Out-of-school-hours learning (Oshl)
What is out-of-school-hours learning?
Out-of-school-hours (oshl) learning is an activity which young people take part in, voluntarily, outside normal school hours. Oshl activities may take place:
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before the start of the school day
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at lunchtimes
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after school
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at weekends
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during school holidays.
They may be provided through the school, or by a range of providers in a variety of settings. The prime purpose is to enable young people to follow a specific interest or fulfil a particular need, but an important outcome is the improvement in their motivation and their ability to become more effective, lifelong learners. There is now strong evidence to show that pupils who take part in oshl programmes:
- have greater self-esteem
- have a more positive attitude towards learning
- attend school more regularly
- behave better
- have opportunities to develop relationships with pupils and adults beyond their usual circle
- have higher attainments than similar groups of pupils who do not take part.
These benefits were seen during a three-year study on the impact of participating in study support (out-of-school-hours learning), undertaken by the Quality in Education Centre at the University of Strathclyde.
