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What was planned?

The club was a partnership between Northumbria Police, Gateshead Education Business Partnership (EBP) and South Street Community Primary School. An external consultant facilitated the co-ordination of the project with the partners. The main aims of the project were to create an after school club to:

• Increase self-esteem of participants
• Break down barriers between young people and the police
• Show relevance of Citizenship to young people.

Membership of the club was offered to all Year 4 and Year 5 children. Owing to an overwhelming response, the school had to select participants, to encourage participation by pupils with low self-esteem or those at risk of anti-social behaviour. There were 6 club programmes with ten members in each. The majority of the management committee organising the club were pupils.

South Street Community School serves an inner city area of Gateshead and has a significant incidence of pupil mobility. The percentages of pupils with Special Educational Needs and of those entitled to free school meals are above national averages.

What was done and when?

After an initial two day induction for the management team a programme was developed and a schedule of events planned. The majority of the team - six out of ten members - were pupils and all members had an equal say in the management of the club. The four remaining members were the school co-ordinator, the lead police officer co-ordinator, the representative of the EBP and a parent part time worker at the school.  The induction programme included an introduction to the facilities at the police centre; discussion to name the club 'Beat Street Riders'; the design of the Club Logo; the formulation of the six week programme and the establishment of the Club Rules.  During these two days the pupils prepared a presentation outlining progress to the head teacher.

The club ran for six weeks, meeting each Wednesday 3.30-5.30, and was repeated in five half terms per academic year. The programmes ran from March 2001 to March 2002.  The lead partners, the police officer and the teacher had equal status, each taking an individual responsibility for leading sessions. The content of the 6 week programme is detailed below:

Week 1 – Introductions; 'Getting to know you' quiz.

Week 2 - Learning about road safety and protective wear.

Week 3 - Check bikes, fix bikes, security marking etc.

Week 4 - Planning the bike ride, map reading, recording etc.

Week 5 - Report and Newsletter writing - Management team report on impact.

Week 6 - The bike ride, presentation of awards. Team celebration event.

The final celebration event was attended by VIPs, invited guests, parents and all involved with the project.

What has the impact been?

• The school reported a marked improvement in the attendance of certain pupils; for example one child with frequent and persistent unauthorised absences was always at school for the club and had 100% attendance.
• Teachers in the school commented that "Many pupils benefited from mixing with children of varying ages and established new friendship groups". It was significant that the pupils themselves placed being "more friendly and sociable" high on their list of ways in which the project had helped them personally. Staff at the school also noted "improved team working skills", and they also felt that the team work in the project had resulted in an "increased consideration for others." A pupil’s comment in the evaluation supported this - "I liked the club because it taught me friendship. I really enjoyed the club because I was both me and a team worker. This is what we learned!"
• An interesting outcome was the "marked interest in boys’ confidence", and the keenness of the boys to work with male adults was commented upon by the school. Pride in their club and the self-esteem it developed was evident in all evaluations with the pupils. The session provided all pupils with opportunities to achieve and feel good about themselves. "He( the policeman) likes me, we get on great, my brother can’t believe I’m friendly with a policeman"
• The internal evaluation report stated that "From the Police perspective, the project succeeded in breaking down barriers in a positive and non-confrontational setting." It helped to work towards police targets through improving standards of road safety and promoting good Citizenship. "Making friends with the police" was a popular response when the pupils were asked what they enjoyed about the project. Teachers observed that "relationships between the police/ parents/ pupils and staff have all improved." This was also supported by observations from police and parents.
• The enhancement of skills and language development were also important factors. When asked to name a way in which the project had helped their work in school, a significant number responded that it had "improved my IT skills" and also that it had helped them to "write reports" and "talk and work in a group".

What was learnt and what were the next steps?

The experience of the Beat Street Riders' Club was used for the last charter point for application for a 'Healthy School Award' and helped the school meet the standards to gain the award. The project promoted new ideas amongst the teaching staff for ways in which the Citizenship curriculum can be delivered.