Resources
Listed below are downloadable materials and resources developed by ContinYou Cymru for schools, local authorities and others to use to improve the learning and wellbeing of children and young people, families and communities.
Materials and resources relating to extended services in England and ContinYou’s other areas of work can be found on our Learning Exchange website.
Our free bi-annual magazine which is circulated to all schools and Local Education Authorities in Wales highlighting examples of how community focused schools and out of school hours learning are being developed across Wales.
An electronic newsletter produced three times a year to support community focused schools and out-of-school-hours learning developments. You can subscribe to the Supporting Community Focused Schools (SCFS) e-news service for FREE
Community focused schools
Community focused schools – Information sheet
A introductory leaflet to community focused schools.
Community focused schools – a joint vision
Developed in partnership between ContinYou Cymru and the Association of Directors of Education in Wales (ADEW).
Community focused schools, Making it happen: A toolkit
Supported by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) and the Association of Directors of Education in Wales (ADEW), the toolkit is seen as a blueprint for developing community focused schools.
Community focused schools: Child Poverty briefing leaflet
Schools: tackling child poverty through a community focus.
Governors’ Guide to Community focused schools
Produced in partnership with Governors’ Wales and with support from the Welsh Assembly Government, this provides information and guidance to governors on developing a community focused schools approach.
This briefing paper looks at the roles of community focused schools and out of school hours learning provision in contributing to, and supporting, the creative of cohesive communities in Wales.
This guide aims to disseminate good practice to mainstream and special schools, pupils referral units, and other professionals working in multi agency teams to engage children in special schools with the range of activities and services that are offered to their mainstream peers.
The ‘go to’ guide – A signposting tool for community focused schools
A guide to support schools to develop effective ways to provide information about, and signposting to, key services.
This guide explains how schools, local authorities and partners can enable community focused schools and out of school hours learning provision to make as much impact as possible.
Community focused schools – Developing out of school childcare and out-of-school-hours learning
Produced in partnership with Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids’ Clubs, this leaflet is a brief guide to the differences between developing out of school childcare and out of school hours learning provision.
Community focused schools – Making it happen: a checklist for audit and inspection
Revised Version coming soon
Produced with support from the Welsh Assembly Government, and with input from Estyn as an aid for schools developing community focused services and activities to help present the work during an inspection. It supplements the toolkit.
Out of school hours learning
A-Z guide for out-of-school-hours learning
A revision of ContinYou Cymru’s out-of-school-hours learning: A code of practice, this new, web-based guide supports all aspects of developing and running effective out-of-school-hours learning provision. It is underpinned by a number of mini guides aimed at: parents and carers; Local authorities; children and young people and voluntary and community sector organisations.
We have developed a series of downloadable mini guides designed to provide targeted support and guidance about successful out-of-school-hours learning (oshl) clubs/activities.
Out-of-school-hours learning - Training and resource pack
An easy to use training pack to support school and non-school staff to effectively deliver out-of-school-hours learning provision.
Community focused schools – Developing out of school childcare and out of school hours learning
Produced in partnership with Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids’ Clubs, this leaflet is a brief guide to the differences between developing out of school childcare and out of school hours learning provision.
New and Updated! Ownzone
A model for secondary schools for setting up OwnZone to provide 11-14 year olds a chance to spend time outside the school day in a safe place to be, with access to personal support as well as exciting and fulfilling activities.
New! 'How well are we doing? Self-evaluating oshl provision for 11 to 16 year olds: a Framework'.
This framework establishes a clear process for self-review, evaluation and recognition of achievement in delivering oshl provision as well as 'safe place to be'. It looks at 6 of the most comman areas to consider when providing oshl activities and highlights what constitutes good practice in these areas. The framework complements ContinYou Cymru's OwnZone guide.
For more information contact the Cardiff office on 02920 478928 or angela.davies@continyou.org.uk.
Breakfast Club Plus – How to set up your own breakfast club and keep it going (2005)
A useful guide for those who wish to set up or further develop breakfast club provision.
Breakfast Singing Clubs
ContinYou and Sing Up in England have joined forces to create this fantastic, practical singing resource, using our combined knowledge of singing and breakfast clubs. ContinYou Cymru is delighted that we have been able to make use of this resource for Wales.
This guide explains what Bike Club is, how it is funded, and what it's objectives are. It also offers advice and information for people who wish to set up their own bike clubs in Wales.
Cymru Cooks: a toolkit – A guide to setting up and sustaining cookery clubs (2008)
This guide provides guidance on running cookery clubs for children of all ages in schools an in the community, and on engaging effectively with families and the wider community.
Pyramid
Poster:
Pyramid Wales poster (932kb)
This poster can be used to promote local Pyramid clubs in Wales.
Leaflets:
Pyramid clubs in Wales – Building friendships, creating confidence
An introductory leaflet to Pyramid clubs in Wales.
This flyer is for more information about the benefits of becoming a volunteer and what is expected of them.
Information sheets:
This flyer is for Pyramid clubs to enable them to advertise their own activities. There is an area at the bottom to add local information.
This flyer explains how Pyramid links to Welsh Network of Healthy Schools Scheme.
Guides:
Volunteering and Diversity – A guide to increasing diversity within Pyramid
A guide offering a range of ideas and practical methods on recruiting and supporting a diverse range of volunteers, and how to maximise the impact volunteers have on your project.
Coming soon:
Updated and slimmed down training manual and club file.
Speak up - A guide to developing children’s voice in primary schools and communities The Speak up guide is based on the Primary Democracy pilot project. This guide offers primary schools useful information and tips for setting up oshl programmes and activities that encourage the development of ‘children’s voice’
From Primary to Secondary. Moving on: out-of-school-hours learning and transition (2005)
This resource helps schools to set up oshl programmes supporting transition from primary to secondary.
This is how we do it – A guide for reading clubs
New resources under development
Sum-it! Maths clubs in Wales
New resources under development
Lights, Camera, Action!
This ‘how to guide’ aims to help all those interested in setting up and running film clubs as oshl activities, and will be valuable for anyone working with children and young people.
Making homework work (2008)
A guide to help establish homework clubs.
Art@heart: Arts activities for out-of-school-hours learning (2008)
This guide provides information and support for anyone with an interest in developing arts projects as out-of-school-hours learning activities.
This guide explains how schools, local authorities and partners can enable Out-of-school-hours learning and Community focused schools to make as much impact as possible, by ensuring that they contribute to raising standards, and they they form an intrinsic part of broader education and local authority priorities such as health, regeneration and the Children and Young People’s Plans.
A briefing on community cohesion: Challenges and opportunities for out-of-school-hours learning and Community focused schools
This briefing paper looks at the roles of out-of-school-hours learning and Community focused schools in contributing to, and supporting, the creative of cohesive communities in Wales.
Building partnerships: Working to develop extended services and community focused schools in and around special schools
This guide aims to disseminate good practice to mainstream and special schools, pupils referral units, and other professionals working in multi agency teams to engage children in special schools with the range of activities and services that are offered to their mainstream peers.
Out-of-school-hours learning - Bridging the gender gap for boys (2007)
This guide shows how out-of-school-hours learning can help raise boys’ attainment by improving their concentration, self-esteem and motivation to learn.
A supplement for Wales to ContinYou’s Taking Part (2005) guide. This supplement should be read in conjunction with the guide.
Take your partners in Caerphilly
Caerphilly County Borough Council and ContinYou Cymru have compiled this toolkit with help from many partner organisations and schools, and with support from the Welsh Assembly Government. It is an introductory toolkit for anyone wishing to work in partnership to deliver effective out-of-school-hours learning (oshl). The toolkit includes a range of useful case studies, examples of best practice, top tips, checklists, resources, and weblinks.
Other areas of work
Young Leaders for Active Communities: A model for youth volunteering (2008)
Feasibility study report looking at how to engage more young people in volunteering through taking part in a young leaders programme, and through linking with out-of-school-hours learning and community focused schools developments.
Seldom heard
This guide is for practitioners working with young people who want to enable them to participate in decisions that affect their lives.
Service portfolios
ContinYou's Sibling Café project supports brothers and sisters of children with special educational needs (SEN).
Skilled for Health (SfH) is the national learning programme that embeds skills for life learning into health improvement topics.
Pyramid clubs support children and young people experiencing social and emotional problems, particularly those who are shy, quiet, withdrawn and struggling to build friendships.
ContinYou Cymru's OwnZone model is a flexible way of offering out-of-school-hours learning (oshl) provision that includes a 'safe placeto be' for young people aged 11 to 16.
