to talk to people informally. However, ensure you make notes from the conversation to keep as a record; it can be useful to use quotes from people’s exact words. Kirkby College, Nottinghamshire The school has used the Study support code of practice and Quality in Study Support (QiSS) recognition scheme as a tool to monitor and evaluate the school’s entire oshl programme. Working closely with the county study support co-ordinator, the school has progressed from ‘emerged’ to ‘established’ and finally ‘advanced’ status. All the information gathered as part of the process feeds into the whole-school self-evaluation form. Collecting the evidence necessary for the recognition scheme has enabled the school to see the difference the oshl programme is making. The school has seen improvements in attitudes to learning, re-engagement in the learning process, improved attendance – and last year’s attainment was the best ever. The QiSS process gives a detailed overview of the impact that learning out of school hours has on the lives of young people. The school has collected both hard and soft data to show this. Pilot project A pilot project by BIG and the Youth Sport Trust of an electronic data collection system for a selection of partnerships during 2004 and 2005 highlighted that it was easier to collect monitoring data from pupils while they were engaged with the activity, rather than after the activity had finished. Participants also found it far easier to collect data from a cohort during an academic year, rather than in the year after pupils had dispersed into different classes. 30 Learning objective Examples of targets Methods of monitoring and evaluating Develop a positive Increase in attendance Attendance records attitude to school at school Reduction in unauthorised Truancy records absences Reduction in truancy School registers Reduction in late marks/ School registers increase in punctuality Reduction in the number Exclusion records of permanent exclusions Develop a positive Increase in the number Form tutor records attitude to learning of pupils handing their homework in on time Increase in achieved grades/ Academic attainment records levels for X number of subjects against predicted grades Develop positive Increase in the number Teacher observation behaviour of pupils involved in positive play at lunchtime Decrease in the number Teacher observation of instances of bullying Reduction in the number of Behaviour or detention logs detentions, yellow cards, reports/incidents of misbehaviour, etc, due to inappropriate behaviour Reduction in the time spent Lunchtime behaviour log on dealing with playground issues at the start of the afternoon session Improvement in behaviour in the Teacher observation/feedback classroom Reduction in instances of Observation by local community inappropriate behaviour in the community reported by the local police Develop a positive Increase in attendance on days Attendance records attitude to PE and sport when pupils have PE/decrease in absences on PE days Increase in pupils who bring their Teacher records/observations kit to PE lessons Reduction in number of pupils Teacher records being excused from PE lessons % improvement shown Teacher assessment during performance in PE lessons, measured by using national curriculum levels Examples of learning objectives and measurable targets The following table shows examples of how you can use targets to measure whether learning objectives have been achieved. It gives examples of the type of information that can be collected to see whether targets have been met. They can also be used to drive forward whole-school improvement and impact on school policy. 31 Learning objective Examples of targets Methods of monitoring and evaluating Increase in positive participation Teacher assessment in PE lessons Improved attitude towards physical Teacher observation activity during PE lessons Increase in the number of pupils Teacher records opting for GCSE PE Improvement in confidence to Teacher or coach observations have a go at new physical activities, within curriculum PE or oshl % attendance at the oshl School records PE/sport or oshl activity Increase in attendance at other School records oshl PE/sport activity Increase in demand for further Questionnaires/observation oshl PE/sport activities observation Develop a positive % of pupils electing to assist with Coach observation attitude to PE and sport running the activity in Year 2 Increase in number of pupils Feedback forms/questionnaires who join a local club, Coach records fitness class, leisure centre, etc Increase in numbers Local club/leisure centre records representing the school Develop new skills Increase in number of Coach observation of skills levels learnt new skills Increase in the consistency to Coach observation of skills levels use new skills Number of pupils achieving Records of awards NGB award, proficiency award, local school award, certificate of achievement, etc Number of pupils achieving Records of awards JSLA, CSLA, accreditation awards, etc Number of pupils achieving School records higher than predicted levels – using national curriculum levels Number of pupils completing Participants’ diaries tasks set during oshl activity % of pupils achieving their own personal targets Increase in level of concentration Teacher observation in the classroom Increase in the amount of time Coach/teacher observation the pupil is able to concentrate on a task, in oshl or within the curriculum Improved confidence in the Teacher observation use of numeracy or literacy skills 32 Learning objective Examples of targets Methods of monitoring and evaluating Number of pupils achieving Academic records higher than predicted levels in a specific subject area – using national curriculum levels Develop interest in sport Increase in the number of young Coach records outside the activities people wishing to take additional qualifications, NGB, etc Increase in number of work School records placements in PE/sport related work Increase in number of pupils School records or feedback from seeking employment in PE/ participants sport/leisure industry Develop self-esteem Improvement in self-esteem Attitudinal questionnaires and confidence and confidence Develop social skills Improved social skills Questionnaires or feedback from participants, teachers, coaches or parents Increased ability to work as part of a group Increased ability to work as part of a team Develop Improved speaking and listening Observations or feedback from communication skills skills, using national curriculum participants, teachers, coaches or parents levels Increase in number of questions asked by pupil, in oshl or within the curriculum Develop fitness and Increase in fitness levels Coach observations or tests awareness of health-related issues including diet Increase in number of pupils joining Gym records a health-related activity class/gym Increase in number/amount of Participants’ diaries physical activity participated in per week Increase in the number of pupils Feedback from school canteen opting for healthy lunch option Decrease in number of times chips, Participants’ diaries or similar food types, eaten in a week Develop confidence and Improved transition from Foundation Stage profile maintain participation in foundation to KS1 transition years Improved transition from early Nursery nurse/teacher years setting into school observation Number of pupils who continue Attendance records activity in Year 7 after transfer Improved KS2/3 transition Academic attainment records reflected in % improvement in SATs results Reduction in number of School attendance records unauthorised absences in Year 7 33 Learning objective Examples of targets Methods of monitoring and evaluating Develop awareness of Increase in number of pupils Records of participation and participation in participating in JSLA, the community (citizenship) CSLA, Duke of Edinburgh, Millennium Volunteers, etc schemes Increase in the number School records of pupils volunteering to act as leaders within their own school Increase in number of School records pupils volunteering at primary schools Increase in number of Records held in local clubs pupils volunteering at local clubs, events and holiday schemes Increase in number of Coach records pupils involved in running TOP Link festivals 34 Oshl activities are much more likely to be sustained if you are able to demonstrate, through effective monitoring and evaluation, the difference your programme is making. Schools and other organisations will be more inclined to financially support a project if you can demonstrate the impact it is having on the young people involved and other local priorities, and if it supports their wider objectives. Schools receive funding streams as part of their budgets that can support oshl activity. The Standards Fund provides schools with funding for study support/oshl, personalised learning and extended schools via the school development and standard grants. Specialist schools also have a community budget that could be used to support the development of oshl activity. Speak to senior leaders within schools and governors about the difference your oshl programme is making – and go armed with the evidence! Download the funding and sustainability guide from the School Sport Xchange (www.youthsporttrust.org). This will help you find out more about these strands of money, in addition to national grant schemes, charitable trusts, foundations and other funding opportunities that could be used for oshl. Working in partnership Working together with other agencies and partners can be a valuable strategy to help you deliver your oshl programme. It may also provide an important means of sustaining your activity beyond any grant or time-limited funding. There are many organisations working with young people that are already contributing to, or delivering, physical activity opportunities in an oshl setting. Do you know which other agencies in your local area may be delivering or funding sport and physical activity or related programmes? Think about the wider outcomes and benefits of PE and school sport and, in turn, how these might relate to other organisations and their objectives. Can participation in PE, school sport and oshl contribute to these? If so, can you pool pots of funding and expertise to meet these objectives and to make more effective use of these monies to improve outcomes and opportunities for young people? The Study support code of practice (DfES, 2004) suggests organisations ask the following questions when thinking about getting the best from partnerships: • What partnerships already exist? • What are the potential benefits for all partners? • What do prospective partners want from a relationship? • Who are the obvious partners to involve? Who are the not so obvious? • How can the experience, resources and knowhow of all partners be used to the fullest? • How do partners contribute to planning, developing, monitoring and evaluating oshl? Sustainability and working in partnership 35 Helping you to maintain your oshl programme Callington Community College, Cornwall Callington Sport Partnership has undertaken extensive training programmes to ensure its oshl activities are sustained beyond the Big Lottery grant. Lunchtime supervisors and playground leaders have been trained as part of the Active Playground programme. Young leaders have been trained in Sportsability to support the oshl infrastructure for children with special needs in the partnership. In addition, teachers and adults other than teachers (AOTTs) have been provided with a DVD resource and training to support them in the delivery of cardio combat and other health-related fitness routines. The partnership has also been successful at gaining a number of external funding streams to support oshl activity, including: grants from the Football Foundation for playground markings; an Awards for All grant to develop the Fun and Fit/community dance project; and a small grant from the local health promotion unit to support the Health and Body Management programme. Listed below are some agencies and groups of people who, in partnership, may be able to support you with delivering, resourcing and sustaining oshl activity (this list is by no means exhaustive): • behaviour support/improvement teams (local authority) • breakfast clubs • community clubs, such as Brownies and Scouts • county sports partnerships and community coaches • early years and children’s centres • education action zones/excellence clusters • extended services managers/co-ordinators • family learning • health/primary care trusts • local authority subject advisers/national strategy consultants • local authority study support co-ordinators • looked-after children co-ordinators (local authorities) • leisure centres • local authority sports development departments and officers • national governing bodies (NGBs) of sport and development officers • Neighbourhood Renewal • outdoor education centres • Playing for Success centres • police and other services, such as the fire service • private providers (ensure you carry out checks on qualifications, child protection, and so on) • pupil referral units • supplementary schools • volunteer centres • YMCA • youth offending team • youth service/centres. Other routes to sustainability Training: Upskilling the school workforce to help you run activities can be a cost effective way of continuing activity into the future. Furthermore, training young people to help deliver activities to their peers or younger school children has proved an effective strategy for sustainability. Refer to the ‘Activity staffing and resources’ section on page 24 for more information. Volunteers: Volunteers are a valuable resource and, best of all, their services are free! However, you should consider investing in some training for voluntary staff, and providing some assistance with out-of-pocket expenses. Speak to your local volunteer centre for more information. Don’t forget that parents may also volunteer to help you to deliver oshl; also make the most of young leaders on a voluntary basis. Charging: While it is expected that schools provide some study support free of charge, recent DCSF guidance suggests that schools, after an appropriate level of consultation with parents, may charge for activities to cover the costs of their provision. Schools must develop an appropriate charging policy if deciding to pursue this option. To find out more about charging for activities, download Planning and funding extended schools: a guide for schools, local authorities and their partner organisations (DfES, 2006) from: http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk. Paignton Community and Sports College The college works with over 30 partner organisations to deliver the Torbay Holiday Sports Programme. The programme offers young people aged 4 to 14 the opportunity to take part in a wide range of sports and physical activities over the holiday period. The programme links with local playschemes, charitable organisations, youth services, youth inclusion, SEN groups, looked-after children within the council, plus many more partners and agencies to help deliver and support the programme. Working with so many partners requires hard work and organisation over many months, and good communication between partners is essential. Linking with organisations that provide childcare, and with those that provide more than just sport, has been very important to the programme’s success across Torbay. Kirkby College To enhance and sustain its thriving oshl programme, Kirkby College felt it would be beneficial to network with local partners to share physical and human resources. In partnership with Kirkby Neighbourhood Management, a sub-group was formed and constituted in order to access funding. The group includes the local PCT, Sure Start, community and leisure centres, local sports clubs, the district council and other voluntary organisations. A full-time community sport development officer was appointed to work for two days a week to find funding and to ensure a good media profile. 36 Exit routes to community clubs: A major part of the PESSCL strategy and long-term sustainability of engaging young people with oshl opportunities is that they have pathways from school into community clubs. Does your oshl programme have exit routes for young people beyond activity organised by the school? Club links are likely to be easier to establish for NGB-affiliated sports, but less so for smaller and less traditional sports. Community partners, volunteers and other partnerships may be able to help you in getting a new club off the ground and keeping it going. Think about the people that are passionate about that activity and how they can help you. Where this may not be possible, think about the transferability of skills learnt through the oshl activity, and how these might translate to other sports with clubs already established. Can you encourage your target groups to try a new activity, building on the confidence they’ve gained from participating in your programme? Top tips! • Build in sustainability from the start of your programme. Any grant-funded programmes tend to be time-limited, and the funding won’t last forever. • Carry out an audit of the partners you currently work with, consider the gaps and those agencies that could be approached to provide resources. • Think about current national agendas and how oshl can contribute to and complement them – does this lead you to partners you could work with and pots of funding? • Consider developing partnership agreements with the agencies you work with. • Arrange an opportunity to share the successes of your oshl programme with headteachers, senior leaders and governors to show them the impact oshl activities are having on the young people taking part. • Speak to your local authority about the support it may be able to provide you with in sourcing external funding and grants. 37 Lees Brook and Derby Moor Community Sports Colleges, Derby City The two school sport partnerships in Derby City work closely with the LA sports development and NGBs to implement and monitor their oshl programmes. By establishing school–club links, continuation of some aspects of the Big Lottery funded activity has been possible. Gaining funding from the Football Association (FA) has enabled a series of oshl football clubs to run. In addition, the partnerships have been able to develop and implement resources for schools as part of the FUNdametals project by working closely with Sports Coach UK. An LA officer has supported the partnerships with advice on possible funding sources, and they are currently exploring developments with the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, Awards for All and extended services to extend/enhance these projects into the future. Wherever funding comes from, you need to account for how it is spent. This means that detailed records of income and expenditure need to be kept. Keeping financial records up to date also allows you to monitor the progress of a programme. Knowing the current financial position means that you can ensure resources for activities are available when they are needed. Activities will adapt and change as the project develops and you need to make sure that the budget and financial management processes can support this. Here are some tips for keeping the finances in order. Budgeting • Check that all items required for activities have been identified. Likely items to budget for include: staffing; facility hire; resources; transport; equipment; training; volunteer expenses; marketing; and capital items. • Research the costs of items and get more than one estimate for large items, particularly capital items. Speak to your bursar, local authority and other partnerships in the network for advice and to make sure you are adhering to financial policies and procedures in acquiring items and tendering for contracts. • Include inflation for items which are not covered by a contractual agreement to supply services at a fixed rate. • Keep a record of how each budget line was calculated. Not only does this support the decisions made when planning the programme, but it also acts as a reminder when the budget is reviewed. • Keep an eye on value for money. If one activity is comparatively more expensive than another, can this be justified? BIG works on a value for money figure of about £50 per head for an eight-hour programme of activity, allowing up to £75 for pupils with SEN. • Make the most of funds from different sources. Each funder will have different criteria for spending the grant but, with careful planning, the funding can be used in a complementary way to make the most of resources. • Consider a contingency fund in the event of unforeseen circumstances, for example, replacing equipment. Please note that BIG does not fund contingencies • Make sure that you insure items for loss, damage and theft, and that you have adequate provision for appropriately secure storage. Again, BIG will not fund insurance costs. Recording income and expenditure • It is good practice, and a requirement of many external funders, to manage monies within a separate cost code of the grantholder’s financial system so it is easily identifiable. Ensure a separate cost code is established. • Talk to the bursar/finance manager, who will be able to help set up simple systems for recording income and expenditure. Discuss the financial reporting requirements of the funder and the necessary budget headings that have to be reported upon. • Keep a cash flow and record all income and expenditure of your programme. Include funding that has been committed but not yet spent, for example, where you have ordered some resources but not yet paid for them. This will help you identify any over or underspend promptly. • Keep copies of all invoices. These may be needed to validate spending. • Keep records up to date and readily available. This will make it easier to produce reports quickly for management teams and funders. Budgeting and financial management The Rochdale SSCo Partnership To make the most of available resources, the partnership has incorporated different funding streams and initiatives into activity plans. For example, the multi-sports lunchtime activity for primary schools builds on Sporting Playgrounds funding received through a Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council award. NOF funds are being used to train the lunchtime supervisors and to pay for resources. At a special school, good behaviour is encouraged and rewarded through a range of incentives, such as trips to the Manchester Giants (basketball and ice hockey). Pupils quickly learn to recognise expectations and understand choices. 38 Making the most of funding 39 • Be clear about the funder’s definitions of ‘capital’ and ‘revenue funding’ and how they need funding to be itemised so that expenditure can be recorded accordingly. • Try to record income and expenditure by funding source, budget heading and activity. Many projects set up cost codes and use spreadsheets to help record this information. Reviewing income and expenditure • Regularly check expenditure and financial commitments against the budget. This will mean that surprises at the end of the year are less likely and that expenditure can be adapted more easily. • Monitor cash flow periodically. Check that the expected funds have been received and that they are sufficient to cover expenditure. • Keep your own financial records, as well as cross-checking information retained by your host school’s finance office periodically. • Be aware of the funder’s monitoring requirements. Delays in providing financial and other monitoring information can mean that funds are not released on time. Communication • Arrange regular meetings (termly as a minimum) with the bursar/finance manager to monitor financial processes. • When making changes to the budget, be sure that appropriate people are involved and records are updated accordingly. • Be aware of the levels of discretion different funders allow for changes in budget, for instance, BIG needs to be notified of changes to the budget in excess of £1,000. • Significant changes to any programme budget will need formal approval by the funder, so do make them aware of plans. Putting contracts in place for staffing If you are planning to run an activity for a significant period of time (BIG-funded programmes can run for up to three years), for which you will need external staff/coaches to facilitate the activity, it’s advisable to consider putting a written contract in place for their employment. A contract will enable you to secure staff/coaches for the time period required at an agreed cost. This can help you avoid financial uncertainty and the potential of staffing costs significantly increasing year on year, which may not be budgeted for. Speak to your bursar or business manager about establishing a contract for external coaches. Sample temporary contracts for employment of a sports coach can be found on the Sports Coach UK (SCUK) website. SCUK also runs workshops on employing coaches, which may be of benefit. Insurance If you are purchasing any expensive items of equipment with grant funding, check what the funder’s requirements are regarding insurance. BIG for instance, requires any large capital items that are included on a school’s asset register to be insured and expects the replacement of any items that may get damaged or lost. This would include trampolines, rowing machines, bikes, and so on. Speak to your bursar or business manager about how to insure items. Top tips! • When researching how much items will cost you, use the Supplier Directory on the YST website, which will provide a useful starting point. • Don’t forget to consider travel expenses for any external staff you’re employing to facilitate activity. • Use an Excel spreadsheet to manage your financial records and manage the cash flow of your oshl programme. It’s essential to keep this up to date. • SSPs should not have to pay VAT and BIG will not fund any VAT expenditure. • If devolving funding for oshl, ensure those managing the money are aware of the necessary reporting requirements in line with your funder. • Refer to the funding and sustainability guide on the School Sport Xchange for information on funding opportunities. Collegiate/Palatine Partnership By making links with the local authority Healthy Schools team, the partnership introduced a swipe-card system to reward students for taking part in oshl activity and for buying healthy food. A card reader was installed so that pupils could see the points being added as they swiped their card. The canteen computer system was connected to the PE computer to enable points to be automatically added through the cashless till system overnight. Data collected were then used to write a new oshl programme that would be more responsive to pupils’ needs. The programme not only increased participation in oshl activity, but also raised awareness among pupils about healthy lifestyles. The school has seen improved GCSE results in PE and across the curriculum. Celebrating achievement is an important way of inspiring and focusing on pupils’ successes, and of enthusing, motivating and helping to sustain interest levels. It is also an opportunity to promote oshl and the impact of your programme to key partners and stakeholders, such as headteachers, governors, parents, the community, local authorities, and so on. Below are some examples of celebrating achievements in oshl: • Achieving national governing body of sport (or school-based) personal and leadership awards can reward pupils, such as JSLA, Key Stage 1 Participation Awards, Shine Awards in athletics or an Assistant Boccia Leader Award. These can give young people the opportunity to achieve personal targets and can be presented in assemblies. • Photographs and articles can be displayed around the school or in a school newsletter. • Working towards a display for other schools or parents to demonstrate new skills and to raise awareness of the benefits of the opportunity. • Producing a video and presentation to use at parents’ evenings or for pupils to take home. • Using the school structure to reward and draw attention to pupils’ successes in the club, thereby using the pupils as role models. • Drawing attention to the achievements of the club itself, for example, by celebrating the club’s first birthday through a disco or open night. • Using extrinsic rewards (such as a book token) for individuals displaying positive characteristics – for example, good behaviour. Ensure achievements are celebrated within and beyond the club. Make sure the staff room and governors’ meetings all provide opportunities to share successes – and that activities link in with the school’s behaviour and reward schemes. This will help reinforce study support as a central aspect of the school’s ethos. Establishing links with the local media Using local papers, television and radio can be a great way of celebrating and promoting the achievements of young people in oshl and those supporting its delivery. Download a media pack from the School Sport Xchange (www.youthsporttrust.org), which provides useful information on dealing with the media, writing press releases, and so on. You may find it useful to contact your local authority’s press office, which will have established links with local media and can provide you with relevant help and advice. If you have received grant funding to run the project, it is good practice to mention the funder in press releases or broadcasts. Funders such as BIG require evidence of branding, so don’t forget to keep press cuttings, photographs, and so on. Remember to take care when using external funding for celebration events. BIG, for instance, will only fund celebration events and reward activities when they are part of an activity and not where they are standalone. 40 Celebrations Inspiring and motivating students Priory Sports and Technology College To encourage and recognise pupils’ involvement in physical activities, the college developed a participation recognition scheme called the Out of School Hours Award (OOSHA) to reward participation in all school sporting activities that are not curriculum based. Pupils are issued with an OOSHA card, which is stamped every time they attend an oshl session. The stamps are collected on the card and recognition of participation is in the form of bronze, silver or gold awards. The award scheme has: increased social interaction between students and staff; enabled pupils to make greater progress and to become more involved in whole-group activities; and increased their self-confidence. There are lots of practical tips for running oshl activities. Listed below are some of the key ones. Be realistic: Start with a small number of activities and expand. Talk to people: There are many people with experience of oshl, for example, study support co-ordinators and sports development officers in the local authority and in schools, other partnerships, Youth Sport Trust development officers, BIG grant officers and ContinYou. Try new things: If you are wary about starting a new activity, try running it as a pilot so that you have the chance to review it, or talk to other people who have run similar activities. Check availability of coaches: One of the main reasons for delayed starts to activities has been the difficulty in finding suitable coaches. Speak to your county sports partnership, which may be able to help you with sourcing suitable coaches. Review and change: Have the confidence to make changes as your programme develops. Make your expectations clear: Meet with the deliverers, local clubs and coaches before an activity starts. Set up a service level agreement outlining what you and the deliverer expect from one another. Establish roles and responsibilities: Staff, volunteers and deliverers need to know what their roles are, who they are responsible to, and how and when they should communicate with each other. Some partnerships have developed a handbook for oshl staff including this kind of information and useful supporting documents. Think about training: Training will eat into activity delivery time, so think about who you want to deliver activities. Incorporate training needs for adults other than teachers (AOTTs) or coaches into your plan. Be consistent: Ensure the deliverers keep to set times and venues. Have a ‘no cancel’ policy. Ensure the deliverers plan alternative sessions to replace activities that are affected by the weather. Collect and record: Collect data every term or half-term, rather than leaving it all to the end of the first year. Consider monitoring and evaluating before you start activities so you know what basic information you need to collect. Think about strategy: It is sometimes useful to set up a steering or management group to keep a strategic overview of the programme (there may already be one in school for all oshl). Make sure that the people delivering activities are aware of the strategic aims and learning objectives. Check that they fit with the school development plan or education development plan. Try to instil an oshl ethos in schools: Show schools the benefits of PE and sport oshl by sharing your successes; they, in turn, will be more likely to support your programme. Try and get oshl onto staff meeting agendas. Notify your authority’s Children’s Information Service: Every local authority should have a Children’s Information Service or equivalent organisation that keeps a database of services and activities available to young people and families. Keep them informed of your oshl programme so their information is up to date and they can better signpost activity. Practical tips for running out-of-school-hours learning activities 41 Websites Association for Physical Education www.afpe.org.uk Big Lottery Fund www.biglotteryfund.org.uk British Heart Foundation www.bhf.org.uk ContinYou www.continyou.org.uk Department for Children, Schools and Families www.dcsf.gov.uk Healthy Schools www.healthyschools.gov.uk Institute of Youth Sport www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/sses/institutes/iys National Youth Agency www.nya.org.uk Ofsted www.ofsted.gov.uk Quality in Study Support www.canterbury.ac.uk/education/departments/ professional-development/centres/ quality-in-study-support/ Qualifications and Curriculum Authority: PESS www.qca.org.uk/pess Sport England www.sportengland.org Sports Coach UK www.sportscoachuk.org Sports Leaders UK www.sportsleaders.org Standards Site: Personalised Learning www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/ personalisedlearning/ Standards Site: Study Support www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/studysupport Teachernet: PE and Sport www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/ subjects/pe Teachernet: Extended Schools www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/ extendedschools Youth Sport Trust (School Sport Xchange) www.youthsporttrust.org Youth Sport Trust Direct www.ystdirect.org Publications The publications below are available from: http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk. Aiming high for disabled children: better support for families, HM Treasury/DfES, 2007 The children’s plan: building brighter futures, DCSF, 2007 Extended schools: building on experience, DCSF, 2007 The impact of study support: a report of a longitudinal study into the impact of participation in out-of-school-hours learning on the academic attainment, attitudes and school attendance of secondary school students, DfES, 2001 Planning and funding extended schools: a guide for schools, local authorities and their partner organisations, DfES, 2006 Safe keeping: a good practice guide for health and safety in study support, DfES, 2000 Study support: a national framework for extending learning opportunities, DfES, 2006 Study support code of practice, DfES, 2004 The study support toolkit, DfEE, 2000 Useful websites and publications 42 The tools in this guide were originally developed to support SSCo partnerships in monitoring and evaluating their NOF-funded oshl/SSCo projects. Following a pilot study by a small sample of SSCo partnerships, the following six questionnaires were selected from an original twelve. NOF and the Youth Sport Trust commissioned the Institute of Youth Sport to gather feedback on the questionnaires. This feedback has been used to select and modify the six questionnaires in this guide. Many thanks to all the partnerships who took the time to offer feedback. Tools for monitoring and evaluation overview The questionnaires have been compiled from a number of sources. Questionnaires 1 to 5 were collated by ContinYou and the Youth Sport Trust. Questionnaire 3 was originally designed by St Edmund’s School (a sports college). Questionnaire 6 was developed by the Institute of Youth Sport through research with young people. The questionnaires are designed to measure one or more of the following: • self-esteem • confidence • behaviour • attitude to school • attitude to learning • attitude to the oshl activity. Questionnaires have been included that are designed to be completed by the young people themselves, teachers, deliverers or other people familiar with the young people taking part. Not all the questionnai