Links with Every Child Matters

Study support has a key role to play in a range of national policies and initiatives including:

Every Child Matters (www.everychildmatters.gov.uk)

Study support activities contribute in a variety of ways to the five outcomes:

Being Healthy – Breakfast clubs, cookery courses, sports and physical activity, activities which promote emotional well being, drugs awareness and sexual health programmes

Staying Safe – a safe environment for young people after school and during holidays, anti-bullying programmes, peer mentoring or ‘buddying’ and peer mediation, first aid, self defence classes

Enjoying and achieving – activities which extend, enrich and enable, building on curriculum subjects, offering extra support, new skills and interests, performing arts, opportunities to enjoy and experience success, enhanced readiness to learn, different environments and contexts for learning, accredited courses

Making a positive contribution – volunteering, Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, 'Step into Sport' project, community projects, environmental projects, peer mentoring and tutoring, activities linked to citizenship

Achieving economic well-being – projects with business volunteers, visits to places of work, work-related curriculum activities, Aim Higher Summer Schools, Young Enterprise, Key Skills activities.

For more examples, please download Study support activities linked to Every Child Matters outcomes (PDf file, 590 KB).

Extended Services

Study support is one of the five elements of the extended services core offer. To varying degrees it can also contribute to the delivery of the other four. For further information on the core offer please refer to Extended Schools: Access to opportunities and services for all - A Prospectus (DfES 2005) and Planning and Funding extended schools: a guide for schools, local authorities and their partner organisations (DfES 2006).

A varied menu of activities, principally Study Support, including holiday provision

Including: access to arts and cultural activities, targeted opportunities and sport

Year-round 8am – 6pm childcare

Including: activities for young people

Although study support and childcare have different purposes there is considerable overlap and the children and young people participating may not be overtly aware of the differences themselves e.g. a breakfast club which provides both learning and a care element. Study support should form a key part of high quality wraparound childcare. Not all activities that take place in childcare however, can be considered to be Study Support eg Chill zone, unstructured play. There will also be considerations around the differences between guaranteed childcare places and voluntary study support and the need for clear charging policies (for guidance see ‘Planning and funding extended schools: a guide for schools, local authorities and their partner organisations’ (DfES 2006) and www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/atoz/c/chargingforactivities/

Parenting support including family learning

Including: access to information on parenting support services, transition programmes, family learning opportunities and programmes of parenting support

Many schools and other settings have developed family learning through the study support offer e.g. Dads and Lads, family ICT sessions, intergenerational projects and healthy living activities. Parents and carers are often motivated to engage in these opportunities in order to support their children’s learning more effectively and once engaged are more likely to identify their own needs and access additional support and services on offer.

Swift and easy referral to a wide range of specialist support services

Including: access to specialist services including CAMHS, speech and language therapy, other health support and social care

Multi agency partners and professionals from other services are increasingly engaged as providers of, or contributors to, study support, eg drop-in counselling, health projects, training peer mentors etc. In addition to the benefits to well-being and learning, greater opportunities to share information and remove barriers between services are therefore opened up.

Community access including adult learning

Including: opening up school ICT, sports and arts facilities to the local community and providing adult education

Study support, through partnership working, provides the community with greater access to learning facilities and resources eg holiday clubs run by University of the First Age or Children’s University, family trips and outings, accredited volunteer and mentoring training. In addition, the distinct ethos of study support can be successfully applied to family and adult learning.