Background

Clapham Park New Deal for Communities Study Support Case Study Background Clapham Park is located in the London Borough of Lambeth, in Southwest London. It is home to 7,300 people and it lies between other more visible areas such as Brixton, Streatham, Balham and Clapham. The New Deal for Communities programme is a community-led regeneration programme whose principle purpose is to improve the lives and life chances of existing and future generations of Clapham Park.

"Our vision is the creation of a safe and welcoming place; a learning community which recognises and promotes its own skills and resources, and which can manage its own affairs with dignity."

Six theme groups, made up of residents and key partners, are committed to define specific problems and test out new ways of addressing them.

The area shows a higher than average percentage of young people. SATS results for the area are well below the national average and GCSE results remain below the national average. One of the key outcomes of the project is to achieve government floor targets. The Education and Youth Theme Group was constituted in December 2002 with its main purpose to raise achievement.

Community Education Zone

This was developed in phases. Phase 1 set up a structure for managing the partnership and started with some quick win projects. It undertook a large consultation Feb-May 2003 with parents and young people and Phase 2 was developed from its results.

Pupil support workers were employed to work with the local schools to promote:

• Reading activities
• Extended school day activities
• Homework and curriculum support for parents and children
• Dissemination of information and local opportunities

Activities were designed to develop the skills of children and help parents to feel confident about supporting their children with schoolwork. Examples of these activities follow. Those italicised are out of school activities.

Secondary Admissions Support

• Leaflets to parents (including translated versions) simplifying the process
• Telephone support
• One-to-one support filling in application forms
• Entrance Test Classes (run by the individual schools)
• Appeals and revised admissions support
• Y7 transition group visiting Y6

Curriculum Support

• Booster classes run by the school
• Homework club
• Raising achievement teacher
• Literacy Project
• Football Club
• Salsa classes. These have proved so popular parents, teachers and children do the classes together.
• Reading Club
• Authors at Book Festival
• Home Tutoring
• Saturday school
• Play@lunchtimes

Parental Support

• Coffee Mornings
• Advice Surgeries
• Renton Close After School Club partially funded. This provides support for working parents 3.30-6.00pm
• Family Learning Activities

Youth Programme

The youth programme started in September 2002. A number of successful initiatives have been developed and supported by the Youth Steering Group, a partnership of the community and youth professionals, which manages the youth programme. The Transforming a Generation Youth Strategy is an example of integrated working. It has been successful in engaging young people through arts and cultural events, which could lead onto vocational opportunities. Some of the events included:

• DJ and MC workshops
• Music Business Seminars
• Youth Forum Events
• Music tuition
• New Media Technology
• Dance Classes
• Drama Workshops
• Play Club based at a local school
• Inter Club at local youth centre
• Football coaching by Fulham FC
• Development of a Clapham Park football team.

Costs

The study support aspect of the education and youth theme group is one aspect of the total work of the theme group so it is difficult to extrapolate costs. Assuming there is an infrastructure of an NDC or an LEA, the most cost effective provision has been achieved by inviting schools to make small applications for funding to develop activities. This has resulted from the schools taking ownership of the club, organising it and running it for relatively small cost. E.g. A philosophy club, teaching children how to think has been set up this term. This will operate once a week for a year after school for £800. If found to be successful in improving thinking skills the method will be rolled out through the curriculum.

Outcome

Activities were mapped in November 03 (see attached) to show how they complement one another and to identify gaps in provision. It is too early to measure outcomes. The Summer 2004 examination results should reflect some impact.

Anecdotally there have been a number of favourable indicators. Those doing booster classes in one school showed higher SATs results in 2003. More children have been accepted into secondary schools than was the case this time last year. It was noted by the local shopkeepers that the summer holidays in 2003 were the quietest ever!

Benefits

The networking opportunities between schools and between schools and youth organisations have been tremendous. The silo mentality of schools, which has developed in the last ten years across England, is being broken down. Some fruitful products of this joined-up approach are:

• Stockwell Park Secondary School was able to provide a swimming pool for the canoe project at the local youth centre.
• Richard Atkins Children's Committee and children at Glenbrook School have helped with the redevelopment of the local park
• When Renton Close After School Club was flooded the school kindly allowed it to temporarily relocate to its premises with a few hours notice
• Schools identified lunchtimes as being problematic for children and the youth team were able to develop lunchtime activities with the lunchtime supervisors. Children's capacity for learning is improved by play provision at lunchtimes.
• One school is able to pilot projects and share good practice with the others.
• Out of school activities do not stand alone but link in with key issues for school improvement.

For further information please contact

Val Patterson, Education and Youth Theme Manager, Clapham Park Project. Tel: 020 8678 5929