Resources for Wales
The following resources are aimed specifically at Welsh schools and organisations. You may also be interested in more general resources and documents, which have initially been written for the English education system but may still be helpful. These can be found on the main ContinYou website under Extending services: resources and links.
Network subscriptions
ContinYou's networks are a great way for schools to keep up to date with news and best practice in out-of-school-hours (oshl) activity, school-community links and school governance.
You can also now subscribe to the Supporting Community Focused Schools (SCFS) e-news service for FREE.
Free publications
Funded by the Welsh government and published by ContinYou, the following publications can be downloaded for free.
Community focused schools: making it happen: a toolkit
Community Focused Schools - Making it happen: a checklist for audit and inspection
NEW! A governors' guide to community focused schools
Turning the vision into reality
A briefing on community cohesion
Young leaders for active communities
Bridging the gender gap for boys
Making homework work
Speak up (primary democracy)
Welsh code of practice for out-of-school-hours learning
Welsh training and resource pack for out-of-school-hours-learning
Primary to Secondary: Out-of-school-hours Learning and Transition
Take your Partners in Caerphilly
Breakfast Club Plus (Breakfast clubs)
OwnZone (after school care and learning clubs for Key Stage 3)
What's cooking? (cookery clubs)
Sum-it! (maths clubs)
Taking part (looked after children)
This is how we do it (reading clubs)
Community focused schools: making it happen - a toolkit
This toolkit, which ContinYou Cymru has developed for the Welsh Assembly Government and the Association of Directors of Education Wales, links directly to the Welsh Assembly Government’s seven core aims for children and young people, as laid out in Rights to Action. It provides advice on whole-school planning and the development of Community Focused Schools. It is based on work that is currently taking place in Wales and provides ideas and examples of what Community Focused Schools can achieve.
Download now: English version (PDf file, 1.26 MB) and Welsh version (PDF file, 1.15 MB)
The toolkit includes a CD of tools and resources. These are also available to download.
Community Focused Schools - Making it happen: a checklist for audit and inspection
This checklist has been designed as an aid for those developing community focused services and activities in and around their schools.
Download the inspection checklist: English version (PDF file, 705 KB) and Welsh version (PDF file, 422 KB).
Governors' guide to community focused schools
We have produced this guide in partnership with Governors Wales to support governors, as key strategic leaders and managers, in developing a Community Focused Schools approach in their schools.
Find out more, and download all the chapters and annexes.
Turning the vision into reality
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 that they form an intrinsic part of broader education and local authority priorities such as health, regeneration and the Children and Young People’s Plans currently being developed.
Download the turning vision into reality paper: English version (PDF file, 575 KB) and Welsh version (707 KB).
A briefing on community cohesion
This briefing paper has been prepared to give those involved in the development of Community Focused Schools (CFS) and Out-of-School-Hours Learning (oshl) a quick overview of community cohesion. The paper aims to clarify what is meant by community cohesion and to show how, through developing Community Focused Schools and OSHL approaches, schools, and a wide range of their partners, can play a role in fostering cohesion.
Download the community cohesion briefing paper: English version (PDF file, 610 KB) and Welsh version (PDF file, 378 KB).
Download some community cohesion case studies: English version (PDF file, 38 KB) and Welsh version (PDF file, 41 KB).
Young leaders for active communities
The Russell Commission reported in 2006 on the development of a strategy for Youth Volunteering in the UK. The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) is taking forward its recommendations in Wales. As part of this work, ContinYou Cymru was successful in March 2007 in its application for funding to carry out a year long feasibility study to test out new and innovative ways of engaging young people in volunteering.
The feasibility study tested the potential for developing a range of volunteering opportunities for young people through taking part in a young leaders programme, and through linking with out-of-school-hours learning (oshl) and community focused schools (CFS) developments. The aim has been to look at whether this approach can support the development of a ‘bank’ of young volunteers, who will be trained as young leaders to plan, manage, lead and deliver Oshl and CFS activities for children, young people and others in their communities, and to engage other young people in volunteering.
Download the young leaders for active communities report: English version (PDF file, 192 KB) and the Welsh version (PDF file, 249 KB).
Bridging the gender gap for boys
This guide shows how oshl can help raise boys’ attainment by improving their concentration, self-esteem and motivation to learn. It is designed to help schools and local authorities, by working in partnership with others, to make oshl integral to raising boys’ achievement levels.
Download the gender gap guide: English version (PDF file, 2 MB) and Welsh version (PDF file, 1 MB).
Making homework work
This guide aims to highlight some issues, challenges and good practice related to homework that we have identified – and help you decide how homework works best for you and your setting. It is aimed at all those working within out-of-school-hours learning.
Download the homework guide: English version (PDF file, 2.3 MB) and Welsh version (PDF file, 3 MB)
Speak up
The Speak up guide is based on the Primary Democracy pilot project. This guide offers primary schools useful information and tips for setting up study support/oshl programmes and activities that encourage the development of ‘children’s voice’.
Download now: English version (PDF file, (671 KB) and Welsh version (PDF file, 556 KB).
Welsh Code of Practice for out-of-school-hours learning
Funded by the National Assembly, this practical tool includes case studies showing oshl learning and is packed full of advice about identifying, developing, managing and sustaining oshl activities. For more information visit the code background page.
Download now: English version (PDF file, 632 KB) and Welsh version (PDF file, 667 KB).
(Note: this replaces the Code of Practice published in 2000).
Welsh training and resource pack for out-of-school-hours-learning
This training pack of five modules, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, complements the Code of Practice. It is written for both teaching and non-teaching staff and is an ideal resource to help oshl providers plan a training programme.
Download now: English version (PDF file, 416 KB) and Welsh version (PDF file, 538 KB).
Primary to Secondary: Out-of-school-hours Learning and Transition
This resource helps schools to set up oshl programmes supporting transition from primary to secondary, and to help ease the fears of Year 6 pupils about their future secondary school. It was produced as part of the Symud Ymlaen project with the support of the Welsh Assembly and Government and is printed in both English and Welsh.
Download now: English version (PDF file, 554 KB) and Welsh version (PDF file, 542 KB).
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.
Take your Partners in Caerphilly 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.
Download now: English version (PDF file, 415 KB) and Welsh version (PDF file, 415 KB).
Breakfast Club Plus
The Breakfast Club Plus resource pack has now been adapted for Welsh schools. For more information about Breakfast Club Plus, and to download the original version of the pack for English schools, please visit our Breakfast Club Plus area.
Developed with help from the DfES and Kellogg's, the Breakfast Club Plus resource is a step-by-step guide to setting up a breakfast club and keep it going.
Download now: English version (PDF file, 1.7 MB) and Welsh version (PDF file, 1.4 MB).
OwnZone
The OwnZone resource pack has now been adapted for Welsh schools. For more information about OwnZone, and to download the original version of the pack for English schools, please visit our OwnZone area.
OwnZone is an Extra Time guide designed to help secondary schools set up personalised after-school care and learning clubs for their Key Stage 3 students.
Download now: English version (PDF file, 1.6 MB) and Welsh version (PDF file, 846 KB)
Or download the alternative format OwnZone for Wales in English (Word file, 331 KB)
Please note:
Ownzone was initially written to provide guidance on how to combine delivery of out-of-school-hours learning activities, pastoral support and ‘childcare’ in secondary schools in England and Wales. Since Ownzone was published the core offer for extended services in and around schools in England has changed.
In England, childcare is no longer a requirement of the core offer for those aged 11-14 years. The models of delivery contained within ownzone continue to provide a framework from which you can meet the new requirement of providing a 'safe place' for young people aged 11-14 years to be outside of normal lesson time. Ownzone's approach to having a range of supervised spaces, such as the chillzone and the skillzone provides a tried and tested base on which to build. In light of these changes some of the information within the English guide, relating to Ofsted registration, charging and working tax credit, are now out-of-date.
The existing text remains current for Wales. Please contact one of our team or the extended services/community focussed schools manager (co-ordinator) in your local authority to find out the latest developments in helping to fund and support the sustainability of your programme.
What's cooking?
This Extra Time resource has been translated into Welsh for use in Welsh schools. For more information about What's cooking? please visit our What's cooking? page.
What's cooking? is for anyone who would like to help young people learn more about food and about how to prepare and cook healthy and appetising meals.
Download now: English version (PDF file, 1 MB) and Welsh version (PDF file, 1.1MB).
Sum-it! Supplement for Wales
This guide is published for schools in Wales as a bilingual supplement to ContinYou’s Sum-it! resource pack, which has been published for schools in England. The elements specific to Wales are summarised here to help you establish and sustain a thriving maths club. For more information about Sum-it!, and to download the original Sum-it! resource, please visit our Sum-it! pages.
Developed with help from the DfES, this resource pack takes you through the steps to set up maths clubs and keep them going.
Download now: English version (PDF file, 80 KB) and Welsh version (PDF file, 83 KB).
Taking part - Welsh supplement
The Taking Part pack includes advice and guidance on how to make out-of-school-hours learning (oshl) an integral part of raising the achievement of looked-after children. More information, and the original Taking Part resource, are available from the Taking Part project page.
This supplement is designed to complement the information in Taking Part and gives the relevant policy contexts, resources and contacts for those involved in creating oshl opportunities for looked after children in Wales.
Download the English version (PDF file, 742 KB) and the Welsh version (PDF file, 748 KB).
This is how we do it
This Extra Time resource helps Welsh schools set up out-of-school-hours (oshl) reading programmes. The booklet is aimed at primary schools, secondary schools, local education authorities and others involved in providing out-of-school-hours programmes.
Download now: English version (PDF file, 551 KB) and Welsh version (PDF file, 495 KB).
Other publications
Raising Money for Out-of-School-Hours Learning
A fundraising guide for schools and school groups, offering step-by-step advice for finding grant-making trusts and writing successful grant application letters, as well as a free listing of donor contact names and addresses. Guides cost £7.50 each (plus P & P) and can be purchased from our publications catalogue.
For more out-of-school-hours learning publications, as well as family and community learning publications, visit ContinYou's publications catalogue.
