Agenda item

(Youth County Council Delegates - Robert ? from Ifield School Gravesend,Libby Carter from Gravesend Grammar School for Girls  and Tamanna Miah from Bradbourne School Sevenoaks , supported by Claire Trainor, Youth Participation Co-ordinator, Kent Youth Service, participated in the discussion on this item – set out below each question is a summary of the responses given).

 

Q1 - What activities outside of teaching time (extended services) do your schools provide to students and to the local community (for example, sports facilities, IT facilities, courses, and clubs)?  Who provides and who runs these activities?

 

• My school does not offer anything outside the school community

 

• School has a lunchtime club music and dance – sometimes the school is rented out for performing arts and also spots event

 

• Football, swimming , music

 

Q2 - Who provides these services 

 

• Always Teachers occasionally we have a sports coach in for a term

 

• Music teacher for older groups – Teaching Assistants for younger groups

 

 

Q3 - in your view, how beneficial are extended services?

 

• ones provided by school give the opportunity to mix with other year groups.  Also there is the advantage of  leaning new skills

 

• meeting people make friends, learn new skills, helps build confident.

 

• Gives you hobbies to do – free at the school – gives new skills meet new people – I have to pay for mini bus to go home only costs a £1.

 

• Keeps me out of trouble and stops me from being bored.

 

• Meet other people  similar interests might not meet otherwise

 

 

Q4 - Tell me about your schools and what services provide?

 

• Gravesend Grammar School for Girls – mainly sport and music – not any other clubs – only thing could improve would be to met up with Boys school and have joint activities. Disco in years 7 -8 – 9 mixed but nothing after that.

 

• Bradbourne School is a girls school – they offer a lot of art and drama – offer art classes and put on shows, will be joining with boys school to form academy

 

• Ifield School – Gravesend - Music group –opportunity to go to concerts and play to old people in homes 

 

Q5 – what other things would you like to do?  What could schools around offer

 

·        A lot of young people don’t go to school activities they prefer activities that are not in school for example skate boarding, rock climbing and water sports

 

·  There is not much for young people to do.    Would like to have the opportunity to do first aid courses or help with C V  writing.

 

Q6 - Are you limited by transport

 

• Tamanna – I live in New Barn, near Sevenoaks and going to an after school club means waiting around for a bus.  There is nothing to do in New Barn – just one park

 

• Libby - I get a lift or walk so I stay after school to go activities or go home and come back

 

 

Q7 - do school sign post activities provided by someone else where you live?

 

• Gravesend Grammar School for Girls - we have notice boards – so we know what is going on

 

• Bradbourne school– There are leaflets at reception and sometimes announcements at made assembly or in class.

 

Q8 - In your view, what are the main challenges for your schools – if any – when providing extended services activities (for example financial, legal, transport, security, safeguarding, staffing challenges)?

 

• Staffing can be an issue we rely on teachers being willing to run these activities.  They could be paid extra for this or make it part of job their job to organise clubs.  Also could make a connections to other local schools have a joint offer.  It can end up being more expensive to get external people to run clubs.

 

• Not all members of staff want to stay after school and run clubs – pay extra for their time.

 

• Transport issue not able to get to right place at right time.

 

• Most parents can not pay for bus home – make the mini buses free to drop off.

 

• Transport – freedom pass – young people can afford it get it reduced or free.  Freedom pass only goes up to 16 years old.

 

• Using the premises – school not used at weekend – seems like a waste.

 

• School library not used at the weekend – could be used by community.

 

• Teachers feel young people need to be supervised or they will abuse premises but they would not if they were enjoying what they were doing.

 

 

Q9 - In your opinion, in what ways can these challenges be resolved?

 

• pay teachers for providing extended services

 

• buses – more accessible

 

 

Q10 – Has your school or any other students what activities you want to do?

 

• They ask the school council – but nothing even get done – they don’t really try to get things done e.g. wanted to change the uniform as the kilts are hot in summer but they did not consider it

 

• Teachers decide what clubs are held as it depends on them to run them. That is why we have so many sports clubs as sports teachers are willing to run them.

 

Q11 - In your opinion, given the current financial climate and the prospect of budget cuts, in what ways can Kent County Council ensure the sustainability of extended services into the future?  How protect clubs you have at the moment.

 

•  Fund raising – to help with clubs and equipment – car wash and boot fairs and jumbles and raffles
•  Non uniform days.
•  Second hand school uniform shop.
•  Cake sales.
• Try and cut costs of clubs – reduce printing etc.
• All the small pots of money disappearing – told may not have any Youth Opportunity Fund (YOF) money coming in.  Would be helpful if there was a small pot of money school can draw on.
• Gravesham – gifted young Gravesham – got start up from YOF – has local youth club – dance group rely on us for costumes – if YOF not there have to find their own.

 

Q12 – Volunteering – therefore not rely on money rely on people giving time.

 

• More experience of this in primary school where parents run clubs. Does not tend to happen in Secondary school.

 

Q13 – Opportunity for you to engage in voluntary activities?

 

• Gravesend Grammar School for Girls is big on volunteering.  It is located near an old people’s home.  6th form runs tea mornings.  Volunteering is more popular in upper school and 6^th Form in general.  At 14 + 75% volunteer in some way.
• Bradbourne School - teachers and staff try to get pupils to volunteer to help others with reading and writing etc, 

 

• Ifield School – a few people volunteer.  I use to run a dance group which went well.  It is really up to the staff to decide if they think the person can be trusted to be a volunteer.

 

Q14 - In what ways, if any, can Kent County Council, schools and external partners, improve the general provision of extended services?

 

• Publicity is a big one – our school puts posters up and get a teacher to talk about it. Until recently only a few went to gardening club because people had not been told about it.

 

Q15 – Role of Kent youth County Council - has it considered extended services/clubs?

 

• There is a Positive Activities Sub Group which try’s to organise events and at the same time make sure things are publicised.

 

Q16 – How KCC members help you achieve these aims.

 

• Biggest issues make sure we know what we have available for example funding, organising battle of bands is not cheap.

 

Q17 – Voluntary groups like Lions, rotary work in secondary school – in Canterbury district Members worked with Rotary to fund a battle of the bands – schools did the transport – ways to attract it into schools and area? Any examples?

 

• No

 

Q18 – if are considering extended services in KYCC could you bring a report back to this committee

 

• Yes we have a meeting on Sunday and will report back and if any of you would like to come along you would be welcome.

 

Q19 - What appears to be early steps in running it yourself – what if there is no money so it is up to you and parents to organise activities? Sounds like you just need someone to co-ordinate.

 

• Yes but easier if have money, need to have advice on what we can and can’t do.
• Need to make sure that the advice is young people friendly – lot of advice given by Council no one can understand.

 

Q20 – Do you have breakfast clubs if not are they a good thing?  What can we do to help you – no money?

 

• Do not have a breakfast club – canteen have toast available but not well used.

 

• I think it would be a good club – school next door do a breakfast club and one at colleague.

 

• Breakfast club at primary club – would be good to have one – encourage young people to have breakfast.

 

• It is important to publicise extended services – I did not know anything about Connexions until they came to school

 

• “togogo” website was not a success – need something like that but created by young people – publicity important. 

 

• Will take it back to the YCC and see if we have the skills

 

Q21 – do you access youth clubs where you live if there aren’t any at your school

 

• main thing scout and guides – I am an explorer – I have links through church- youth club
• New Barn – youth club too far away – need transport – used to get a lift.
• Robert – is one in Northfleet – issues transport, if I could get transport there and back would go for it.

 

Q22 – do school offer extended services to adults in evenings

 

• no school don’t open up for adults (Gravesend Grammar School for Girls)
• odd occasions cookery classed and adult education – not much (Sevenoaks)
• nothing for adults (Ifield School)

 

Q23 – How disappointed would you or others be if these services taken away – how important are extended services to you

 

• if take them away more adults moan about young people on street
• put pressure on council to put them back and rely on adults to run them.
• More kids on the street not have anything to do and be bored.
• If no music club do not know what I would do.

 

Q24 – would you feel confident about going to Headteacher and exploring the possibility of more teachers offering more time for extended services

 

• My head teacher is really nice, I can talk to her and she takes on ideas.
• My head teacher not often available but if she was I would speak to her about it.

 

Q25 - Are there any issues or questions in relation to extended services that you wish to raise with the Select Committee?

 

• how are the budget cuts going to effect extended services?

 

Response – we have got to think of ways of continuing excellent services and where they are not so good to build them up.  Need to look at different ways of doing this.  If people want different or improved services they need to come up with ideas and have a passion for making this happen. There may be a massive change for organisers but there should be for the end users.

 

The Committee thanked the representatives from KYCC for attending the meeting and sharing their views.  It was important to continue this dialogue via KYCC.